Cash Prizes Inadequate ! - Artistes

By Stephen K. Effah
Saturday, 29 March 2008

For the first time in its nine-year history, award winners of the Ghana Music Awards (GMA) festival will from this year, receive cash prizes in addition to the customary trophies and the phone call credits given them.

Consequently, each artiste who wins an award in the various categories is to get GH¢1,000 plus GH¢500 worth of call credits and a hamper from the mobile telecommunication giant, MTN.

The winner of the topmost award, Artiste of the Year, will take home GH¢3,000 and GH¢1,000 worth of call credits plus a hamper from MTN, Mrs.Theresah Ayaode, Executive Director of Charter House, organisers of the event, announced last Tuesday at the launch of the awards in Accra.

The announcement of the cash prize has been welcomed as a step in the right direction by some musicians and players in the music industry, since they have long been agitating for cash prizes as part of the awards.

Notwithstanding the development, a number of artistes interviewed on the cash additions by the Times, appeared not to be pleased with the amount involved, which they said was "a bit small," considering the prestige of the awards.

The 2006 Hip life Artiste of the year, Castro, told the Times that though the cash introduction was laudable, "the money is too small, they should add more," pointing out that the GMA is the country’s highest music awards, hence prizes should reflect the awards’ caliber.

A-Plus, who has been nominated alongside five other artistes for the Hip life Song of the Year, wondered why the "Artiste of the Year" could not be given GH¢13,000 cash prize.

He noted that even those who are yet to hit stardom are given car prizes for winning reality shows like the Stars of the Future, which is also the brainchild of Charter House, and wondered why the Artiste of the Year could not be given something equivalent to that.

"Those who are stars of the future get cars as their prizes and those of us who are stars of today get carved wood." He argued that if yet-to-be stars are given car prizes, then musicians who are stars already should be given something better than that as prizes.

To him, although the cash prize is good, he prefers the trophies to the cash prize, which he said is a legacy that would be there forever.

For his part, Frank, a member of the hip life duo Wutah, told the Times "it is good that money has been introduced, it is not something a well established artiste would appreciate," adding "some artistes takes three times the amounts after performing for 30 minutes on stage".

He was of the view that the money should be increased, but said, the trophy is "more prestigious than the money".

The Manager of Kwaw Kesse, Feneck, said the amount should be raised, arguing that if Miss Ghana and winners of other beauty pageants are given cars as their prizes, "why can’t a whole Ghana Music Awards give something in that range."

He therefore urged more corporate bodies to sponsor the GMA festival, as he said, "all their jingles were made with our music free of charge and should not fail to give it back to the musicians".

A member of the trio, Praye, said: "We have cried over it (money) for sometime now, so it is a step in the right direction," but said, there should be an increment in the money package in subsequent awards.

Praye ‘Ho Ne Ho’ therefore urged both individuals and the corporate world to support the awards festival financially to make it successful.

Praye also urged the organisers to actively involve the musicians in the awards, saying "it is about time that musicians are actively involved in the awards," and cited the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards of the United States as an example.

He said that the masters of ceremonies for BET awards for instance, are musicians, who he said, should be emulated by the organisers of the GMA festival rather than picking those who are not musicians.

The GMA festival awards night, scheduled for April 25, at the National Theater, will be preceded by gala night on April 23, and climaxed with a massive outdoor jam to celebrate the award winners. An international artiste is expected to grace the occasion.