Ghanaian highlife artiste Dada Kwakye Duah, popularly known as Dada KD, has expressed frustration over what he describes as the disheartening state of royalties for musicians in Ghana.
In an interview with Nana Romeo, the musician compared the earnings of Ghanaian artistes to their counterparts globally, stating that Ghanaian musicians are among the worst when it comes to benefiting financially from their creative work.
“Compared to others in the world, Ghana musicians are the most miserable. I don’t know if it is destiny; if that’s the case, God should change it for us,” he said.
According to Dada KD, one of the root issues is the lack of appreciation for music as a viable profession.
He recalled a time when even family members saw music as a waste of time, dismissing its potential as a career.
“People, even family members, saw music in this country as a not-worthy profession until some names like Michael Jackson came to change the narrative that music can make you money,” he explained.
Despite this stigma slowly changing over the years, Dada KD believes the system in Ghana still fails to reward musicians adequately.
Dada KD further emphasised that music should be viewed as a profession, allowing individuals to acquire property from their work over time.
“Music is just like any other job. When you do it properly and for long, as you grow you can make enough to build houses, buy cars,” he added.
AK/EB