Remuneration for event MCs has been the topic for discussion on various media platforms for the past few days after Merqury Quaye and Kojo Manuel expressed their displeasure at how they are treated by event organisers. 

While Merqury had called on event organisers to pay MCs more, Kojo Manuel also wondered why these organizers would always treat the work of the MCs as ancillary. 

Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Twitter Spaces, Kojo Manuel said in certain situations, some event MCs paid with drinks and women. 

“This is strictly a business, unless you are telling me that you are giving me something that I value in return for it. No two ways," he noted.

He added that even some media houses do businesses with clients and they pay them with airtime. 

“It’s an agreement but you don’t call me and tell me that I have ten bottles for you,” he said. 

According to Kojo, this usually happens to most MCs who work more on the party side of the spectrum.

"When I was coming up some of the things that I was offered to be paid with was my name being on the artwork alone. That was somebody’s way of trying to pay me. Because nobody knew me and they were putting my name on the artwork. They would say ‘oh when you come in you will get free drinks. When you come in, I will introduce you to girls'," he stated.

He further explained that these are challenges that up and coming MCs face.

This discussion comes on the back of an admonition by Ghanaian disc jockey and event host, Merqury Quaye to event organisers to pay MCs better.

Merqury, told Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z that just as it is done in other countries, people in Ghana who patronise the services of MCs should pay them well. 

“I believe that today’s exercise will inspire a lot of event organisers, will inspire people to pay MCs more. When I did the NFA Draft Day guess what, Kwame, I asked how much my colleague from Ohio got from that event and they said 30,000 dollars and you can ask me how much I got.

So I think that this [programme] actually helps people to understand and we hope to have more. The MCs also deserve to buy the mansions like our colleagues in the US, and Nigeria are doing so please pay us more,” Merqury Quaye noted. 

Kojo Manuel is one of the most sought-after hype MCs in Ghana. He has hosted a lot of prominent events in the country, including the Global Citizen Festival, Afrochella, Tidal Rave, MMC Live, Rapperholic Concert, Freedome Wave Concert, among others.

Apart from Kojo Manuel, other people that spoke on Joy Entertainment Unpacked, Joy FM's weekly showbiz conversation on Twitter, were MC Portfolio (Event Host), Whitney Boakye-Mensah (Managing Partner, InnoRvations / Events WBM) and Merqury Quaye (MC/DJ).