Five reasons why Ghanaian music may be losing out

Ever wondered why Ghanaian music is still struggling to get the maximum exposure even after the recognition and seal of approval from award schemes like the BET and MOGO? Enewsgh.com’s Abdullai Isshak attempts an explanation. He looks at five trivia yet salient reasons why it may just lose out in the long run. 1. Wizkid is good at ‘freestyle’ music, a style the Ghanaian music consuming public love with all their heart. D Black’s experimentation with the rap music genre has had to make way for the more relaxed ‘Vera’, My Kind Of Girl, ‘Change Your Life’ and the most recent ‘Alhaji’ kind of music. If they are ever going to dance to it, then it has to follow a similar style as Wizkid’s ‘Matter’ or ‘Don’t Dull’. 2. A local event is never complete until a Nigerian artiste gets to perform. It’s evident from the rotation Nigerian music get on Ghanaian radio, TV and at most major events that we simply can’t get enough of our Naija brothers. From our Music Awards to our least attended events, organizers find ways and means of sneaking in a Nigerian artist to give the show a crossover appeal! Who encourages the Ghanaian artiste? 3. We assume miming is an accepted joke. Only a few out of a good number of concert goers go to events and expect to be blown away by some amazing stagecraft. For others, it’s all about dancing. And since most Ghanaian artistes can’t find bands who can help them deliver that kind of showmanship, they usually mime. That lazy act is getting boring, and gradually becoming outdated. Music fans want variety. 4. YouTube is not a library, it’s a promotional tool. Some acts simply don’t get it. There is more our artistes can do with YouTube and any other social media sharing platform than the regular routine of uploading and letting the whole world know you’ve done that. We see and cherish that of others; get stucked to it before realizing how well we’ve been ‘brainwashed’ into judging how good an artiste is. The next minute, he is on a flight to perform at a major concert here. Burna Boy? 5. It’s all about that one hit single. A typical Ghanaian artist only finds budget for a song, shoots a video and then hope and pray it records some mainstream success. Elsewhere, artists go a step further and plan on how to promote the material to cross borders.