FOR Reggae artiste Ras Kuuku, too many Ghanaian musicians are pouring money into streaming platforms without the financial muscle to back it up and it’s leaving them broke.
While streaming has opened doors for artistes to reach global audiences and earn from their music, the Wo hitmaker discloses it doesn’t come cheap. It requires significant investment for musicians to see meaningful returns.
Speaking to Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, July 21, Ras Kuuku said getting a song real visibility on these platforms takes serious investment, and a lot of artistes don’t realise that until it’s too late.
“Streaming has helped a lot of musicians. When you invest, you make money out of it, all things being equal. But if you don’t invest, you make nothing.”
“It is a lot of money that goes into getting your songs on these platforms. So if you don’t have that money, you will go broke.”
“That is why you see so many artistes going broke because they rely on streaming and hope it will make returns for them, and sometimes that is not the case. If you don’t have anyone backing you, you will remain broke,” he added.
It’s a familiar complaint in the industry that streams don’t pay much, especially for artistes who can’t afford playlist placements or digital marketing pushes. Ras Kuuku’s point is that good music alone isn’t enough; you need money behind it to get it in front of people.
He also weighed in on why foreign songs, particularly Nigerian ones, continue to dominate Ghana’s airwaves and entertainment space and for him, it comes down to the same thing: money.
“Their songs keep dominating because it’s all about money. They invest so much.”
“Let’s say when our local artistes here pay for a month to, for instance, our big TV stations, the Nigerians come and pay for like six months. So the time the locals use up their slot, theirs will still be there. So it’s about investment,” he explained.
His take is that Ghanaian musicians aren’t lacking in talent; rather, they’re lacking in the financial support and investment strategy to compete internationally.
“We are also doing well, but it’s about investment,” he said.
