Celtel to 'rock' Sierra Leone
The musicians, most of whom are popular in the Sierra Leone music industry, said that they were happy to finally have a sponsored forum for them to discuss and plan their future.
One such popular name is Steady Bongo, who believes that at last they will be able to actualise their dreams.
Bongo stated that although some of them have the opportunity of travelling and doing shows to make money, it is difficult to find five Sierra Leone musicians who can tell you how many copies of their works have been sold.
"Some of us just release songs, albums and you hear it being played all over the place but with no money coming in. It is really a frustrating state of affairs but with Celtel now sponsoring this conference, we will be able to talk freely and find ways of solving the problems in the industry," he said.
A senior disc jockey commonly called DJ Boxx of KallBoxx Records says he wholeheartedly welcomed the Celtel/Premier Media initiative.
"Some of us record labels just spend our money and keep on spending on artists without much profit, if any at all. During this on-going conference at the Miatta Conference Hall, we will be able to come up with solutions to our problems. The issue of a copyright law and its enforcement is a thorny issue which will be discussed and thrashed out - thanks to Celtel," he said.
He praised Celtel for trying to make life better for the music industry as many other corporate bodies have shied away from this investment because they do not realise how it would help them in the future.
"Celtel has a big heart and we must appreciate them," he noted.
The president of the Cassette Sellers Association (CSA), Abu Bakarr Kamara (alias 'DD Abu') says its a big initiative for Celtel to sponsor the conference. It is a welcome development, which will go a long way to show that they are seriously concerned about artists in the music business in Sierra Leone.
"We are hoping that this conference will also help to solve a lot of problems in our industry. All the stakeholders welcome this because everybody will benefit. We in the CSA believe that if the musicians are protected, then they will make more money both nationally and internationally and we will be able to get percentage from sales as well," he declared.
"I know it is not easy to find a corporate body that will care about whether the industry moves forward or not but Celtel has done it again without asking for anything. If all other mobile network companies had this kind of spirit, the future of Sierra Leone would have been brighter," the CSA President said.
The president of 'All Stars' Base A Phoenix says, the conference was long overdue but since no one came forward to help sponsor it, everybody was just doing things without control which led to a lot of losses to the artists.
"Now, our members will have an opportunity to speak with one voice and discuss with other stakeholders so that they will get just reward for their efforts - all thanks to Celtel's sponsorship and the Premier Media initiative for putting it together," he says.
He also said the artists themselves will learn a lot from the proceedings, especially about how to market their music, their performances, when to release albums, their relationship with other stakeholders and so on.
The proprietor of Music Makers, Alhassan Kamara, says now the sanity they all have been craving for in the music industry will be realised soon after the conference.
He praised Celtel for sponsoring the event, without which it would not have been possible, and Premier Media for taking the bold step to enable Sierra Leonean music to move ahead.
