Former leader of the defunct music group Klala, Daniel Neequaye Kotey has criticized fellow musicians for not demanding their fair share of the profits generated by award schemes through public voting. He believes event organizers exploit artists, offering recognition without addressing financial compensation.
Speaking on Onua FM’s GH Highlife show, Kotey expressed concern over the exploitation of Ghanaian musicians. He noted that artists often receive only a plaque despite substantial expenses incurred by their supporters during voting campaigns.
Kotey urged musicians to collectively demand transparency and fair compensation from organizers. He suggested that if an artist’s supporters spent significant amounts on voting and the artist did not win, the organizers should return at least 50% of those funds to the artist.
He argued that award schemes primarily benefit the organizers, who profit significantly while musicians receive an unfairly small portion. He called on Ghanaian artists to assert themselves and demand a more equitable share of the revenues.
Kotey proposed a revenue-sharing model: 50% to the musicians, 30% to the organizers, 10% to the media, and 10% to support retired musicians. This approach, he believes, would ensure fairer distribution of profits and better support the music community in Ghana.
“If you are a musician and you have been nominated in any award scheme in Ghana and you have earned nothing then you are not being wise,” he said.