University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF GHANA COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES CAREER SUSTAINABILITY IN THE GHANAIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF OKYEAME KWAME BY JOSHUA OPOKU BREW (10336913) THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF M. PHIL MUSIC DEGREE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC JUNE 2019 0 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I, Joshua Opoku Brew of the Department of Music, University of Ghana, Legon, hereby declare that this thesis with the exception of references, and quotations which have been identified, is entirely my own original work produced from research undertaken under supervision. CANDIDATE: ………………………………………… JOSHUA OPOKU BREW DATE………………………………… SUPERVISORS: …………………………………………. DR. COLTER HARPER DATE………………………………………... ………………………………………………. PROF. AUSTIN EMIELU DATE………………………………………… i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT The discourse on music sustainability within ethnomusicological circles has largely focused on the protection of the environment and the sustenance of both music traditions and their material music cultures which are endangered. Thus, there is hardly any discourse on the sustenance of the careers of the musicians whose work actively keeps these music traditions alive; although there have been observations made about the difficulties associated with sustaining a career in music. In Ghana, music making has largely been observed and practiced as a community affair in many indigenous African societies. For that reason, the profession has been historically perceived as one that cannot be taken on a full-time basis. This notion appears to have spilled over to contemporary music making in the country and therefore tensions often arise in relation to compensating musicians. Drawing on the case of Okyeame Kwame, a hiplife musician in Ghana, this thesis examines the philosophies and strategies that he has employed in the sustenance of his music career by first discussing him within the broader framework of the Ghanaian music industry. Framed within the theoretical notion of music sustainability and ecology, the thesis argues that music career sustainability is a complex phenomenon that goes beyond talent to include business management skills. From this perspective, musicians should see themselves as entrepreneurs whiles still utilising their creative outputs. ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION TO MY FATHER, REV. PETER O. OPOKU SNR. iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My foremost gratitude goes to the Lord God Almighty, whose grace and mercies has aided in the accomplishment of this work. I wish to express my gratefulness to my supervisors; Prof Austin Emielu and Dr Colter Harper, who contributed immensely to this research. During my first year in graduate school, I remember spending most of my time in Prof Emielu’s office trying to develop my thesis. He played a key role at the initial stages, in coining and shaping my dissertation topic when I did not know the first word to put down. Dr Harper returned during my second year and helped me outline the entire work, provided me with academic books and articles to read in order to develop this dissertation in a best way. He also invited me to concerts and rehearsals, which provided me with more data for my research. Thank you, Prof Emielu and Dr Harper, it is an honour, to have had you as my supervisors. I wish to acknowledge Prof John Collins, Prof Daniel Avorgbedor, and Mr Timothy Andoh, who lectured me during my first year in graduate school. They provided me with the knowledge and skills I needed for this research journey. I am grateful. I sincerely thank the entire staff of the Department of Music, University of Ghana. Especially Dr Adwoa Arhine, Dr, Joshua Amuah, Mr and Kofi Kudonu Also, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my friends and senior colleagues Eric Sunu Doe (PhD candidate at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa), Maame Mensah- Bonsu (DPhil candidate at Oxford University Law School, London) and Ms. Grace Takyie Donkor (Asst. Lecturer, Department of Music, University of Ghana). They took a keen iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh interest in this thesis and were always ready to discuss it with me even though they were also busy. Their fantastic style of writing and approach to academic work influenced this research. Whenever I sent them a draft of my chapters, I waited for their response with mixed feelings because even though their comments were great, their criticism was harsher, but it made me a better student. This study would not have been a reality without the support of my family. To My mum; Mrs Charity Opoku, may God bless you for your prayers. Mr Kofi Nyarko, may God richly bless you. To my siblings; Martha, Lydia, Peter and Theophilus, you were there for me when hope seemed lost. “Your last Baby did it”. Special thanks go to my amazing friends, Nash Nii Kwei, Michele “Kenz” Kumi, Matthew Eshun, Nancy Donkor, Reginald Yemo and Patricia for their care and support. You are the best. Finally, I wish to express my profound gratitude to Kwame Nsiah Appau (Okyeame Kwame) and his entire team. May God Bless you for your time and patience during my time with you. v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 1.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 1 1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................................................... 4 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ......................................................................................... 4 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ................................................................................ 4 1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY .......................................................................... 5 1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY..................................................................................... 6 1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................... 7 1.9 LIMITATION ............................................................................................................. 7 1.10 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................ 7 1.10.1 Music Sustainability ........................................................................................... 8 1.10.2 Music Ecology ................................................................................................... 9 1.11 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................. 11 1.11.1 Data collection procedure ................................................................................ 11 1.11.2 Ethical issues and tools for collection .............................................................. 14 1.11.3 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 15 1.11.4 Field Experience............................................................................................... 15 1.12 LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................ 17 1.12.1 Music Sustainability ......................................................................................... 17 1.12.2 Music and Commerce ...................................................................................... 23 1.13 ORGANISATION OF STUDY .............................................................................. 28 vi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TWO: ECOLOGY OF THE GHANAIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY: AN OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 30 2.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 30 2.1 DEFINING THE GHANAIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY .............................................. 30 2.1.1 Music genres ...................................................................................................... 32 2.2 CREATION AND RECORDING PROCESS .......................................................... 38 2.2.1 Creative process: inspiration, lyrics, and collaborations .................................... 39 2.2.2 Studio Production: recording, mixing, and mastering ....................................... 41 2.3 MARKETING AND DISSEMINATION ................................................................. 45 2.3.1 Digital market..................................................................................................... 47 2.3.2 Social media ....................................................................................................... 49 2.3.3 Media – Television/Radio stations ..................................................................... 51 2.3.4 Telecommunication companies .......................................................................... 56 2.3.5 Record Labels and Artiste management ............................................................ 58 2.4 CONSUMPTION ...................................................................................................... 62 2.4.1 Venues and Spaces ............................................................................................. 62 2.4.2 Live Music Events and Music Festivals............................................................. 63 2.4.3 “The Nations”..................................................................................................... 66 2.5 PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ....................................................................... 69 2.5.1 Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) ............................................................. 69 2.5.2 Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMBRO) ............................................... 70 2.5.3 Other Professional Associations ........................................................................ 71 2.6 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER THREE: BIOGRAPHY AND MUSIC OF OKYEAME KWAME ......... 73 3.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 73 3.1 EARLY LIFE ............................................................................................................ 73 3.2 AKYEAME ............................................................................................................... 76 3.2.1 Collapse of Akyeame ......................................................................................... 80 3.3 OKYEAME KWAME: A SOLO CAREER ............................................................ 82 3.3.1 Challenges as a Solo Musician ........................................................................... 83 3.4 OKYEAME KWAME’S MUSIC ............................................................................. 85 3.4.1 The versatile Show ............................................................................................. 88 3.4.2 Made in Ghana ................................................................................................... 89 vii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.5 ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ................................................... 91 3.5.1 Awards ............................................................................................................... 91 3.5.2 Nominations ....................................................................................................... 92 3.6 OKYEAME KWAME AND OTHER PROJECTS .................................................. 92 3.7 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER FOUR: CAREER SUSTAINABILITY ETHOS OF OKYEAME KWAME ............................................................................................................................................. 96 4.1 MUSICIAN’S GROWTH STAGE MODEL ............................................................ 96 4.2 AKYEAME TO OKYEAME ................................................................................... 98 4.3 OKYEAME KWAME ECOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS ..................................... 101 4.3.1 Migration .......................................................................................................... 101 4.3.2 Revival ............................................................................................................. 102 4.3.4 Consistency ...................................................................................................... 105 4.3.5 Diversification .................................................................................................. 105 4.4 CREATIVE APPROACHES .................................................................................. 109 4.5 MARKETING AND DISSEMINATION METHODS .......................................... 116 4.5.1 Digital Market .................................................................................................. 116 4.5.2 Social media ..................................................................................................... 117 4.5.3 Radio and Television........................................................................................ 118 4.5.4 Unions and Associations .................................................................................. 120 4.6 OK WORLD ........................................................................................................... 121 4.7 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 124 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ............................................... 125 5.1 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 125 5.2 FINDINGS .............................................................................................................. 127 5.2.1 Entrepreneurship and Musicianship ................................................................. 127 5.2.2 Diversification .................................................................................................. 128 5.2.3 Collaboration .................................................................................................... 128 5.2.4 Active Consumers ............................................................................................ 129 5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 129 5.3.1 Music Business Education ............................................................................... 129 5.3.2 Planning for the future ..................................................................................... 130 viii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.3.4 Further Research .............................................................................................. 131 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 132 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 139 APPENDIX A- PICTURES TAKEN DURING THE FIELD WORK. ....................... 139 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSION GUIDE ..................................... 142 ix University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Spotify Wrapped 2018 for Some Ghanaian Musicians (source;“2018 Wrapped,” n.d.) ...................................................................................................................... 48 Table 2: Ghanaian Musicians’ Concerts in December 2018 .............................................. 64 x University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Cash Two Recording Studio, North Legon. (Photo by Joshua Opoku Brew) .... 43 Figure 2: A Private Recording Studio, Dzowulu, Accra. (Picture by Joshua opoku Brew) ........................................................................................................................... 43 Figure 3: Live Music Recording Session by Ark Band. (Photo by Ark multimedia) ........ 44 Figure 4: Artwork for M.anifest Nowhere Cool (courtesy M.anifest) .............................. 50 Figure 5: Album Arts for Sarkodie's Single Homicide (courtesy Fawaz Concepts) .......... 51 Figure 6: Grönroos’s Value Co-creation model, 2011 ........................................................ 