Copyright is more demanding for Europeans Artists.
No one says that copyright is not a solution but the cry is more from
the west.We in Africa we believe that music uis a spiritual revelation
and we do not go about copying one another. In Africa ,France is
protecting Congo,Seneglk,Ivory Coast,Benin Mali and Guinea. The share
millions of dollars from royalty payments and this keeps them going and
have facilited the Artist housing scheme in these countries. There is
more to be done in educating our communities on music art and royalties.
An independant African copyright office, not to be affiliated to France
or England. We have to learn to protect and do for ourselves.

 The Music Of Africa is safe for future use  (for digital cable audio
and Programme music service)
African music should not be called African music.Africa is vast and huge
and there are thousands of different musical styles that it is
impossible to point a finger at one style and call it" The African
Music".There is nothing like this ever. It is classified as a tribal
bunch of influences which is drawn from different sources that makes
reasonable sense to the European listerers.It should be branded As
"music from Africa". There is nothing like African music in Africa, on
any major Radio stations or TV network. Even the humble BBC do not
feature prime-time African music. If a record company wants you to know
their catalogue and when your country is over 10 million people, then
they will record the artists of that country and will sell a million
copies world wide but they will not recording African music to make
money from African artist, but to sell western pop music to Africans.
The countries they choose in Africa are all huge and populated and
semi-literate ; countries :like  Nigeria(  Femi Kuti/ King Sunny Ade ),
Congo( Franco /Papa Wemba),South Africa (Miriam makeba,/Lucky Dube,Hugh
Masekela), Senegal (Youssou Ndour Baba Maal), Ethiopia (Gigi /Aster
Aweke).All theses Artists sold a lot of albums for Europeans record
companies and not for themselves. The westerners do not want their
product. The biggest selling African Albums since 1990 did not sell more
than 25.000 copies in one year. African music is not yet big. Could do
better.

Music is a spiritual revelation (topa-ndorr and Taka-nderr)
The concern for piracy is more a worry to the West than to us. In many
African countries and in many tribes, you cannot copy someone ele's
music. It was spiritually not permitted. Music is a spiritual
revelation. You just cannot copy some ele's spirit. Even in story
telling we have alot to say and to explain before the story is told..
Threr was no royalty controll in the different forms of music that  are
artistic innovative and indeept meditional.There is a belief that if you
steal someones soul and copy his /her spiritual gift you will be curse
and you can die from it. Please check all the musicians who die young
and check their history in copyright and royalties. In Africa we now
have copyright offices and we still have to feel their impact and still
waiting for the impact to kick. NOT YET !!!

Investment turn-overs (Western style economics in spiritualism)
The Europeans and the Americans are worried of their investments and
turnovers. When you see the financial charts and see the colum
International meaning Africa, Asia and South America it is always marked
uncharted terrorort(unknown area). This is why they are forcing African
governments to set upopyright offices before they can do business. The
power of African Music is live performance. Many Africans are still
unable to make a record. Because all the ideas they have they want to
put in a record. But making a record is like shopping to cook a meal.
When you record you not yet through,but when you mix tne various
instruments you record and then you cut off the rough edges and edit the
mistakes and sometimes the lenght then you will make a final compress
and then you have a record. This is called mastering. This is the
process. African music loose a lot of
rhythms,gimmicks,riffs,inventories,abstractionsand sometimes dubs. The
record companies make record base on counts. These counts are the steps
and the blood beat and the heart beat of the Europeans.Anything outside
this breath is called World music. It is a sin for innocent Africans
opening shops in remote corners and in foreign countries to add more
damage to the culture and benefit from this (Just to buy a house) in
Africa and do not care about the future of our national
heritage.UNEDUCATED FOOLS.!!!

Protecting the form and shape (not for others) This is the European Way.
The Protection of African music is it's difficult structure to master.
It's ritual side ,so deep and sophiscated and its ceremonial side which
is light and cross-rhythmic. All these are very difficult for Europeans
and Americans to play. The music of the west is so scientific that they
can draw it, count it and give it a fix form. This form they will
register aqnd the registration last for 50 years. They have registered
millions and millions of songs for private Brain-Measure but above ALL
they cannot remember too well. Most Musicians in the west cannot perform
if they don't have a paper with notes in front of them. All paid for,
borrowed or stolen. But they are copyrighted.

Computer Downloading.
Advise; When you spend 25.000 US dollars to record and your projection
is to make 200% profit. Make this (100.000US dollars) and step out.
There will be regulation soon and many internet music companies like
Napstar are paying royalities for limited supplies. The case is not as
rampant as an endless alley. There is light at the end of the tunnel
with African Music.No fear,there is an agreement between the music
industry and the computer companies to regulate this situation .

Each African country have see the rewards and the planning. and release
many musical products before trying to run a copyright office. Finally
the cast system that put musicians at the bottom of the society ladder
in Africa (especially in The Gambia) must be revisited. Who is
responsible for labelling African music unholy and demonic. Is it the
Arabs ? I don't think so or is it the British, hope not !

Down with colonmialism and the destruction of The African music Arts and
Culture!!!


As in life, So in Music
Oko Drammeh
Soto Koto Music

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