A new copyright bill in Ghana will according to musicians and lawyers associations in be used to impose fees on Ghanaians who use folklore in their music. This would include those musicians who since generations have preserved the traditional knowledge.Freemuse and Executive Committee member, Krister Malm have assisted Ghanaian
musicians and lawyers with knowledge and advice on this issue.
Krister Malm, who apart from being a Freemuse founding member also is the
President of ICTM, the International Council for Traditional Music, has dealt
with copyright legislation and international conventions for more than thirty
years says:
“The new Ghanaian legislation is probably according to WIPO guidelines. But the
application of the legislation seems twisted. I can’t understand how the
Ghanaian government can claim that tolls taken from bona fide performers of
traditional music are in line with WIPO recommendations”.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