68 Figure 7: Akyeame Before a Performance (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) ..................... 77 Figure 8: Album Cover for The Versatile Show (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) ............ 88 Figure 9: Album Cover for The Made in Ghana (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau). ........... 89 Figure 10: Customised Chocolate for The Made in Ghana album launch (courtesy Kwame ........................................................................................................................... 91 Figure 11: Okyeame Kwame's Advertisement for Menzgold Ghana. (courtesy Menzgold Ghana co. Ltd.) ................................................................................................ 109 Figure 12: Cover Art for the Song Made in Ghana (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) ..... 118 xi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW This research generally aims to discuss the various factors and trends that influence career sustainability in the Ghana music industry using Okyeame Kwame as a case study. It documents his life and describes the structure of the music industry. This chapter focuses on the background of the study and the problem that has informed this research. The research questions and the objectives of the study are outlined. Methods of collecting and analysing data, the scope of the study, justification of the study, the significance of the study, as well as the organisation of the study are discussed in this chapter. 1.2 BACKGROUND Music serves an essential purpose in the life of Ghanaians, and its importance permeates several spheres of activities which include religion, education, politics, social and economic life. In religious activities, it forms an integral part of church services and traditional religious activities and other religions. In politics, music is used as a tool to campaign for votes and to make commentaries. In his paper, Highlife and Nkrumah’s Independence Ethos, John Collins, discusses how Dr Kwame Nkrumah employed highlife music in his campaign for Ghana’s independence (2010). Every social activity is associated with music; from funerals, naming ceremonies, festivals, weddings to social occasions. However, this high regard for music is not always reflected in the economic livelihood of musicians. This is perhaps because of the paradoxical cultural norms that simultaneously hold musicians in high regard within the traditional Ghanaian society on one hand; and view 1 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh musicians as people with a fruitless occupation and bad attitude on the other. Nketia (1954) for instance asserted that, the high status and privileges given to the Ashanti drummer and notes that they are considered to be closer to the gods and therefore are treated with dignity and respect. In his chapter in the book Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures: An Ecological Perspective, James Burns quoting one of the musicians he interviewed states that, At the same time, many drummers report being denigrated in the community due to their poverty: Well, here, drummers get no respect from people. They will say you are pursuing a fruitless occupation. If something happens (like a funeral), people will come and praise you, or be asking you to play at their funeral, but outside, they will snub you and be insulting you (Burns 2016, p. 55) . Alan P. Merriam, notes that, “as a musician, he/she plays a specific role and may hold a specific status within his society, and his role and status are determined by the consensus of society as to what should be proper behaviour for the musician” (1964, p. 123). He goes on to identify deviant behaviours of musicians as what results in this pattern of high importance and low status. However, he posits that "deviant behaviour and the capitalisation of it, cannot be said to characterise the musician in all societies, but it seems to be a central organisation for many groups in a rather remarkable world distribution” (ibid. p. 140). Historically, in Ghana, popular musicians were associated with alcoholism because they were regularly paid to perform in palm wine bars.1 As a result, most of these musicians became consistent drinkers, and consequently, their communities labelled them as lazy, individuals who have refused to do “actual jobs”. Professor John Collins explains that, in 1 Palm wine is a locally brewed alcoholic beverage made from the distilled sap of a fallen palm tree. 2 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the 1920s, young men who played the guitar were regarded as ruffians, womanisers, and flirts, who lived outside the moral standards of traditional Ghanaian communities (personal communication, November 16, 2018). Moreover, early popular music in Ghana led to a rise in immoral behaviours among the youth. Proto-highlife performances did not just provide a space for young men and women to gather and celebrate; it also created the platform for the passionate display of affection through couple dancing (Plageman, 2013, p. 53). Therefore, performances became a platform where young men and women freely intermixed, identified prospective partners, and initiated romantic relationships. They also engaged in alcohol consumption as well as cigarette smoking. Such conduct was considered to be inappropriate and did not align with the traditional values of many Ghanaian traditional settings. These behaviours of musicians led to several individuals, communal, and governmental sanctions. Thus, parents were known to have discouraged their children from becoming musicians and also prohibited their daughters from marrying musicians since the music profession could not provide the financial guarantee required to sustain a family. Over the years, all these socio-political factors stated above have remained prevalent and continued to hinder the sustenance of musical careers in Ghana. Musicians have to either find ways to keep doing music or give up the profession. Hiplife musician Barima Sydney as quoted by Obeng (2015, p. 61) says, “I’ve been able to stand all these years till now . . . A lot of people whom I started with are no more doing music. Some have become bank managers; others have become businessmen and women”. Some of the first generation of hiplife musicians like King Poppa and Ziggy both reveal that they left because the music was not a favourable profession and not paying the bills (personal communication January 3 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 16, 2019). Ghanaian rapper M.anifest, also laments that Ghanaian musicians are written off quickly and almost every year some artistes fizzle out of the system.2 1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT Sustainable music careers in Ghana is highly problematic. Although the issue is enormous, there is little by way of rigorous scholarly research or literature on the topic. This study therefore takes the approach in identifying and analysing the methods and approaches which Okyeame Kwame, one of the pioneers of hiplife, has adopted to sustain his career in the Ghanaian music industry. 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions have guided this thesis. a) How has Okyeame Kwame sustained his music such that it has survived more than two decades? b) What essential life experiences have contributed to the career of Okyeame Kwame? c) How does the structure of the Ghanaian music industry impact the careers of musicians? 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The primary objective of this study was as follows. a) To examine how Okyeame Kwame has sustained his career for more than two decades. b) To examine and document the life and music of Okyeame Kwame. 2 Retrieved from https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/3-reasons-M-anifest-thinks- Ghanaian-music-industry-is-trash-675317# 4 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh c) The study also aims to find out the structures of the Ghanaian music industry and how it influences the sustainability of music careers. 1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY Firstly, Okyeame Kwame is one of the few early pioneers of hiplife music who is still active in the industry. As a member of the duo Akyeame, he has been able to transform into a solo musician after the group broke up; something very few musicians have achieved in the Ghanaian music industry. Hence, research into his methods and strategies of career sustainability can enhance understanding of career sustainability of musicians in the Ghanaian music industry. Profiling his life and works provides information on the life experiences that influence his music as well as his contribution to the music industry in Ghana. In addition, our understanding of the structures and how the Ghanaian music industry operates provides us with a ‘tool kit’ about the environment in which Okyeame Kwame is found and helps in the analysis of his philosophies and strategies of sustainability. Furthermore, there is shallow and incoherent information on the Ghana music industry, and this prompted the Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) to commission Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) in 2012 to undertake a comprehensive study into the music industry to gather economic information to enable it to prepare a medium-term strategic plan.3Although helpful, this report was generalised. As a focused study, this work provides essential information on popular music within the Ghanaian music industry at a time when critical reflection is needed to inform directional strategy in the industry. Hence, this research is not only justified but well-timed. 3 (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler is an international accounting firm with an office in Ghana that provides audit, actuarial and other professional services) 5 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Sustainability is a multi-dimensional topic which has been discoursed extensively. However, its perspective in ethnomusicology has mainly been centred on the use of music as a tool for protecting the environment and the sustainability of music traditions and musical instruments that are considered endangered. Consequently, the literature on sustainability of careers of musicians is often given a few pages or at most a chapter. This thesis is significant because it argues that the economic prospects of the musician who creates, performs and ensures the preservation of music and its related activities deserves equal attention in the study and discourse of music sustainability. This research seeks to address this gap. Keeping in mind the continuous changes that occur in the Ghanaian music industry, the study examines ways industry players adapt to remain relevant. The findings from this study will give musicians concrete insights into how to maintain a career in the Ghanaian music industry. It will articulate industry challenges and guide policymaking on how the industry may be profitably grown and also stimulate academic discourse on this very important topic. The findings of this research will be shared with MUSIGA, Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMBRO), the Ministries of Finance, Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Justice and Attorney General as well as Trade and Industry whose responsibility is in the administration of intellectual property rights. This will assist them to come up with policies that will help grow the music industry. In addition, the Ministry of Education stands to benefit from findings from this thesis as it could guide them in developing curriculum for music for the educational sector. Finally, this research will contribute to the body of literature on music business in Africa popular music. Importantly, it adds to the existing literature on how the Ghana music industry operates 6 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh which serves as a ground for other researchers interested in the study of music sustainability as well as Ghana music industry could explore. 1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY Okyeame Kwame is the main focus of the study. He is a 43-year- old Ghanaian who has been a professional musician since 1997. Okyeame Kwame used to be in the group, Akyeame, before becoming a solo artiste. He is married to Mrs. Annica Nsiah Appau who is his manager. This thesis situates him within the broader discourse of career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry by examining the philosophies and strategies he adopts to sustain his career. Although different genres of music exist in the Ghanaian music industry, this study focuses on Ghanaian popular music. Thus, career sustainability issues within the popular music scene are the main concerns of this research. 1.9 LIMITATION One major limitation of the research is the challenge of bias in the analysis and interpretation of data by the researcher due to his role as an active performer. Nonetheless, conscious efforts were made to deal with this situation if not completely eliminate it. 1.10 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Huib Shippers and Catharine Grant (2016) theorise that, to gain a greater understanding of music sustainability and its mechanics, there is the need to explore the ecology of music culture. In other words, music sustainability has great connection with the environment in which it is observed, hence, to appreciate the factors that influence music sustainability, there is the need to identify the environment in which it inhabits. Dwelling on this, Okyeame Kwame as a musician is examined within the broader music industry to understand how it 7 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh impacts his sustainability. I argue that, Okyeame Kwame’s career sustainability is an intersection of his philosophies and strategies as well as the impact of the Ghanaian music industry. This thesis is hence undertaken through the lens of two main theoretical frameworks; Music Sustainability and Music Ecology. 1.10.1 Music Sustainability Sustainability is a hard concept to avoid these days (Titon, 2015), due to the current need to maintain and preserve the environment and culture. However, “music sustainability is the ability of a music genre to endure, without implications of either a static tradition or a preservationist bearing” (Grant, 2013, p. 1). There are several works in ethnomusicological research that speak about music sustainability. Scholars like Allen & Libin (2016); Challe (2015); Schippers & Grant (2016) and Titon (2015) all speak about music and sustainbability. According to Jeff Titon , “sustainability is directed today, at resources thought to be endangered, or on the road to extinction, and music is no exception . . . additionally, university ethnomusicologists and folklorists, independent scholars, music industry workers, and community scholars and activists intervene to help music cultures maintain and promote their music, whether considered endangered or not” (2010, p. 120). However, the use of music sustainability in this study does not directly reference the saving of a dying music genre or musician as Titon suggests. But instead, this research refers to it as a musicians' capacity to maintain, develop and sustain their music and their careers, now, and in the foreseeable future. This thesis therefore adopts and adapts music sustainability to refer “to the condition under which music genres can thrive, evolve, and survive” (Schippers & Grant, 2016, p. 7). Schipper and Grant’s idea is used here to explore the strategies in which Okyeame Kwame has employed to thrive, evolve and survive in the Ghanaian music industry. Furthermore, since it will be difficult for a musician’s career to be sustainable 8 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh without being embedded in an environment that provides conducive conditions, the study explores music ecology as another framework for the analysis and interpretation of its findings. 