Rex Omar is a veteran Highlife musician
Board Chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Rex Omar, has stated that Ghana is still not prepared to support and sustain its music and creative arts industry.
Speaking in an interview with George Quaye on Joy Prime, the veteran musician revealed that the majority of musicians are not making a living from their craft.
“Ghana is not ready to support music, up to today. I can tell you that 97 % of Ghanaian musicians are not making money,” he noted.
According to him, while a few successful artistes inspire young people to pursue music, most enter the space driven purely by passion.
“They go into music out of passion. But the business aspect of it that will sustain them is zero,” he lamented.
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Rex Omar also disclosed that he is ready to step down as GHAMRO board chair, citing delays in electing a new board.
“Technically, I’m still there as chairman, waiting for them to do elections so that I can hand over and leave.
“I’m thinking of leaving this month (February) because what I went there to do is finished. We went to digitise GHAMRO, and I’m going to launch i,t and I’ll leave,” he said.
Beyond GHAMRO, Rex Omar criticised the broader creative economy and intellectual property ecosystem, stressing that the state has failed to play its required role.
“Ghana is still not ready. Look at our IP industry. Now go to the corporate office. The reason why all our CMOs are suffering is that the role that the state must play and take it seriously is still not being done,” he said.
According to Rex Omar, Ghana’s music and creative economy is still far from ready to function as a viable industry.
ID/EB
