Accra, April 1, GNA - Musicians in Ghana have been urged to use their music to fight immorality and to promote peace and tranquillity in the society. They have also been urged to produce "live music instead of miming and copying other peoples' works" to ensure professionalism in the music business and to enhance the entertainment industry.

Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), who made these observations at the launching of the fourth album of a young Ghanaian Hip-Life Artiste, "TIC TAC" in Accra on Thursday, commended him for the album, which, he said he was hopeful, would be accepted internationally.

The album, produced by Goodies Music Productions, has 11 songs, and it features international artistes like Freddie Meiway of Cote D'Ivoire and Tonny Tatuila of Nigeria, as well as other local hip-life artistes as VIP, who won the best musical artistes for 2003, Tinny and Abrewa Nana.

The MUSIGA President advised musicians to remember to sign proper contracts with their producers and managers to avoid any mismanagement of their financial affairs and to ensure that musicians got their proper wages. Alhaji Buari thanked the government for waiving tax on imported musical instruments, saying that would help create more employment for musicians and also boost tourism.

"Tic Tac", whose real name is Nana Kwaku Okyere Dua, described his current album as a "Project of the Year" and said he collaborated with the two foreign nationals particularly to enable his music to reach a lot more people both in Ghana and on the international market. He said he was optimistic that with little experience Ghanaian musicians could "make it big" on the international market if they worked a little harder and remained focused.

He said with his latest album, he would put up more live shows all over the country to inform, educate and entertain the general public on topical issues, including HIV/AIDS. "Tic Tac" said his managers had already presented a proposal to the Ministry of Tourism and the Modernisation of the Capital City, under which he intended to tour and perform live musical concerts at some tourist sites to help promote tourism in Ghana and make her achieve her objective of attracting into the country a total of one million tourists by the year 2007. Some of the songs on the album include the title song - "Wope-You Like it? Fefe na Efe; Yaa Densua; Kwaani Kwaani and Curiosity.