1.10.2 Music Ecology Ecology is defined as the “study of organisms in relation to the surroundings in which they live” (Chapman & Reiss, 1999, p. 3). Just like sustainability, it also has been used extensively as a concept in ethnomusicological discourse even though its origins are traceable to biology. The approach of linking music to ecology has resulted in areas such as Eco musicology.4 William K. Archer’s article, “On the Ecology of Music”, published in 1964, is possibly the first instance in which music is framed within the context of ecology. In this article, he argues that; we are perhaps justified then in suggesting music to be especially amenable to an ecological approach . . . In a time when the total pattern of musical dissemination, consumption and response is undergoing extraordinary changes, it may be fruitful to consider sources of raw materials for instruments, patterns of leisure, technological developments, musical "listening-spaces" and the like, as to consider the music itself (p. 28). Other ethnomusicologists who have used the theory of ecology to interpret music include, Daniel Neuman who in his book, “The life of Music in North India: The organization of an artistic tradition”, dedicates a full chapter titled, “The Ecology of Hindustani Music 4 Eco musicology is the critical study of music and the environment. It considers the interconnections between music, culture and nature. It looks beyond the study of sound as a system in isolation but rather the way music, culture and nature are entwined and connected. 9 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Culture”. Here he discusses “the producers of music, the consumers of music, the contexts of music events, and the technology of music production and reproduction” (1990, p. 203). Also important are works by Ramnarine (2009) and Titon (2015), among others. Although most of these authors used the concept to mainly explore the system or forces that impact on the sustainability of specific music genres or the use of music to sustain the natural environment, others like Frith (2010) and Keogh & Collinson (2016) use the concept as analogous to ecosystem or the environment in which music thrives. I concur with this school of thought, to consider how musicians’ careers are sustained, it is prudent to also understand the ever-changing music industry in which they dwell. Subjecting the Ghanaian music industry to an ecological approach enables us to understand the various factors that influence musicians’ career. Studying Okyeame Kwame from the perspective of sustainability alone would not have given a clear picture of his sustainability strategies. But situating him within his ecosystem; i.e. considering him within the Ghanaian music industry whose structure keeps going through changes, makes it possible to properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of his chosen strategies and therefore makes the study of wider use and applicability. Thus, the study approaches the Ghanaian music industry as a musical habitat and investigates the interaction and forces that impact upon it. These include “both physical and cultural factors of the musical environment such as ideas about music, sound and sound- producing instruments, recording studios, media, venues, musical education and transmission as well as the economics of music” to investigate how they affect the career sustainability of Okyeame Kwame (Titon, 2010, p. 123). As William K. Archer rightly notes, “the most intimate and rewarding understanding of music may come from recognising 10 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh seemingly irrelevant social, ethnic and economic dynamics which affect it” (1964, p. 29). Hence, a better investigation of the career sustainability methods of Okyeame Kwame; and therefore, of the wider music industry, is better achieved through an understanding of the factors that affect him within the environment in which he operates. 1.11 METHODOLOGY This thesis employed qualitative approaches in collecting data. For primary sources, multiple avenues such as semi-structured, participant-observations, focused group discussion, conversations, and personal communication were employed. The secondary sources such as reviewing academic literature and documentary were examined. Both direct and indirect literature, relating to the topic, were consulted. This did not only ascertain the validity of primary data but also helped in the general triangulation of data and contributed to the validity of the entire work. 1.11.1 Data collection procedure The case study approach helped in exploring the issue of career sustainability in Ghana through the case of Okyeame Kwame, an active stakeholder in the music industry. Investigation of the broader case of career sustainability, through his career and music, aided in providing an in-depth understanding of the issue. Since the study of more than one case dilutes the overall analysis, the more cases of individual studies the less the depth (Creswell, 2014). This is why the case study approach was opted for in this study. The data collection in case study research is typically extensive hence a series of detailed interview sections were conducted. For gathering data on Okyeame Kwame, a semi- structured interview was employed. Other members of his team like a manager, DJ, 11 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh photographer and others were interviewed to provide added information and as a way of confirming some of the responses, Okyeame Kwame gave. This is because as Keith Negus observes; "Over the years I have often been asked a very similar question about my research, a question that goes something like this: ‘How do you know that people in the music industry are telling you the truth and that they are not simply lying or giving you a standard public relations line?” ( 2006, p. 10). Also, as a significant part of my research focused on the Ghanaian music industry, I continued to use interviews as an attempt to understand how individuals within the music industry perceive and imagine the world in which they operate. The focus of these interviews was on DJs, sound engineers, musicians, producers, promoters, fans (consumers) and other players in the Ghanaian music industry. This also served as an opportunity to validate data by asking the same questions to different people both within Okyeame Kwame's Camps and outside. This is to handle the extra suspicion that perhaps people within the media, music and entertainment industry are particularly inclined to deception and lying. Moreover, I engaged in participant-observation as a method for data collection for this research. My participation was through music performances with Okyeame Kwame in the capacity as his guitarist. It provided an opportunity to rehearse and perform with him at an event in Accra. Being a part of this process of music making and performance gave me a different perspective. Also, my own knowledge and experience as a musician within the study environment assisted in the research. This is what Chou Chiener describe as “native researcher . . . using the term to refer to researchers who are themselves already experienced musicians within the tradition they subsequently choose to investigate ethnomusicological” 12 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (2002, p. 458). Being an insider (active performer), provided me with some experience and knowledge about the Ghana music industry which also helped with the research. Focused group discussions were also employed. I used a purposive sampling strategy to hold four different group discussions, two were held face-to-face and the other two on social media. With the face-to-face discussion, I organised a group of twelve individuals at the Sawnd Factory Studio on 15th January 2019 to discuss questions concerning the Ghanaian music industry.5 The group was made up of the sound engineer, studio manager, a musician and his nine other instrumentalists who were there to record. I was the moderator for the discussion hence dictated the pace as well as the direction of the discussion. The second focused group discussion was held at the University of Ghana drama studio. It encompassed one upcoming musician, three DJs, two radio presenters (from radio universe and YFM), an entertainment blogger and four music fans. Social media served as another important source for data. With the improvement in technology and the internet, much information is given out by musicians and other industry players on their various social media pages. Being very much aware of the situation, I created focused groups on two social media platforms; WhatsApp and Twitter. The WhatsApp group page was made up of instrumentalists, recording artistes, music students, music lovers and sound engineers. The Twitter group page was made up of fans of four popular musicians in Ghana; Sarkodie, Shata wale, Stonebwoy and manifest. Issues concerning the music industry were discussed as well as the role of consumers (fans) in the current Ghanaian music industry. 5 Recording studio in Abeka Lapaz a suburb of Accra 13 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh It is important to acknowledge that some of the ideas for this research were gathered during my undergraduate popular music classes and graduate studies course work in the form of lecture notes, discussions, PowerPoint slides, handouts and assignments. Although initially this information was not clear to me as to how to apply it to my research, further reading and field experiences enabled me to apply it accordingly. This educational process also equipped me with the training, skills, and knowledge to carry out the entire study. I attended several academic and non-academic workshops, conferences and music performances in gathering data. Notable among these were the weekly colloquia organised by the Music Department of the University of Ghana, Okyeame Kwame's performances at +233 bar and pub, Trigmatic's concert at Alliance Française and Stanbic Jazz Festival Street Edition. I was also present at Samini's workshop which was held at the Dance Department, University of Ghana. The topic for the workshop was "Consistency: the surest way to longevity in the arts”. On the 17th January 2019, I attended the MTN Digital Music Conference at Alisa Hotel which was themed, “The Music Industry and Adapting to Emerging Global Technological Opportunities and Challenges”. It is important to note that all these gatherings provided me with more information and experience for this research. 1.11.2 Ethical issues and tools for collection Ethics are very useful and a requirement for every type of research. Therefore, for this study, ethical issues were strictly adhered to. Consent of the respondent was sought and I also duly explained the aims of the research as well as their rights to the participants before starting with my field enquiries. Before the interview or discussion, a general idea of the whole process was discussed. Outline of interview or discussion, thesis topic, research objectives and significance among many others were also explained. This prepared the participants for 14 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh what was ahead, what has been found out and what was expected. Also, to address the issue of confidentiality, pseudonym was used to represent some respondents. The instruments used in recording information during the research included a pen, notepad, and an iPad (used for audio recording, still and motion pictures). These were used during the interviews and focus group discussions, whiles a computer with internet access and a mobile phone was used to make calls for follow up questions and to organise the focus groups on social media. 1.11.3 Data Analysis The data for this research were prepared and organised for analysis, using NVivo by transcribing the interviews and focus group discussions verbatim in order to reflect the real and vivid picture. Next, the transcribed text was grouped into themes through a process of coding and condensing the codes to reveal relevant information needed for the study. To enable good analysis and interpretation of the data, the themes, patterns, and connections identified were framed within the theoretical notion of sustainability and music ecology. 1.11.4 Field Experience Entering the field to carry out the research after the proposal was scribbled on paper gave a different dimension to the research. This is where reality began to set in, getting the contact of Okyeame Kwame was a significant setback. Through Professor John Collins, I got his phone number and email address only to find out that both were no more active. I again sent direct messages to his social media accounts but still got no response (something I later came to understand was due to fans choking his social media with messages on a daily basis). Through personal communication with my colleagues (both in the university and outside the university) about my research, I got Okyeame Kwame’s phone number through 15 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Kofi Antonio, a PhD candidate at the University of Ghana who is also the dance choreographer for Okyeame Kwame. Afterwards, I contacted him, introduced myself, made my intentions known and a day was arranged for us to meet. Our first meeting was at his residence when he had returned from the gym. He treated me as though he had known me for a long time. He truly made me feel comfortable. Right from his living room the interview started. He answered every question without reservations. I must say that my interview sessions with Okyeame Kwame were far more than just the collection of ‘data’. The interviews were more of an active social encounter, through which in answering my questions he shared his knowledge and experience in the music industry. This included interpretation, understanding and, occasionally perhaps, misunderstanding. Since this study is mainly a case study approach, I spent much time with him. The data for this research were collected between August 2018 and January 2019. I was meeting him at least twice in a week within this period besides his performances that I attended. What made these meetings productive was the fact that this was the same period he was preparing and promoting his new Album; "Made in Ghana” (2019). Besides going to his residence, I spent most of his days with him moving from recording studios, radio stations, offices and public hung outs. In the recording studios, he was either recording some of his music on the new album or checking on the progress of the songs with the producer. He worked within several music studios. At the radio stations, he granted interviews and promoted his new album. I observed and took note of some of the interactions but did not record it. Also, moving from one location to the other in his car provided me with the opportunity to ask more questions on some of the events that have happened earlier. 16 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Moreover, spending time with him gave me the chance to speak with his team members and some of his fellow musicians. During Okyeame Kwame’s daily routine, he is accompanied by his DJ cum road manager (Aboakese) and his social media administrator (Harold). I interviewed them as well to get more information. On days which I went to his home, I got the chance to have discussions with his wife who is also Okyeame Kwame’s manager. As I kept spending time with him, he introduced me to some musicians like Dan Grahl, Rex Omar, and Flowking Stone who provided me with further information. In organising the focused groups, I spoke with some of my fellow musicians about it and one who has a music studio offered his place for the discussion. This venue was very conducive and appropriate for the discussion because, aside the people that I invited for the discussion, other participants were not invited but were musicians whose inputs were essential. The other focus group, which was held on social media, was organised by sending messages to some of the vibrant fans of some of the musicians in Ghana to invite them for the discussion. So, for twitter, I had five fans for each of the four musicians making twenty (20) in all and another twenty (20) set on Facebook. The discussions on the social media groups were very heated because the fans kept defending their stars and explaining how their favourite musician was better than the other. However, in the end, the discussion was fruitful, and I got responses to all the questions I asked. 