As the Vice President and NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, recently revealed plans to launch Ghana’s first local music streaming platform in November, it raises an important question: Is this the solution Ghanaian musicians truly need, or are we sidestepping the deeper issues at play?
Dr. Bawumia’s excitement about the homegrown platform stems from a valid concern. International streaming services like Spotify offer little financial return to our artists. For many Ghanaian musicians, who already struggle to make a living from their work, the current streaming landscape is less than ideal.
However, this announcement feels all too familiar—Aftown, a Ghanaian music streaming platform, once promised similar benefits but failed to take off as expected. Why? The real problem might not be the lack of platforms but rather the broken systems supporting the industry.
The Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO) is supposed to be responsible for royalty collection and distribution. Yet, musicians regularly express frustration over missing payments, irregular accounting, and a lack of transparency.
Despite its intended role, GHAMRO’s structure has long been criticized for inefficiency, leaving creatives in the lurch. In this context, the launch of a new streaming platform feels like placing a shiny new roof on a house with a crumbling foundation.
A music streaming platform can help manage revenue and track royalties more efficiently, but only if the underlying system that distributes those royalties functions properly.
We can’t ignore the reality that Aftown—though launched with high hopes—failed to capture the market, largely due to the same inefficiencies that plague GHAMRO today. Creating yet another platform without fixing the royalty collection and distribution mechanisms only risks repeating history.
Instead of focusing solely on building new platforms, perhaps the priority should be restructuring the systems that already exist. GHAMRO, for instance, needs reform.
Transparency, proper royalty tracking, and timely payments are what artists desperately need—not just another streaming service. Strengthening existing institutions will create an environment where artists can genuinely benefit from any platform, local or international.
In conclusion, while a new music streaming platform designed specifically for Ghanaian musicians sounds like a step in the right direction, we should first address the fundamental flaws in royalty collection and management.
If GHAMRO remains ineffective, even the best local streaming platform won’t be enough to lift the music industry to where it needs to be. It’s time we put the focus on long-term, sustainable solutions—not just quick fixes.
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