Lawyer and musician Ace Anan Ankomah has advised churches to fairly compensate musicians if they expect top-tier sound quality comparable to internationally acclaimed gospel groups like Maverick City.

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Speaking in an interview on Joy FM with Kwame Dadzie on April 26, 2025, Ace Ankomah emphasised that producing world-class music is resource-intensive, requiring much more than what volunteer musicians can offer with minimal rehearsal time.

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"If the church demands City-level sound, musicians can’t deliver that with just an hour of rehearsal at home and two hours on Saturday. You need stems, studio time, in-ear monitors, and post-production editing to ensure flawless output for platforms like YouTube,” he explained.

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He further revealed that recording a single high-quality song costs a minimum of GH¢5,000, with expenses sometimes rising to GH¢12,000 depending on studio and artiste fees. Updating equipment alone, he noted, could cost up to $80,000.

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Ace Ankomah stressed the need for open dialogue between church leadership and musicians regarding expectations and compensation.

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"If you (the pastor) are demanding a quality of music that requires the musician to dedicate more time and resources than he can afford to give for free, then the two of you must sit down and have a meeting of minds," he said. "There’s pre-production, live recording, post-production, sound mixing, and mastering — these are all expensive stages."

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His remarks come in the wake of criticism from prominent church leaders, including Bishop Dag Heward-Mills of the Lighthouse Chapel International, who recently described the act of musicians demanding payment for church performances as "nonsense."

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Similarly, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome had also criticised secular artistes who started their careers in church, accusing them of taking advantage of the platform that nurtured their talents.

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Ace Ankomah’s comments add to the growing debate, with many stakeholders in the music industry defending the right of church musicians to receive fair compensation for their time, skill, and professional output.

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