1.12 LITERATURE REVIEW 1.12.1 Music Sustainability Ethnomusicological discussions on sustainability are most often centred on music as a tool for environmental protection and sustainability of music traditions or of instruments that are considered endangered, an approach scholar now refer to as "salvage ethnomusicology" 17 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (Grant, 2013). Besides ethnomusicologists, there are NGO’s and international institutions such as UNESCO that work within music sustainability. The following paragraphs explore the literature within this context. In approaching music sustainability, Aaron S. Allen & Laurence Libinh defines sustainability as a "term encompassing issues of respectful management of natural resources and corresponding ecologies so that they endure" ( 2016, p. 1). They draw attention to some of the raw materials that are used in making musical instruments which are now endangered or threatened through their extensive usage. Some of these are from animal and animal products, wood, and vegetal substances like the Paneveggio, Pernambuco and Rosewoods elephant ivory, sea turtle shell, and certain reptile skins. The paper highlights some of the practical measures that have been undertaken to conserve and sustain these natural resources by both musicians and instrument makers. These include the African Blackwood Conservation Project, Global Trees Campaign (SoundWood) and instrument makers’ use of substitute materials like synthetics, celluloid and plastic. However, sustainability should not only be about this but should address also the difficulty associated with the sustenance of music career. Hence, this thesis moves beyond the use of sustainability to address sustaining the environment and to discuss measures and strategies musicians adapt to sustain their careers in the Ghanaian music industry. Huib Schippers & Cathrine Grant, state clearly that their book, Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures: Toward an Ecology of Musical Diversity, “made a deliberate choice to focus not only on “endangered” music practices (as has largely been the practice in other efforts) but also, equally, on ‘successful’ ones” (2016, p.3). The book dwells on case studies from different musical traditions, and not all were on the verge of extinction and thus needed 18 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh sustenance. For instance, while a music genre like Ca Trù which is a vocal music genre in the north and central Vietnam is considered as a dying genre that needs saving, other traditions presented like Ghanaian Ewe dance-drumming are thriving even though there are challenges that threatens it. This approach of exploring musical traditions that have been able to sustain themselves despite challenges is employed in this study by looking at how Okyeame Kwame has sustained himself despite the various changes and challenges the industry and himself has gone through. The rationale for this is that while looking into how Okyeame Kwame has sustained his career, it will provide insight to some of the challenges that are in the music industry which threaten musician’s sustainability and also provide possible solutions. A study directly linked to this thesis is Petocz, Reid, & Bennett, (2014). The study explored the professional life of musicians in the Australian context and showed how Australian musicians contribute to the cultural identity and economic health of contemporary society but are not duly recognised. It states categorically that, the creation of sustainable careers in music is highly problematic’ . . . while it is recognized that cultural vitality is critical for economic health and social equity and while musicians represent the largest subset of creative workers, contemporary discussions of cultural sustainability that include musicians are sparse” (pp. 6–7). In this quote, Petocz et al., show the little attention given to musicians despite the importance they provide socio-economically. In the Ghanaian context as stated earlier, music plays a very important role in the Ghanaian society. Every social actitvity invovles music and economically, the report by (KPMG, 2014) on the contribution of the music industry to the Ghana economy states that, “the sector is estimated to employ over 27,000 along the value chain and it contributes approximately 0.20% to the GDP of the country and also identify major strengths of the industry to include the availability of a market for music” 19 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (p. 191) , yet musicians are not given the necessary respect and attention. Also, despite the difficulty of having a sustainable music career, there is scanty literature on the subject. Hence, this research gives premium to the issues of career sustainability in the Ghanaian music context. Another study that slightly touched on the career sustainability issues of musicians is James Burns’ research titled Southern Ewe Dance-Drumming: Challenges for Performers in Contemporary Ghanaian Contexts. He states that one situation that impairs music career sustainability in Ghana is that, prevailing cultural norms view traditional music as a free service to the community and artists today face significant challenges as they try to survive in a modern, cash-based society”. Perhaps the key issue affecting the sustainability of southern Ewe music is the lack of pay and professional opportunities for local musicians. For the average community musician, it is not possible to earn a living from his or her talent. Although payment was never a part of traditional music making, in contemporary society, artists find it difficult to balance the requirements of their art with the need to earn a living (Burns 2016, p. 43). Hence, I argue that nowadays Ghanaian music and the creative arts are no longer a community affair but rather a business area which is liable to taxation and subject to the law of demand and supply, macro and micro-economics theories and market conditions. Consequently, failure to see music as such affects the sustainability of the music culture and more important to this study, the career of the musician. This is affirmed by Austin Emielu, (2015) who citing Rosamund Billington states that, “culture is not simply an epiphenomenon, but is produced by and integral to a particular economic system (Billington, 1991, p.23.). He again cites Fisher that, “the artist in a global age has found himself in a highly peculiar situation. In such a world, music becomes a commodity and the artist a commodity producer” (Fisher, 1978, p.8). 20 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In his paper Sustainability, Resilience, and Adaptive Management for Applied Ethnomusicology, Jeff Titon states that, Some business economists have argued that corporations will better be able to make a profit and sustain themselves if they think of their activities as taking place within an ecosystem consisting not only of predators and prey but also allies and competitors (2015, p. 28). The arguments presented in this quote postulates yet another foundation for my position in the previous paragraph. Since the current Ghana music industry is seen as an ecosystem made up of institutions, industry players and other musicians who are equally good and hardworking, it makes the industry a place of survival of the fittest. Hence, musicians should treat their music and service as a business which is liable to profit and loss as well as the laws of demand and supply and not a free community in order to sustain themselves. John Collins mentions issues of career sustainability among Ghanaian musicians in his 2002 article, the Ghanaian Music Industry: A Quarter Century of Problems. He discusses the problems the Ghana music industry went through during the 1980s due to the changes that took place in the industry. Collins elaborates by mentioning some of the causes of the problems in the industry, which included political instability, night curfews and lousy government policies on the music industry. The paper further describes the career sustainability strategies of some of the musicians which is germane to this study. These included most musicians leaving the country to Germany; those who stayed in Ghana were also going into church music. The outcome was burger highlife, hip-life and the boom of gospel music in Ghana respectively. 21 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh However, it also reveals that, some of the musicians also could not survive due to the challenges and changes, hence, abandoned their career as musicians. For instance, the “new music” that resulted made some instrumentalists redundant since these music (burger highlife and hiplife) were mostly technologically inclined, it cut back on musicians and will instead employ a sound engineer who will program beats for the musician to create his music.6 The alternative of live performance was also not available due to night curfew. These findings by Collins prove how the music industry faces challenges and undergoes changes which directly affect the musicians. I use this as a point of departure to mention that, the changes and challenges in the Ghana music industry create sustainability issues for musicians, and whiles some musicians endure it, others cannot, therefore, there is the need to understand how the industry operates to enable musicians adjust to it accordingly hence, the need for this study to fill this lacuna. Moreover, Collins states unequivocally that " unlike in Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire, no Ghanaian musician has ever been able to become wealthy enough from income generated from music purely inside the country to build a fine house, night club or recording studio" (ibid, p.10). This statement might be true some years ago but the situation is still not the same. According to Samini, he has been able to purchase a mansion in Canada from income earned from his YouTube channel.7 The purpose of this study thus is to critically study some of these issues in the Ghana music industry and identify how musicians deal with issues that threaten their music career using the case of Okyeame Kwame. 6 Explained further in chapter two. 7 Presentation at his workshop in University of Ghana, Dance Department, on 19th December, 2019 22 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.12.2 Music and Commerce One of the most sensitive issues in music (Arts) is its relationship with money, and the situation is no different in the current Ghana music industry. As to whether the creation of arts should be motivated by monetary conditions or attract or deserve economic value is always an area of tension and has an impact on the sustainability of musicians. This has hence been mentioned in several works, with some scholars like Gamble (1957), Gorer (1935) giving account on how griots of Senegal make a living from making only music. Allan Merriam quoting Fletcher (1907, p. 959)” says that "men and women having clear resonant voices and good musical intonation compose for the choirs and lead the singing in ceremonies, and are paid for their services” (1964, p.127). The first question my father asked me when I told him I want to be a full-time musician was "Josh, how are you going to make a decent living and take care of your family making music?". This is usually the viewpoint of some people outside the fields of arts who see arts (music) to be only for leisure. From this angle, they do not see the need to pay for the service even though they happen to see the need for music in their various activities. My father for instance who is a reverend minister several times asked me to play the guitar at church but refused to understand why I was demanding for salary at the end of the month for the service I was rendering to the church. However, he is being paid for being a pastor to the church; so is the security guard and the accountant of the same church. Mandela Obeng, one of my respondents who used to be a vocalist for Legends Band, explained to me how his band folded up.8 "Even though we were playing gigs at least once every week, the pay was not good enough to sustain the band thus pay the musicians and also take 8 interview at his residence at Agbobga on 23/10/2018 23 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh care of the instruments. Despite efforts to bargain for higher charges, our consumers did not agree that we deserve the amount we were demanding so at the end we were running at a loss. The instruments were getting damaged, and the musicians were also complaining and started quitting the band and eventually the collapse of the band". My argument here is that this blind eye to the fact that musicians need to be paid for their creative work and creativity is one of the reasons most musicians in the Ghana music industry are not able to sustain their career and they eventually quit making music if not at all, professionally. Allan Merriam postulates, which I agree with that, “the musician is an economic specialist, performing particular tasks to which the society assigns him, and producing a particular kind of good, whether tangible or intangible, which contributes to the total labour necessary for the economic requirements of the society as a whole (1964, p. 134). To further confirm this, DJ Black of Joy FM laments, "some kid will have one hit and think he is famous. Meanwhile, he has no money. To be a long-term success and make money in Ghana music is not easy" (Shipley, 2013). Besides the ignorance about music, which leads to it being considered to be for only leisure and not deserve any form of monetary payment, other scholars postulate that the combination of arts and money are on diverging paths on the basis of authenticity. As Patrik Wikström states in his book The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud, Is it possible to create ‘authentic art' in organisations where profit maximisation is one of the most important goals? Can truly creative processes exist under such circumstances? According to the reasoning of Horkheimer, Adorno and their disciples, the combination is just impossible (Adorno 1941; Horkheimer & Adorno 1944). To achieve authenticity, culture has to be created by a symbol creator who is independent of any commercial pressure (Wikström, 2013, p. 45). This quote in other words argues that, music created with the notion of selling or making money are not authentic or quality, therefore, musicians should desist from that. In my 24 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh opinion, the authenticity of art should not be based on the purpose for which it is created in the first place which in this case is for economic value, but instead, it should be based on the art itself. Baroque and classical composers like J. S Bach, W. Mozart, J. Haydn were composing for the protestant church and courts in order to get paid. Yet they are considered some of the greatest composers of all-time. Thus, to judge the "authenticity" of music based on its motive for creation is problematic. However, somewhat I am of the view that, with the aim of selling one’s creative idea or creativity, the musician will be pushed to come forth with original and quality outputs. I base my argument on Kwame Gyekye’s justification to his argument that African art is not only "art for life's sake" but also "art for art sake". He states further that; The distinction that is often drawn between African and European art is that while the latter is purely aesthetic, the other is functional and symbolic and empty of a purely aesthetic element. This distinction is incorrect, for in African art production and appreciation equal value is placed on functionality, symbolism, and the purely aesthetic (1996, 127) . Gyekye opines that Africans put the purely aesthetic element first in most of their aesthetic evaluation of arts. For instance, a kente weaver, weaving a kente cloth for the king knows precisely the purpose for which the cloth will be used but will, first of all, make sure the cloth is exciting to the purely aesthetic judgement of the king which will ultimately decide if the king accepts it or not. The same way “a wood-carver will make sure his stool is appealing exclusively to the eye of his client for it is based on that which will cause them to come close further to pass further judgment on its function” (Gyekye, 1996, p. 127) . The discourse goes on further to question what is “authentic” music; same way as Patrik Wikström asks “but what is authentic art?” (2013, p. 96) . To separate music from commerce based on authenticity is a complete fallacy. When addressing aesthetic issues in art, it is 25 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh essential to consider the culture in which that art is originating. As J. H. Nketia, an authority in ethnomusicology, explains in his discourse on how ethnomusicologists need to study the aesthetics of music systematically. He states that, aesthetics studies should be related to music within its own cultural system. Thus, the study of musical aesthetics, as a discipline of inquiry must be systematic and based on the aesthetic conventions or philosophies of the cultural systems (Nketia, 1984).9 In this sense, if a Ghanaian musician creates music which conforms to the demands of the current music industry in order to maximise the sale of his records and his popularity, it should not be considered inauthentic because of the intentions for which it was created but instead analysed or appreciated based on the culture. Also, Patrik Wikström (2013) quoting scholars like the social psychologist Teresa Amabile who has done extensive research on creativity within organisations (e.g., 1996; 1998) further argues his disagreement with the combination of music and commerce based on the fact that, creative works (music) which are created for economic value thus algorithmic10 are not appropriate even though it might be unique or technically perfect. Rather, creativity should be heuristic. Amabile, when defining creativity, focuses on the output and states that; A product or response will be judged as creative to the extent that - the task is heuristic rather than algorithmic . . . A symbol creator’s primary driver has to be the joy, will or needs to create for its own sake, independent of whether good reviews or commercial success will receive the product . . . ‘Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity, however, extrinsic motivation is detrimental’ (Teresa Amabile 1996, pp.15-35). 