Veteran film producer Socrate Safo has stirred debate within Ghana’s music industry, challenging the widespread belief that digital streaming platforms are unlocking wealth and international reach for local musicians. Speaking to Graphic Showbiz, Socrate Safo argued that, contrary to popular perception, the dominance of platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Boomplay has actually diminished artists’ earnings, pushing them to abandon lucrative physical CD sales.
“The perception that streaming platforms increase musicians’ reach or make them global is a voodoo analysis. They told musicians that being on such platforms is going to bring the world to their feet. But I want to ask, ‘Do you stream Indian songs?’ There are musicians in India who also put their songs online, but how many Ghanaians stream Indian songs? So, where from the idea that if you put your song online, you will have a wider reach? Which wider reach? It is not true,” Safo asserted.
Safo contended that while streaming can supplement income, musicians have been “brainwashed” into seeing online success as directly profitable, when in reality, the revenue per stream is negligible compared to physical sales. He cited Shatta Wale’s own admission: “As for the streaming, it’s not bringing anything because in Ghana, majority of Ghanaians use Android and with Android, people don’t pay to stream music. It is only Apple that pays good money, but the rest of the platforms is free.”
Safo acknowledged the value of digital music distribution but criticized artists for abandoning CDs altogether, arguing that there remains a strong local market, particularly among older consumers and regions where physical formats are still valued.
“It’s not about abandoning what we’re doing today and going back to CDs, but rather tapping into all available markets. Do you know that there is a CD market in the Northern Region, and the musicians there are cashing out big there?”
He also noted that piracy thrives in the absence of official CD sales, depriving artists of income while benefitting street vendors.
“Musicians have left the sale of CDs to these pirates, and they are enriching themselves. Can you imagine a musician like Stonebwoy branding some of his boys to sell his CDs on the streets? A CD sells for GH₵30, but do you know that our musicians don’t even make that amount with over 1,000 streams of their songs online?”
Safo’s remarks have ignited industry-wide discussion, with some, like musician Wan-O, supporting his stance by sharing their own physical sales successes:
“I can make about GH₵20,000 to GH₵30,000 from my CD sales in a month. I’ve sold over one million CDs since I started selling at the Mall 10 years ago,” Wan-O told Graphic Showbiz.
Safo is urging Ghanaian musicians to diversify their distribution strategies embracing both online and offline platforms to maximize revenue and maintain industry sustainability. As the debate continues, his comments highlight a growing need to balance new technologies with traditional markets, ensuring musicians do not lose out in the digital era.
Source:NKONKONSA.com
