Accra to host digital music conference

The conference will feature a panel comprising publicist and blogger Jonilar Laryea, veteran radio broadcaster Daddy Bosco, the Musicians Union of Ghana's Bessa Simons, gospel singer Mary Ghansah and the director of the creative arts programme for the National Commission on Culture, Socrate Sarfo.

Jonilar told Music In Africa that he was looking forward to sharing his knowledge about the dynamic nature of the digital music industry.

“At the conference, I will touch on the fundamentals and what independent artists need to know before they step into this digital space,” he said. “Then digital music marketing and how to properly distribute, promote your songs on Apple Music, Spotify, Facebook and Twitter.

"It will be a day patrons will not forget. We still have artists who release their songs physically because they want it to fly quickly so they can play a gig, because that’s the main source of income.”  

Apple Music tops the list of the most popular streaming services in Ghana, followed by Boomplay Music. Jonilar says the music industry in Ghana is gradually shifting to online platforms, which can help artists break into other territories.

“It’s also an opportunity to license and market their music to users worldwide,” he said. “Just a handful of people actually understand digital music marketing.

“In the past, you could only keep records of your physical sales, but now you can access information on your streams and the areas they are coming from. This real-time information can also be used to plan the next step."

Jonilar believes that there is a need for dialogue among stakeholders in order to introduce effective digital legislation in Ghana.

“The streams and downloads from Ghana are encouraging but not in the interest of intellectual property [IP] owners,” he said. “Some people are taking advantage of the artists’ ignorance of IP law.” 

“We can’t fight them because many don’t know how the law operates. We need reinforcement in the form of industry and public education on mainstream media platforms. Let’s review the existing legislation to protect content beyond the borders of Ghana. The West has way too much power over our creativity.”

For more information about the conference, click here.