9 Nketia, J. (1984). The Aesthetic Dimension in Ethnomusicological Studies. The World of Music, 26(1), 3- 28. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43560955 10 An algorithmic task is one in which the road to the solution is straightforward and obvious. A processor set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations/ is an unambiguous specification of how to solve a class of problems. 26 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh First of all, I must acknowledge the presence of the Algorithm (external motivation) in the Ghana music industry. Some musicians I interviewed accepted that some external factors often influence their music, which include, being into music for its economic value hence their creativity leaning towards what will please the consumers. However, they also acknowledge their interest and their talent for music. Jesse W. Shipley quoting Mensa (hiplife musician/music producer) states . . . "people are beginning to appreciate music as a business. Making music is not just fun, it is a way to get out of a bad economic situation, to be a celebrity" (Shipley, 2013). Kofi Johnson, band leader and bassist for Nkyimkyim, also confirms that they perform music which will make their audience happy and dance.11 Other scholars also ascertain this; according to Adorno, symbol creators in the copyright industries follow ‘an algorithm' in order to deliver products that fulfil specific criteria and hence are commercially successful in the marketplace (Adorno 1941). Keith Negus believe that "the most successful bands knew exactly what genre they were playing, recognised its musical and social boundaries and understood what their audience wanted to hear, see and be told" (Negus, 2006, p. 6). However, I must emphasise that, to argue that creative work should not be influenced by external factors (algorithm) is inaccurate and is purely an absolutist view which appreciates the autonomy of arts. However, many scholars (Agawu, 2001; Gyekye, 1996; Nketia, 1984) in an attempt to provide a better understanding and appreciation of aesthetics in African arts, have proven that creativity/arts cannot and is not exclusively within itself at least in the African context but instead involves other external factors. Agawu explains that the external factors that the African communities attach to music establish the "Art for life sake" attitude 11 interview at his residence at Agbobga on 17/10/2018 27 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh towards music/arts. In African society, music is seen with a more significant purpose for life than just the art for itself (art for art sake). He gives meaning to African music, which is from a referentialist approach by emphasising the fact that, Music in the African setting do have other external factors and most of the time a utilitarian purpose (Agawu 2001, 8) . This argument that "intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity, but extrinsic motivation is detrimental" by Teresa Amabile has proven how true Agawu's statement "It does not require a great deal of imagination to see that the distinction between functional and contemplative is deeply problematic." Here Agawu argues that the fact that music is seen from a referentialist view does not mean it ignores its absolutist view as some find it difficult to comprehend. Hence, seeing music as functional (involving external factors) and not contemplative (entirely on the music) does not make it any less quality. Some argue that performers of African music do not pay attention to the music itself. He ascertains, which I concur with, that in African societies, although some communities have genres of songs for reflection, they also pay close attention to the music itself. He further establishes that this is due to the inability to recognise the different opportunities the functional music creates since too much attention is placed on the context (Agawu, 2001). From the discussion presented above, I discussed that, the consumer behaviour if not paying musicians for their music or service should not be encouraged since this does not help the musician in sustaining a career in the current music industry. 1.13 ORGANISATION OF STUDY In the next chapter, I provide an insight into the structure of the Ghanaian music industry by examining its mode of operation, institutions, intermediaries as well as the consumers. 28 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The improvement of technology and the emergence of digital music market are also examined. The chapter, thus, provides information on the music ecosystem within which musicians live and make music; hence, the chapter will contribute to the understanding of how Okyeame Kwame works within the industry. Chapter three gives an in-depth description of the life and music of Okyeame Kwame. It delves into his life outside music and also highlights the various factors that influenced his music since childhood. The chapter also describes how he made music when he was part of Akyeame and also explains his contributions to the Ghana music industry. In chapter four, I delve into the philosophies, strategies and methods adopted by Okyeame Kwame in sustaining his career. These will be examined within his creative process, branding, dissemination methods and also explore how he relates with consumers. The chapter also engages with the concepts of sustainability and music ecology in discoursing Okyeame Kwame’s methods of longevity in the music industry. The final and fifth chapter concludes the study by giving a summary of the findings. It offers the primary outcome of the study providing the reader with a summary of the whole thesis. My findings and recommendations on how musicians can sustain their careers within the Ghana music industry are also outlined in this chapter. 29 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TWO ECOLOGY OF THE GHANAIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY: AN OVERVIEW 2.0 INTRODUCTION To discuss career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry, it is vital to first understand how the music industry in itself operates. Hence, this chapter is the ecology of the Ghanaian music industry, where it focuses on the structure of the country’s music industry in the digital era and how it operates from the lens of popular music. The chapter is in two-folds and develops as follows: It start with an overview of the components of the music industry in Ghana, which includes the government bodies and the various music genres in the industry focusing on popular music and detailing the different Ghanaian popular music styles. The subsequent sections discuss the various methods of music creation and recording, the methods of music promotion and dissemination, professional groups and associations. Then the final section of the chapter explores the ways in which music is consumed in the Ghanaian music industry. 2.1 DEFINING THE GHANAIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY This section describes what constitutes the Ghanaian music industry, it rationalises other academic characterisations of a music industry and links it to the Ghanaian scenario. It describes the various bodies which the Ghanaian music industry works with which include ministerial bodies and other industries. The section explains the various music genres in the industry and how its categorisation is problematic. This section in essence provides information on the components of the Ghanaian music and the various music genres focusing on popular music which is germane to the study. 30 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh According to David Hesmondhalgh, when trying to delve into the nitty-gritty details of what is or is not part of a music industry, one can generally consider it to be made up of three parts: recording, publishing and live performance (Hesmondhalgh, 2002). Patrik Wikström also puts the music industry into three segments which he identifies as– music-recording, music-licensing and live music (Wikström, 2013). For this study, I will adopt these categorisations by Hesmondhalgh and Wikström as they fit the Ghana music industry structure. I will however, introduce one category which is not discussed by either of them. I describe the Ghana music industry under the following categories: music creation, distribution, consumption and professional organisations, and associations. The music industry consists of a network involving organisations and individuals who make money through the production, distribution, dissemination, and consumption of music and its related activities. The current state of the Ghanaian music industry dates back to the late 20th century and include musicians who compose and/or perform music, music producers, music publishers, recording studios, sound engineers, record labels, and performance rights organisations. Others are distributors and retailers, booking agents, promoters, music venues, road crews, artist managers, entertainment lawyers, TV and radio stations, music educators, journalists and musical instrument manufacturers etc. The music industry is also composed of a couple of organisations and associations that play significant roles in the operation of the music industry. Currently, the music sector is under the creative industry of Ghana and works hand in hand with the other sectors like the Film industry. It has over the years operated under ministries such as, The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MTCCA), Ministry of Trade 31 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and Industry, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, and has collaborated with others like Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, and Ministry of Education. The government's involvement with the music industry is now visible. These government parastatals have helped the music industry gain recognition at the policy level, it has also provided financial backing and also supported with the administration of intellectual property right of musicians. 2.1.1 Music genres Music in Ghana is categorised into different genres which in turn have subgenres; hence, the dividing lines and relationships between the genres of Ghanaian music are often subtle, sometimes imprecise. This opens up any effort to classify Ghanaian music to personal understanding, and occasional controversy an account for the lack of consensus in the industry on an exhaustive list of local genres or even the exact genre label for specific works. John Collins’ use of cooking pot to represent the music genres in his Book Highlife Time 3 provides a good analogy. He writes: I use this cooking pot analogy as it implies something dynamic rather than fixed, for each pot can be enriched with the addition of new local or foreign ingredients, while the various musical pots themselves can be blended in the future to create new forms of music. Moreover, musicians themselves are not confined to one pot but can move around, during their careers, to play music from the different pots (Collins, 2018) . Ghanaian music genres keep evolving, through additions from other local and foreign musical traditions as well as due to technological advancement which keeps transforming the entire process of music making. Local musicians also do not stick to one genre but make music across genres; some even ambitiously attempt to create with a single song a work 32 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh spanning several genres. For instance, Flowking Stone, in his song, “Fire Bondem”, combines elements of highlife, hip hop and reggae. The major categories of music genres in the country are traditional music, art Music, and popular Music. These musical categories are composed of various subgenres. Popular music, for instance, has highlife. Traditional music (neotraditional/folk music) in Ghana is naturally inclined towards specific traditions and is as such discussed within the different ethnic groups that preserve and perform them. Some of the traditional music includes Adzewa, Adenku, Apatampa, Osibi, Osode, Abibindwom, Boborbor, Gahu, Gadzo, Bambaya, Gonji, Simpa, Akom, Adowa, Asaadua, Sikyi, Kete, Fontomfrom, Kpanlogo, Gome, Fume Fume, and a whole lot more. Traditional music is transmitted orally from generation to generation, and the composers of the songs are usually unknown, and its rhythms and melodies have been and still are being assimilated into many of Ghana’s popular music forms. Choral and Art Music, is one of the genres that has been studied extensively by scholars like, Agordoh (2011); Amuah (2012) and Sowah (2017) among others. These scholars often affiliate Choral music to the Christian religion due to the origin of choirs being traced to the influence of missionary activities in the country around the 19th century. However, it is not always sacred. Emmanuel Sowah in discussing the issue of the sacred and secular in Ghanaian choral music states that, the beat or rhythmic patterns from the music does not determine the sacred or secular nature of a particular musical type but rather, the lyrics, message or “content” (Sowah, 2017). Besides choirs being initially known to be singing westernised hymnals in the traditional orthodox missions such as the Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, and the Catholic Churches, there are choirs formed in communities and 33 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh workplaces that perform at various national and international choral festivals. Notable among these are the Winneba Youth Choir, The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Choir, and the Harmonious Chorale. Ghanaian art music started with the pioneers such as Dr Ephraim Amu, J. H Nketia and Philip Gbeho. Some Current outfits that play Art-music are the Ghana National Symphony Orchestra, the Accra Symphony Orchestra, and Afro Maestros. Popular music: The ambiguity of the term ‘popular music’ is demonstrated by the varying definitions it has been given from different sources. As Austin Emielu observes, music classified as popular has been the subject of many debate across various academic disciplines that are involved in its study (Emielu, 2018). Attempts to define popular music often involve differentiating it from art music (classical) and traditional/folk music. Omojola notes that, "the popular tradition was initially fashioned in contradistinction to the elitist tradition of art or classical music and the so-called ― "sublime, innocent" genre of traditional music (2006, p. 1). Hence, it has been described as an "unserious /uneducated music”; with its counterpart, art music, being treated as the "serious music". Music scholars, Richard Middleton and Peter Manuel, writing on the difficulty of defining popular music state: A term used widely in everyday discourse, generally to refer to types of music that is considered to be of lower value and complexity than art music, and to be readily accessible to large numbers of musically uneducated listeners rather than to an élite. It is, however, one of the most difficult terms to define precisely. This is partly because of its meaning (and that of equivalent words in other languages) has shifted historically and often varies in different cultures; partly because its boundaries are hazy, with individual pieces or genres moving into or out of the category or being located either inside or outside it by different observers; and partly because the broader historical usages of the word ‘popular' have given it a semantic richness that resists reduction (Middleton and Manuel 2001,1). 