GHAMRO is not attractive – Yaw Dhope

Hiplife artiste Yaw Dhope says he is impressed by the progress the industry has made even with its many challenges.

However, one area that has not impressed him is the royalties system in the country, an area he believes needs a lot of work.

According to him, the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), which is mandated to collect royalties on behalf of musicians, had not positioned itself well over the years.

“Music is an entire business on its own and anyone who decides to venture into it has no option but to give it his or her best and when you do, it is expected that these institutions will make sure you earn something at the end of the day but that is not the case in our country, Ghana.

“It makes it difficult for young ones like us coming up to join. The royalty collection system is not attractive at all, you read stories from our big stars and when they mention the money they earn, it is not encouraging.

“So, with a case like this, what is the guarantee that when you are not active in your old age, you will have money if you depend solely on it. Sometimes when I read the news and I hear the amount these big names earn I get frightened.

“I think to myself that if they who have been doing this business for over a decade and more are earning these small amounts then what about some of us who just started?,” he told Graphic Showbiz.

Comparing happenings in other industries abroad, Yaw Dhope said, “Just look at the amount of money Michael Jackson’s music is earning him even after his death. His family is still enjoying the fruits of his labor, that is a system that works, that is attractive.

“The leadership should sit up and change things. The royalty system should be properly checked and it needs to pay artists well because music is a full-time job and without music, the world will be boring.”

Suggesting some of the ways to make the system attractive, Yaw Dhope said music needed to be taken seriously in this country.

“If GHAMRO’s collection style is not working, they should try other ways. It should be taken as a serious business, leadership should sit with the artists and talk about ways to make things work.

“They should sit down with stakeholders and hear from them, if they are not paying, why they are not etc. You cannot sit down and assume your approach is the best, for all you know, there may be issues,” he said.

Away from that, Yaw Dhope real name Stanley Asiedu, spoke about his music journey saying so far things had gone great.

“From my experience, I will say the industry is made up of both real and fake people and as an artiste, you need to be able to distinguish between them and go for the real ones, if not, you will not progress in the industry,” he explained.

Counting his blessings since he began music, Yaw Dhope said his biggest achievement had been the acquisition of his own studio.

“I cannot hide the fact that since I started music, it has been helpful, my good moments are many but the highest will be two years ago when I acquired my own studio equipment and now I do my own recordings,” he said.

Yaw Dope has a number of songs to his name including Light and Darkness, Make Money, Lapdance, Riches and Envy, Flow Unlocked, Devil Knock, Sorry For Left, Close To The Ground, One way Or The Other, Differences, Vis-a-Vis, Bad Mind Gee and Kwashieman to Labadi.