Amakye Dede rejects royalty from GHAMRO

Veteran Hi-life musician Abrantie Amakye Dede has rejected his share of the recent royalty distributed by the Ghana Association of Music Right Owners (GHAMRO) for December 2012.

According to the ‘Iron Boy’ singer, he received GHC250 as royalty for the last quarter of the year, but believes he deserves much more than that, considering the number of albums he has released and his general contribution to the music industry, both in and outside Ghana in the year under review.

In protest, Abrantie rejected his share of the recent royalty distributed among Ghanaian musicians in December 2012.

Abrantie accused the 14-member interim board of not being transparent with the collection and distribution of intellectual music royalties to all Ghanaian musicians and specifically to its members.

He further described the Chairman of the interim GHAMRO board, Carlos Sakyi and musician K.K.

Kaboobo, who is a member of the board, as “hungry lions” and “cheats” because they have contributed very little to the music industry and yet they enjoy far more than the musicians who have sustained Ghanaian music over a very long period of time.

“I don’t think K.K. Kaboobo knows what he is saying or maybe I respect him too much, because when we started, everybody knows the cut Kaboobo was getting, but he shouldn’t think that if that time he couldn’t make use of it, he is now coming to use the GHAMRO office to enrich himself like a hungry lion. It will never happen!” he said.

Amakye Dede, with the support of Carlos Sakyi, K.K. Kaboobo and most of the interim GHAMRO members, fought the administration of former MUSIGA President Alhaji Sidiku Buari and other past administrations for not being transparent; and yet when the same people took over, things have moved from “bad to worse”.

“We all fought that Alhaji Sidiku Buari was not transparent, including Carlos Sakyi…as for Kaboobo you came in to represent the musicians union so when Diana Hopeson left, he was supposed to get out and you don’t even have to be part of GHAMRO, but because of your dubious means you are still part of it.

I’m telling you that both of you do not contribute anything and what we took over from Sidiku Buari you people have even made it worse,” he cried.

Amakyi Dede wants all musicians who are members of the GHAMRO board to leave the office and go back to the studio and on stage to record good songs and perform all over the country and allow professionals and administrators to do the office work and proper documentation for GHAMRO.

“I don’t care who the leader is but let’s find professionals, and not musicians, to do the work.

If Kaboobo and his friends believe they are musicians they should put the pen down come back on stage to perform and allow other people to work for us because you have taken what we were fighting against, from bad to worse.”

Abrantie went on to accuse Carlos Sakyi, K.K. Kaboobo and the entire GHAMRO board of not being transparent as to how much money they collect, over what period of time and which criteria they used in distributing royalties to musicians.

“I’m telling you Carlos Sakyi, K.K. Kaboobo and everybody that if you have come like hungry lions, you lie.

You cannot use us, as we want accountability! How can you distribute money for us when we don’t know the total amount collected or the total amount being distributed?” Amakye asked.

Meanwhile a member of the interim GHAMRO board, Rex Omar, resigned last week based on the same issues Amakye Dede raised.