Promoting Music in Ghana is Tougher Than Ever Before – Flowing Stone

Ghanaian rap sensation, Kwaku Nsia Boama, known in showbiz as Flowking Stone  has asserted that promoting music in Ghana has become more challenging than in the past.

Speaking in an interview with Giovani Caleb on 3FM’s Drive show on Friday, August 23, Flowking Stone explained that years ago, music producers played a significant role in promoting artists. These producers handled all the financial responsibilities, including paying for radio airplay and compensating DJs.

However, with the rise of the internet, CD sales plummeted, leading to a decline in the music industry. As a result, many producers shifted their focus to film production, especially as Kumawood films were thriving at the time.

‘Those days when we used to come to radio, the producers would drop our songs and fund it. They’d take the songs to the DJs and pay them. Then, it got to a point where the producers left to go do movies when Kumawood was at its peak, and music wasn’t working like that anymore,’ he said.

Read Also: Most university certificates acquired in Ghana don’t work outside the country – Flowking Stone

‘There was a change. They weren’t able to sell CDs; the internet was emerging, and the artists were in disputes with producers over various issues.’

The rapper, who also doubles as a songwriter, further noted that this shift left musicians to fend for themselves, forcing them to handle their own promotions. These independent artists, often referred to as ‘Indie artists,’ had to bear all the costs of promoting their music.

He highlighted that musicians now have to cover all promotion expenses themselves. This includes paying dancers, securing airtime on radio and TV, and running advertisements on digital platforms and social media

While record labels do exist, Flowking Stone believes that the situation hasn’t improved significantly, and promoting music remains a tough challenge for many artists due to the high costs involved.

“There was a very long period when artists were funding themselves; it’s only recently that record labels have started to come in. Then TikTok emerged, and people started gaining popularity, and we thought, okay, this could work. Even before TikTok, there was Facebook.

“There was a time when you could post a video on Facebook, and it would reach all your fans. Then they started reducing the number of people who would see it—only 5% of your fans—unless you bought ads. So we started buying ads and tipping the club DJs and radio DJs. Then TV stations came, and you had to tip everyone there too.

“The funny thing is that TikTok is the last hope, and they started charging more than all the others. So now the job is difficult—you can blow up on TikTok, but if you don’t have good friends on radio, it won’t go further. The original budget you need has become bigger, and as an artist, you might not have it,” he added.