On Monday, June 23, Indie Ghana, powered by Riveroaks Records, hosted its inaugural music workshop, titled the Indie Ghana Workshop, at After, located inside Vine Restaurant in Labone. The venue was filled with artists, lawyers, producers, and music lovers gathering for a session focused on a subject many indie artists overlook—music publishing.
Moderated by Reginald Armarh, the Indie Ghana Workshop offered a practical, in-depth dive into ownership, copyright, royalty splits, and administrative control, featuring Chrissie Chinebuah, an entertainment lawyer, and Kefiloe Molefe, Head of A&R at Downtown Music Publishing Africa, on the panel.
The event moved beyond surface-level discussion. Chinebuah and Molefe stripped back the legal and structural layers of music publishing, giving artists a rare chance to understand how rights management works across local and international systems.
The session also served as a reminder of how vital it is for artists to understand the business behind their work, especially in Ghana’s rapidly evolving independent music space.
David Ashbel, founder of River Oaks Records, in his words, stressed the purpose behind Indie Ghana: “Indie Ghana isn’t some faceless brand. It is home to every indie artist, producer, and creative doing the work. It’s about helping artists understand the system so they can move smarter.”
With no contracts or recruitment pitches, the workshop focused solely on knowledge sharing and community building. Participants left with contacts, clarity, and a firmer grasp of how to take control of their creative output.
