Top musician fights music pirates

One of Ghana’s top highlife musicians whose music is
being sold on the market without his approval, has
warned that his outfit will soon deal drastically with
all those involved in the illegal distributing of his
music.

The highlife music icon, Abrantie Amakye Dede, wept
over the rate at which music was being pirated in
the country and disclosed that for the past years,
his musical works had been sold on the local and
international music markets and online without his
approval.

Speaking to BEATWAVES in an interview yesterday,
the evergreen highlife musicians described pirates as
thieves, and nation wreckers, and therefore called
for an effective and rapid legal system in the
country to deal with them.

“I have to make things uncomfortable for the
pirates who are depriving Ghanaian musicians from
making ends meet. We will chase them out of their
hideouts very soon. We will use all available means to
uproot them and destroy their criminal operations,”
he declared.
He added that “it is time for all forms of piracy to
be dealt a lethal blow. Pirates must be jailed.

I call
on all Ghanaians to expose their illegal activities in
the supreme interest of the country.
“Piracy has not only decimated Ghana’s music
industry, but has impoverished its creators and
deprived government of legitimate tax revenue.”
According to him, measures were being put in place
by his management team to check the activities of
those pirating his musical works, adding that he
would wage an intensive war against those behind the
illegal sale and distribution of his musical works.

He asked music sellers and distributors in the
country who want to do business with his music to
contact him personally or his management.

Abrantie stated that he had not authorized any
company such Mega Star or any group of persons to
distribute and sell his musical works on his behalf.

Source: George Clifford Owusu