Award-winning Ghanaian gospel musician Diana Hamilton has opened up about the importance of seeking permission before performing or reproducing songs by other artistes.
Speaking about the subject in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM‘s Showbiz A-Z, the singer, known for songs such as Ensi Wo Yie, Mo Ne Yo, Adom, Work in Progress, My Meditations, The Doing of the Lord, recounted instances where she sought approval before using songs that were not originally hers.
“I remember quite recently I did a Pentecostal Praise with Sofo Kyei Boate and there was a song by Francis Agyei that I sang with him on that wasn’t my song. I was a backing vocalist for him. But before I felt like it, I picked a phone and I called him and told him I was doing a medley of songs and wanted to start with his, and he said I should go ahead.
When I did Nsenkyerene Nyankopon, which is a Pentecost song, after I had sought permission and the song had already come out, and we were going through to perform it live at Experience Concert, I felt led to include a song by a Nigerian artiste,” she noted.
She said to be able to include it in the recording after the event, her management called to seek permission but the owner of the rights declined.
“So we cut that portion out as I had done it on stage without her knowing because I don’t want trouble,” she said.
The gospel musician also cited another example involving the song Days of Elijah.
“When you go on YouTube now, we have a song, ‘These Are the Days of Elijah’. Old song, somebody has done it. I did it on stage not because I wanted to reproduce it or monetise it. But I felt on the night of Experience concert that song fit in beautifully. And I didn’t have the chance to go ask her before putting it in my set. But my point was, if they allowed me to do it, great. If they didn’t, I just sang it on the night and let it go away.”
She added that there was also a song by Jesse Dickson she intended to use, but has been unable to release the performance because she has not reached the rightful owner of the song.
“I have been turned down, I have been allowed. I have both experiences. But I will always make sure that I had sought permission before I do that,” she said.
Diana was part of a panel that delved into the debate on whether copyright laws should be relaxed when it comes to gospel music which is meant for evangelism and exaltation. This discussion comes on the back of instances where some churches and gospel musicians have taken other gospel artistes on for infringing on their intellectual property.
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