34 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In other words, popular music is often defined by what it is not when compared to classical art or traditional music, and hence it is defined by negation, but popular music must be realised in its musical field. It further posits that; the definition issue is due to the flexibility of the music genre which allows other genres of music to cross boundaries in or out of it. It is in this regard that scholars like Christopher Waterman argues, which I completely agree that, it is impossible to differentiate between traditional and popular music in some communities in Africa since the features that have been ascribed by other authors interlock the two types. (Waterman 2000).12 Other definitions of popular music involve its consumers (the size and the class), mode of creation, its value, as well as the dissemination process which are interest-bound and static. For instance, even though popular music is known to be disseminated through extensive use of mass media (print, recording, radio, film, among others), yet when performed live it does not stop being popular music. John Collins also defines popular music as a genre mostly associated with popular culture, working class, and industrial life. Popular music often influences the youth's fashion trend and manner of talking. He goes on to explain that popular music has a social control potential; hence individuals and governments use it to send messages or to relate to the people. Example, Kwame Nkrumah's use of highlife for independence in Ghana and Pan-Africanism (Collins, 2005). For this study, I refer to popular music as the music and the musical styles that are within the recording industry and accessible to the widest audience and is youth-oriented. More so, 12 ‘To draw a sharp boundary between “traditional” and “popular” music in Yoruba society is impossible. The criteria most commonly invoked in attempts to formulate a cross-cultural definition of popular music-openness to change, syncretism, intertextuality, urban provenience, commodification—are characteristic even of those Yoruba musicians and audiences identify as deep Yoruba’. (p. 214). 35 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the music that aims to sell the most copies draws the largest concert audiences and is consumed most often on the radio, television, current digital platforms, and live concerts. It comprises music that is usually played on electronic instruments that are popular like electric guitar, keyboard, drum set, and sax. It also consists of short songs with a steady beat and simple tunes that are easy to remember. Its creators are often recording artists who are regarded as celebrities or stars. In Ghana, popular music developed around the turn of the 20th century through a fusion, blending or ‘trans-acculturation’ of three elements: the indigenous African, the European and the New World music of the Black Diaspora (Collins, 2005, p. 4). The most recognisable style of Ghanaian popular music is Highlife. In the past decades, however, the market has been dominated by hiplife, gospel, and reggae/dancehall. In Accra, the leading contemporary genres of popular music are hiplife, gospel and reggae/dancehall (Shipley, 2013). Scholarly writings have extensively examined the history and development of highlife.13 Its Roots has been traced to three broad streams; the brass band, swing dance orchestra/band and guitar band. As discussed by Eric Sunu Doe, other forms or subgenres of highlife include Adaha, Palm wine, Dance Band-orchestras, and burger highlife (2011). There is also contemporary Highlife which is a fusion of classic highlife rhythms, modes and singing style into modern Ghanaian electronic music. Some of the Musicians include Ofori Amponsah, Kumi Guitar, Bisa K'dei, Wutah, and Akwaboah Jr. According to Collins, 13 Collins 2018, Agyeman 2015, Sunu Doe 2011, Emielu 2009, Benda 1991 36 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh highlife has been the bedrock of Ghanaian popular music for a long time. (John Collins, 2018). Hiplife, which is another genre of Ghanaian popular music, is mainly appreciated by the youth and has other forms such as, Azonto, crunk, ‘GH-rap', Afro-pop, “ragga-life’, and Afrobeats (not to be confused with Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat). Hiplife came about during the early 1990s when Ghanaian musicians began rapping in the local Ghanaian languages like Akan and Ga over American hip hop beats. It is often considered the Ghanaian version of American hip-hop. According to Collins, even though Reggie Rockstone is considered to be the one who coined the term "hiplife", it is not so, but rather Reggie and other artistes and music promoters such as Panji Anoff and Zapp Mallet came up with the name (Collins, 2018). Currently, some of the active hiplife musicians include, Sarkodie, Kuami Eugene, Kidi, Mz Vee, Kwesi Arthur, Medikal, among others. The 2014 Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) commissioned report by (KPMG, 2014, p. 60) ranks gospel music as the highest produced musical genre in Ghana. Gospel music emerged in the 1970s and 1980s when popular musicians went into churches to make danceable music. This was because of the political and economic instability of the time which also forced some musicians out of the country (Collins 2002) . Gospel music was the first genre to allow women performers hence to date; this genre has a lot of women musicians as compared to other genres. The church and Gospel music have contributed significantly to the training of instrumentalists and, musicians in general since this is usually the earliest platform for learning music in Ghana. Musicians and groups include Diana Hamilton, Ohemaa mercy, Obaapa Christy, Joe mettle, Elder Mireku, Tagoe Sisters, Soul Winners and others. 37 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Reggae/dancehall also occupies a large part of the popular music in Ghana. The most famous musicians in this genre are Shata Wale, Stonebwoy, Samini, and Rocky Dawuni. Reggae/dance hall with its origin from Jamaica involves patois and ragga over heavy rhythmic beats. Samini is known to have popularised reggae/dancehall and later signed Stonebwoy to his label ‘high-grade family' however, Stonebwoy and Shata Wale are now the main leading reggae/dance artist both releasing new albums, ‘Epistle of mama 2017 and Reign 2018' respectively under the same music label ‘Zylophone music'. This section has provided information on the various components of the Ghanaian music industry and more importantly explained the various music genres created in the industry. The section focused on popular music detailing the various styles of Ghanaian popular music which include highlife, hiplife, and reggae/dancehall. The proceeding sections of this chapter will discuss into details how the Ghanaian music industry operates from the perspective of the aforementioned Ghanaian popular music styles. It will be discussed as such; the process of music creation and recording, music marketing and distribution and, associations and then how music is consumed. 2.2 CREATION AND RECORDING PROCESS The recording process is the core of the music industry. Without the music there would be no industry in the first place (Wikström, 2013). This phase is the genesis of the entire music process, and it involves all that goes into the creative work which includes the motivation, financing, recording process and editing of the music. Personnel within this sector include the musician, producers, studio managers, sound engineers, instrumentalists, bands, songwriters, and artist managers. Consumers also add to the creative process in the current structure of the music industry; this phenomenon whereby the audience not only consumes 38 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh culture but also contributes in the production of that culture is referred to as participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006). Consumer participation in the industry will, however, be discussed further later in this chapter. 2.2.1 Creative process: inspiration, lyrics, and collaborations An idea or inspiration is always the preliminary stage of every music. The inspiration to create music is often from the societal, personal and religious issues. Based on socio- political, economic and religious instances, some artistes write their lyrics to speak about topics in these areas. Ghanaian musicians do not write music just for amusement but to reflect on daily life issues, react to social problems, and ideological purposes (van der Geest & Asante-Darko, 1982). Also, Collins discusses that early highlife guitar and dance bands in the 1950s had songs with moral and didactive advice (Collins, 2004). The current trend is for popular musicians to write about women, love, and money. Those with endorsement deal with companies also write music for commerce and advertisement; example is Stonebwoy’s new single “kpok1k1” which is about an alcoholic beverage. Most musicians in the gospel music genre assert to be inspired to create music through prayers, dreams and revelations and also create music praising and thanking God. From the artiste’s viewpoint, after the inspiration, the next thing is to either write the lyrics down or record the melody with a mobile phone or any available recorder (this prevents the situation of losing the idea). Sometimes the lyrics are dictated by the melody and rhythmic pattern or vice versa depending on which comes first. Other musicians rely on songwriters for the lyrics to their song. Wendy Shay is an example. This female hiplife artiste relies on 39 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh her manager for all the lyrics to her songs.14 Grace Takyie Donkor also attests that "the Tagoe Sisters as musicians do not write their songs, they have acquired the services of Rev. Harry Yawson, a songwriter who also happens to be a gospel artist” (Takyie Donkor, 2014). Artistes who cannot play any musical instrument and have no idea about music programming, have to share their idea with a music producer who creates a beat to it and further develops it.15 Music producers in Ghana produce music using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) such as Fruity Loops, Cubase, Nuendo, Pro Tools, Garage band, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Reaper, Reason, among others. Though music producers usually create beats according to the ideas the artiste brings to them, they sometimes provide artiste with a collection of beats they have already created which also serve as a form of inspiration for the artiste especially those that come to the studio without any idea. The artiste hence adds the lyrics and then continues with the recording. King of Accra, an award-winning sound engineer in Ghana, in a private conversation via WhatsApp on 3rd January, 2019 discloses that, “most of the musicians I deal with believe in my ideas so they would rather go through the many libraries of productions I have and craft a song to whatever catches their attention". The Ghana music industry comprises many musicians in the form of groups, duos or solo artistes. Musicians also belong to different camps most often based on their record labels or management. Notwithstanding these different camps, one characteristic of the creative process in the Ghanaian music industry is collaborations. There are regular collaborative 14 Retrieved from https://www.myjoyonline.com/entertainment/2019/January-30th/bullet-explains-why- wendy-shay-ebonys-songs-are-alike.php 15 In Ghana, a music producer refers to individuals who use music making software to create and sample beats whiles sound/audio engineer is one who creates beats, mixes and masters both digital and live recorded music. 40 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh works between the various musicians. An essential element of these collaborative works is the informal exchange network among these musicians which they term ‘barter". It involves musicians or producers working for each other for free in exchange for the others’ service. It is in this regard that the Ghanaian musicians are promoting the agenda of "support your own" on social media and other platforms. A Twitter post by Kuami Eugene (hiplife musician) on 24/10/2018 in response to a fan who wanted to know if he demands payment for the collaborative work he does reads, “I do not take money for any feature I do. I feel like we are helping each other".16 Other musicians like Sarkodie for instance performed at Stonebwoy’s concert (Ashaiman to the world concert) for free and Stonebwoy in return performed at Sarkodie’s Rapperholic concert in December also for free. 2.2.2 Studio Production: recording, mixing, and mastering The next stage of the music production is the recording, mixing and mastering. I must say that the technical details of these processes are out of the context of this study, unlike the description of the recording process. With the development of technology in music production, studios are not the only space for music recording but homes and occasionally on stage during live performances. These end up in the studios for further editing or re- recording of some aspects of the music to get a better output. These serve as spaces for recording music. Ghana had the first permanent recording studio by Decca around 1948 in West Africa. Before the mid-1970s, Ghana had four studios in Accra and two record pressing plants which were producing over 500, 000 records. The studios were, The Eight-Track Ghanaian 16 Retrieved from https://twitter.com/kuamieugene/status/1055031098344984576?s=21 on 3/11/2018 41 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ambassadors Studio, The Ghana Film Studio, The studio one Eight-Track at Faisal Helwani's Club, The Four Polygram (Philips) studio (Collins, 2000). Currently, Accra alone boasts of hundreds of studios - both professional studios and private rooms makeshift studios. The basic setup are computers, Software (DAWs), Midi Controller, Sampler, Microphone and or Recorders, Monitors and a soundcard which they input an electronic keyboard synthesizer as a musical instrument digital interface (midi), through a midi cable. Three (3) main methods of recording music are prevalent in the industry. One is vocal recording over digitally programmed beats, second is live recording which involves both vocals and live instruments and the third is a combination of both thus a vocal recording over programmed beats, and a live musical instrument mostly sax or guitar. It is important to note that the kind of studio, music producer /sound engineer, artiste preference as well as the genre of music influence the method employed in music production. Two main types of studios are used widely in Ghana, the types located in small spaces and does not have so many musical instruments employ the vocals over digitally sampled beat (see Figure 1) and the studios with large spaces and have musical instruments like in figure 2 also undertake full live recordings as well as digital virtual recordings. The studios with large spaces can record many musicians simultaneously as shown in figure 3. However, studios with smaller spaces can record individual musical instruments separately like it is done when recording musical instruments over pre-recorded vocals over programmed beats. 