MUSIC PRODUCER ARRESTED FOR PIRACY

The Police on Tuesday afternoon arrested a seasoned music producer and former General Secretary of the Ghana Association of Phonograph Industry (GAPI), Francis Mensah Twum, suspected to be a member of a syndicate that sells musical works of Ghanaian musicians on the internet without approval from the right owners.

Francis Mensah Twum, who is also the project coordinator of GAPI, an association made up of music producers, was arrested by the police at the office of the association located at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.

The arrest was made following complaints from a number of Ghanaian musicians and some stakeholders to the Music Council of Ghana that their musical works were being pirated and sold on the internet without their approval.

According to the President of the council, Ekow Micah, who is also a victim, after the council’s own investigation, he led a team of police personnel to arrest Twum.

He told BEATWAVES Mensah Twum had collaborated with a website to upload over 5,000 Ghanaians songs online for sale and is generating $10,000 every month.

According to Ekow Micah, thousands of musical works belonging to Ghanaian musicians are being sold online without the approval of the right owners, hence, the arrest of Mensah Twum.