42 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Figure 1. Cash Two Recording Studio, North Legon. (Photo by Joshua Opoku Brew) Figure 2. A Private Recording Studio, Dzowulu, Accra. (Picture by Joshua opoku Brew) 43 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Figure 3. Live Music Recording Session by Ark Band. (Photo by Ark multimedia) Most sound engineers who have enough training in recording, mixing and mastering live music are known to operate the studios in figure 2 normally. However, music producers who are known to create music using computer software also record using studio type in figure 1(digital virtual recording). These types of studios are common in homes, as it comprises a computer (laptop) with music software, a soundcard externally connected to it, monitors and recording microphones. Additionally, in contrast to highlife and gospel musicians who rely on live instrumental accompaniment when they record their songs, hiplife musicians utilise electronic sounds, vocal samples, and backing MIDI tracks. During vocal recording over sampled beats, the artiste either takes his time to rehearse with the beat or decide to record it on the go. Those 44 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh who can afford long hours in the studio decide to record it instantly while those who cannot afford long hours choose to rehearse with the beat on their own before going back to the studio to record. Live recording involves the musician recording with other musicians either simultaneously or individually, but the singer always records together with at least one instrument usually keyboard/piano or guitar concurrently. It is less expensive and more accessible to record using sample beats digitally than with live musical instruments which are probably the reason why the former is very popular in the Ghanaian music industry. After the recording is done, the mixing and mastering of the music commences. Mixing involves making sure the vocals and other parts of the production are in right blend by levelling and treating the various sound frequencies. Mastering is the final stage where every aspect of the music is put together and rendered making sure the sound quality is good for radio and other music playing devices. The sound Engineer of Sawnd Factory (Beat Scientist) states that, if the music is appropriately mixed, mastering does not need much work. 17 2.3 MARKETING AND DISSEMINATION After the music has passed through all the creative processes and is ready, the next thing is to declare the music duly released and get it promoted and distributed to the audience. With the improvement in technology in the music industry, there is still need for effective promotion and marketing of music, and there are even many more ways of doing it now. The current nature of the music industry also makes it necessary and possible to promote the musician as well as his creative work. 17 Interviewed at Sawnd Factory, Abeka-Accra, on 15/01/2019. 45 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Various artistes have taken advantage of the dematerialisation of music to use the Internet as a means of (re)creating, distributing and maintaining strong relationships with their consumers. Bockstedt et al. confirm the changes technology has had on the distribution of music and some stakeholders in the current music industry. Currently, the music industry has experienced setbacks that will ultimately transform its structure. The transformation has been sparked by new technologies and Internet use for the distribution of music as, digital information right.…. With digital music, the new audio format standards and the Internet have enabled new music products and distribution processes. The roles of all the players in the traditional music industry are subject to change as the market adapts to the new digital music format. (Bockstedt, Kauffman, and Riggins 2006, p.2). The rise of internet usage has genuinely created so many changes in the operation of the music in the industry. Now, there is a shorter distance between the musicians and the consumers which has rendered some industry players redundant. Retailers of cassette and CDs are now not very relevant to both musicians and consumers. A few years back, musicians had to focus mainly on getting physical copies of their records to promoters and retailers before they, in turn, get it to the consumers. In Ghana, the favourite music shops were located in Kantamanto which is in the business district of the capital; Accra central. Despite Music Shop, Big Ben music, and Bandex Music are some of the most popular music shops which have played a significant role in the sale and distribution of cassettes and CDs (both audio and videos) in the country. These music distribution shops have branches across the country where they sell real music to people in the various regions. Their mode of operation includes having distribution deals with the musicians which involve a distributor agreeing with the musician to be the sole distributor 46 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh in a region. Some musicians even contact distributors personally to agree to the distribution rights before the music is released. 2.3.1 Digital market The current market structure does not require music going through the channel of distributors and retailers before getting to the consumer, but instead, go directly to consumers. The development of digital music platforms such as Apple music, Deezer, Spotify, Amazon music, SoundCloud, and YouTube, has made this distribution pattern possible. Those from Ghana and Africa include MTNplay, Aftown, Boomplay, Ebox Africa. Aside these, there are other digital platforms that act as a distribution platform or aggregator. These include DistroKid, Distro Plug, and songtrader which reduce the stress musicians go through when it comes to distributing their works on popular digital platforms. Here, musicians upload their music and get it distributed onto the other digital streaming and downloading platforms. Ghud Music is a music/audio monitoring and analysis service provider that monitors the progress of Ghanaian songs on radio and online download websites. Musicians and record labels have an account on these platforms hence upload their music directly on here, making it accessible to their consumers. Apple music is one of the most recognised digital platforms in the Ghana music industry. Most musicians see this platform as the best place to market their music. “There is a plethora of digital music services worldwide sharing these revenues, but one player, Apple iTunes Store, still heavily dominates the market” (Wikström, 2013, p. 143). The musicians I spoke with attested to 47 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh checking how good their music is doing by checking how it stands on Apple music. “Once it is trending on iTunes, it is doing well on the other platforms” Kofi Pages attests.18 However, Spotify is also an active platform. It keeps track of all streaming activities on its platform which is compiled and released at the end of every year. This is called Spotify Wrapped; for the consumers, it provides information on all the artistes that they listened to and the number of minutes spent listening to music. For musicians who share their music via Spotify, it provides them with data on how their year was. It includes the number of fans, number of hours their music was streamed, number of countries their music reached and the top artiste as well as top music genre of the year. Table 1 lists how some of the musicians in Ghana fared on Spotify Wrapped in the year 2018. Table 1: Spotify Wrapped 2018 for Some Ghanaian Musicians (source;“2018 Wrapped,” n.d.) ARTISTE STREAMS FANS HOURS COUNTRIES Sarkodie 9,000,000 1,000,000 602,000 65 Shata wale 6,000,000 582,000 333,000 65 Mr Eazi 163,000,000 16,000,000 8,000,000 65 Stonebwoy 4,000,000 327,000 247,000 65 Nevertheless, few musicians decide to go further and sell CDs and add other merchandise like T-shirts and caps to them. It is done mainly during the launch of albums. Strongman, a rapper in Ghana is one such artiste who recently took to this approach. After uploading his 18 Interviewed at Sawnd Factory, Abeka-Accra, on 15/01/2019. 48 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh music on the various music digital platforms, he went ahead to organise an autograph signing section with his fans who purchased his new extended play record (EP) at the Kumasi shopping Mall. His fans, glad of the opportunity to meet and take photos with the musician, showed up in their numbers. Musicians like Sarkodie and Medikal have also previously organised merchandise sales during the launch of their albums. 19 In promoting their albums, other artistes do organise a concert for the launch of their albums and sell physical copies of the album. They invite other musicians to perform alongside them. At the launch, these invited artistes serve as supporting artistes for the opening performances, while the main artiste performs later, to introduce the album. Shata Wale, one of the leading Reggae/Dancehall musicians in the country, on 13th October, 2018, organised a concert for the launch of his Reign album at the fantasy Dome in Accra, filling the space to capacity. The organisers provided buses to convey fans from the various regions to Accra where the event was held. 2.3.2 Social media Social media, which currently serves as the ultimate platform on which musicians and their fans relate is an essential medium for the promotion of music. Popular social media platforms in Ghana include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Musicians post the web address to their new music via these platforms with captions that will get the attention of their fans. On WhatsApp, some musicians, in particular aspiring ones, share the actual music as well as the website links to the music. Facebook, which is 19 An extended play record, often referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. 49 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh one of the prominent social network services, claims to have more than a billion users worldwide as at October 2012. This platform is where people meet with their friends and family, keep and share their photo albums, news, play games and, definitely, discover new music and tell their friends about music they love. Thus, after uploading the music to the various digital market, musicians share the internet link to these platforms via social media. Accompanying these links, usually, are artworks that are designed explicitly for the music being promoted. It is important to note that, just as artworks are created for albums, so are they created for singles. Below are images of an artwork for an album by M.anifest, Nowhere cool (see figure 4) and an artwork for a Sarkodie's single Homicide (see figure 5). Figure 4. Artwork for M.anifest Nowhere Cool (courtesy M.anifest) 50 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Figure 5. Album Arts for Sarkodie's Single Homicide (courtesy Fawaz Concepts) Social media enable musicians to communicate with their fans not only when a creative output is ready but also through these mediums, introduce them to the process. Using the "live" feature of these platforms, musicians engage with the fans while in the studio working on new projects; when on location shooting a music video or even during normal daily activities. Besides keeping the fan abreast with the life of the artistes, this enables artiste to create pre-promotion, early awareness of their music and keep the fans in an anticipation mode. Social media has provided musicians with a very accessible medium through which they express their views, communicate with their fans and promote their creative works. 2.3.3 Media – Television/Radio stations Before the 1992 Constitution came into effect and guaranteed press freedom, the media in Ghana was controlled by the government. There was only one media house in the country: Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC), and it was owned and managed by the government. With democratic rule under the 1992 constitution (chapter 12, section 3), the licensing regime for media houses was radically reformed. This led to the proliferation of 51 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh FM and TV stations (Oduro-Frimpong, 2009). Currently, there are more than 200 FM/TV stations in Ghana and these have been very instrumental in the promotion of Ghanaian music. For instance, Live FM has articulated a clear policy of promoting Ghana music and pursues this policy through such innovations as a hit songs chart covering the most played songs of the month on the station, and this is largely Ghanaian music. Some physical music distributors, order to remain active and sustainable in the music industry, have ventured into modern mediums of distribution of music. The owner of Despite Music Shop, Osei Kwame Despite now owns Despite Group of Companies (DGC) which is one of the biggest media companies in Ghana. It operates on all the current technological platforms: radio, TV and digital media. Despite Group of Companies (DGC) is the umbrella for several media companies, such as Despite Music Production Limited (Peace FM), Neat FM Company Limited (Neat FM, Hello FM), Paradise Vision Estate Limited (Okay FM), U2 Company Limited (UTV) and Despite Digital (Peacefmonline.com). Another media house, which is very useful in the Ghana music industry, is The Multimedia Group. It comprises six (6) radio stations; Joy FM, Hitz FM, Adom FM, Asempa FM, Nhyira FM, and Luv FM. The TV stations include, Joy Prime, Joy News, Adom TV, and digital media Myjoyonline.com, Multitvworld.com and Adomonline.com. Other media companies include The Excellence in Broadcasting (EIB). On the radio, there are stations such as Starr FM, Live FM, Kasapa FM, Ultimate Radio, Agoo FM and Abusua FM and Empire FM, GHOne Tv and Agoo tv. EIB's online platforms are Starfmonline.com, Kasapafmonline.com, Livefmonline.com, and Ultimatefmonline.com. Global Media Alliance (GMA) Y FM, Happy FM and ETV Ghana. Atinka FM and Tv, Citi FM and Tv, 52 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Radio Universe and Channel R, are among other media companies in the country which help in the promotion of Ghanaian music. Radio is the most preferred means of music consumption in Ghana (KPMG, 2014a) and the fact that there are a lot of radio stations in the country as compared to television stations could be a factor. This situation thus encourages the musicians to keep promoting their music through this medium. It is not only in Ghana that radio has helped in promoting musicians and their creative works. Alex Perullo states that, although the Western Jazz Band in Tanzania was being paid a minimal few hundred shillings for their music, through constant airplay by the radio stations for the next several decades, it helped solidify the group as one of the most important in Tanzania's popular music history (Perullo, 2011). Radio listeners are exposed to different music in the course of the stations’ daily and weekly broadcasts. Their multiple programs feature different genres of music either consecutively or simultaneously. For instance, on a Radio station like Live FM, the morning program which runs from 5a.m. to 8a.m. involves only gospel music. By contrast, Citi FM’s breakfast show running from 6AM to10AM. features several genres of music including highlife, and hiplife. Live FM has also dubbed Wednesdays, "GH. Wednesday" playing only music from Ghana on that day. This is part of the station's policy to promote Ghana music. Musicians make their new music available to the hosts and DJs of the various radio stations to play them on air. DJ Bass of Live FM explains that musicians, especially those already known in the industry, will often email him their new music and tell him when it should be premiered. Upcoming musicians will have to meet with him in person and hand over hard 53 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh copies of the music on CDs or flash drives.20 He goes on to complain about how some of these upcoming musicians do not take their time to create their music hence some of the music is not radio friendly and some of the music have a deficient sound quality which does not permit him to play them on the radio. DJs and radio show presenters provide musicians with the platform to promote their music by inviting them for interviews on air either in the studios of the FM station or via phone calls. This way, musicians can sell their music themselves. This mostly occurs when a musician is releasing new music (single/album) or promoting a forthcoming concert. Interview sessions on the radio for upcoming musicians also enable them to tell their story and through that platform, build a fan base. In Tamale, in the Northern Region of Ghana, some musicians launch their albums live on radio stations. Mohammed sheriff Yamusah in his thesis on the music industry of Tamale discusses that; Sheriff Ghale first introduced the idea of a radio launch in 2002, when he was releasing his sixth album …. when there was turmoil in Yendi…He could not afford to postpone the release of the album indefinitely…He discussed the details with the marketing department of Radio Savannah and got his publisher to buy an hour of airtime on a given day and that began the tradition of radio launch in Tamale…The idea later evolved into buying airtime on radio stations to coincide with the given launch time so that they will all pick the feed from the one station where the launch is taking place. Into the launch, they activate the studio phone lines for the public to call in. (Yamusah, 2013, p. 75). I must argue that this is a perfect example of some of the measures musicians can employ to sustain their careers in this era of development of technology. The musician needs to take advantage of the fact that technology has influenced the music industry and used it to their advantage through the promotion and marketing of their music. Also, they need to be 20 Interview at Ark event management services on 15/11/2018 54 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh innovative and seek new ways of improving their use of the already existing ones, like musicians in Tamale have done with radio. The language of delivery, as well as the genres of music played by radio stations in Ghana, are usually based on the target audience. Therefore, there is often a positive link between the station’s language of choice and musicians/genres most frequently played on that station. Okay FM and Peace FM for instance broadcast in the Akan language.21 They also play very little foreign music. Also, stations such as YFM, LIVE FM, and JOY FM broadcast in English and mostly play hiplife, highlife, Afro-pop, and reggae/dance hall music considering most of the audience is youth. This influences the musicians in terms of the choice of the FM stations on which to promote their music. A Reggae /dancehall musician will not send his music to Sweet Melodies for promotion because it is a Christian station that broadcasts only gospel music, neither will an aspiring Twi hiplife rapper take his music to Obonu FM which broadcast mainly in Ga. Unlike radio stations, Ghanaian television stations like GTV, TV3, TV Africa, GH One, Metro TV, 4syte TV, and others do not rely only on music as their main source of content. Nonetheless, there are TV stations that only broadcast music and its related activities like concerts, music awards, and news about musicians. 4syte TV is a typical example. It also organises annual music video awards to congratulate musicians, video directors and other contributors to music video productions. Hence, musicians do target these type of TV stations for promoting their music. TV stations promote music by broadcasting music videos. 21 Akan language is the most widely spoken Ghanaian local language. 55 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Musicians spend a lot of time and money to come out with music videos. Sammy Forson, Manager of rapper Sarkodie in an interview on Multimedia discloses that video cost for the song Illuminati was about US$90,000.22 Through music videos, musicians depict the stories in their music through visuals employing dramatic scenes. Most of these music videos encompass simulacrum.23 Simulacrum (plu. simulacra) as a concept explains the phenomenon whereby what is presented, through the media and also more pervasive culturally significant spectacles, can no longer be assumed to be real. In Ghanaian Gospel music videos, for instance, you find actors in these videos pretending to be playing musical instruments which are not used in the original composition, or playing electronic instruments which are not connected to any power source. Hiplife musicians portray luxurious lifestyles and/or high fashion in their videos that they often do not in real life possess. 2.3.4 Telecommunication companies Telecommunication companies in Ghana provide a significant platform for music promotion and marketing. The telecommunication companies in Ghana are MTN, Vodafone, Glo, and AirtelTigo, with the majority of the Ghanaian population owing to a mobile phone, telecommunication companies play a very important role in promoting musicians and their music. Promotion is done through caller tunes, award shows and concerts, as well as sponsorship deals. 22 Retrieved from http://233times.com/2013/08/sarkodies-illuminati-video-costs-us90000/ 23 See Jean Baudrillard philosophical essay Simulacres et Simulation. 56 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The use of caller tunes involves a mobile phone user downloading a song onto his/her account, enabling his callers to hear the song play while waiting for them to answer. The caller who is interested in the song is provided with the opportunity to also download the song by pressing a number on his/her phone. This enables even users of non-smart phones to get access to music on their phones. The service providers subcontract the Caller Tunes arrangements to some other companies to get in contact with the artistes and sign contracts with them to upload their music to the telecom networks. Each piece of music that is uploaded to the network has an exclusive identity code, which subscribers can request to download to their mobile phone accounts as a caller tune. These companies, in collaboration with the artistes, advertise the unique identification codes to their fans, and all mobile phone users of the network. Caller tunes users on MTN currently pay a monthly subscription fee of GH¢0.50 and then pay GH¢0.30 per song download. The mobile phone service provider (MTN) pays a percentage of the money received from the subscriber to the subcontractor and the subcontractor, in turn, pays an agreed percentage to the artiste. (Yamusah, 2013) Besides Caller Tunes, Telecom companies provide other digital platforms to help promote Ghanaian music. MTN has a platform called the MTN Play where consumers can download music and music videos. Similarly, Vodafone has the Vodafone Music App as well as a section on its websites for free streaming of music. AirtelTigo on its websites also has a radio platform that plays the latest music on the go. Telecommunication companies in promoting music also sponsors, music award shows, concerts as well as musicians. The popular music award scheme is the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA). The VGMA is organised annually to celebrate and award outstanding Ghanaian musicians in the music industry. This award scheme though organised 57 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh by the Charter House is fully sponsored by Vodafone Ghana. Telecom networks also organise music concerts annually. Examples are, Glo Mega Music, MTN Music Festival, MTN Carols Service, and MTN Stands in Worship among others. Besides these, they offer sponsor deals with musicians who also serve as brand ambassadors for the companies. These initiatives undertaken by Telecommunication companies in Ghana tend to keenly support the growth of the Ghanaian music industry. Speaking about the MTN Music Festival, the Ag. Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, Mr Noel Kojo Ganson said, “The MTN Music Festival is a continuous demonstration of how we continue to brighten the lives of our subscribers and Ghanaians and how we find new ways of expressing our love for Ghanaian music. The festival will also generate local digital content and preserve the cultural heritage of our country. Through these digital interventions, we hope to preserve the works of our stars and generate revenue for them”. 24 This statement shows how Telecom companies in Ghana make conscious efforts to contribute to the growth of the music industry. Their use of music as the primary medium for entertaining their subscribers intends to help promote and market Ghanaian music. Other programs include music reality shows which hunt for music talents in the country. These include, MTN Hitmaker, Vodafone icons and MTN Project Fame, and Glo X Factor which has produced many musicians who are still active in the music industry. Examples include KiDi, Kwame Eugene and Kurl Songx all from MTN Hit Maker, as well as Cina Soul and Wiyala from Vodafone icons. 2.3.5 Record Labels and Artiste management The Ghana music industry does not boast of some of the globally acclaimed record labels like Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group but smaller music 24 Retrieved from https://www.myjoyonline.com/entertainment/2018/february-24th/mtn-makes-holidays- exciting-with-mtn-music-festival.php on 17th December, 2018. 58 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh management companies who work in the capacity of record labels. Some of the well-known ones include Lynx Entertainment, Zylophone Music, Bbnz, Villain sounds, AMG Business, Ruff town Records, Ground Up, Sarkcess Music among others. In Accra, the record labels create fragments among musicians as described by Shipley, (2013) as being divided into camps of artists revolving around a star rapper, vocalist of a producer. For instance, Bbnz features star rapper cum producer E.L with another artiste Lil Shaker, Kojo Cue, Gemini, and Bra Kelvin. Another camp is Villain Sounds centred around young beat producer Kuvie. This camp is made up of young musicians such as the La Meme Gang, Pappy Kojo, Joey B, and Ayat. Another vibrant group is R2bees, Paedae, Mugeez and Grammy award-winning producer Killbeatz. A lot more of such groups exist is Accra. Historically, artistes have solely depended on the support of a record label to produce, promote, and distribute music. Artistes signed exclusive contracts with record labels allowing the labels to act as monopolies for their artists' content essentially. The labels were able to set royalty fees and subsequent retail price levels consistent with the consumer's willingness to pay and not necessarily based on the quality of music. However, there are new trends (which compete) in the operations of record labels which are in tandem with global technological advancement in the music industry. Music artistes can produce, record, and distribute music without help from record labels. The Ghanaian music industry now operates in the digital market which provides a shortened distance between musicians and consumers. The industry provides the opportunity of a do-it-yourself methodology whereby musicians do not need to struggle to get on a record label to get access to production and distribution. As Nenesenor, an upcoming hiplife musician, tells me..." It is difficult to get a record label to sign you if you are not popular, so you have to make it on your own, but 59 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh thanks to technology we go make am".25 Nonetheless, this process requires passion and hard work, social networking, and business savvy. The digital music format has had a positive impact on the artist, who can leverage the technology for further gains. Record labels now work hand in hand with the artiste. They play active roles in organising concerts for the artiste, negotiating deals, booking other events, financing the artiste as well as promoting and distributing. The record labels also provide the artist with managers who work directly with them. Most often, the upcoming musicians do not belong to record labels but have managers who work in the lacuna as a record label. Notwithstanding the advantages, there are some challenges between musicians and record labels. Discord between record labels or artiste managers and musicians are often centred on creativity versus profitability conflicts. Labels/managers who want their musicians to create music which will help maximise profit sometimes end up in a disagreement between the two parties. Same way as Keith Negus commenting on this way of understanding the music industry, states “On one side are the heroes the musicians, producers, and performers (the creative artists); opposing them are the villains – the record companies and entertainment corporations (the commercial corrupters and manipulators)” (Wikström, 2013). One such artiste who very unequivocally explained his feelings of being stuck within a record label that does not allow him to express his creativity is the late Prince Rogers Nelson. “Prince (as he is known) performed several times with the word ‘slave’ written on his forehead as a way of describing his strained relationship with his record label at the time Warner Bros” (Wikström, 2013, p. 43). 25 Personal conversation at Efua Sutherland Drama studio, UG, Legon, 10/11/2018 60 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh A more current instance and in the context of this study is one surrounding Feli Nuna (female hiplife musician) as reported by Citi newsroom.26 She expresses how she had to quit working with one of the record labels in Ghana. She said; "I did not like their influence; my creativity was being stifled because I was made to do my songs in local languages and that was not me. I wanted to make music that was worldwide. Also, I did not like the kind of beat that was produced for me. I am a creative person and always want to write and create something new, but I was not allowed to do that at Lynx. I wanted things to work because they are one of the few best record labels in Ghana, but it did not happen, so I parted ways with them." Record labels, with the aim of maximising profit sometimes influence the kind of music their musicians create. Though that is sometimes not what the musicians desire. However, other musicians do not have a problem with going with the plans of their record labels or managers so far as they get the audience for their music and it is selling. Yet others are fortunate because their creativity is in line with how the record label also wants to promote their music. Another challenge musicians face when working with record labels is feeling less significant than the other musicians under the same label. Most Ghanaian record labels have more than two musicians signed to them; hence some musicians feel some form of bias in treatment. An example is Shata Wale and Stonebwoy two of the top dancehall/reggae artists in the country. These two musicians are contracted and signed under Zylophone. Music however, there has been numerous situations of Stonebwoy complaining of being less valued in the record label and has opted out. 26 Retrieved from at https://citinewsroom.com/2018/11/16/my-creativity-was-restricted-at-lynx- entertainment-feli-nuna/ on 23rd November, 2018. 61 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.4 CONSUMPTION Music plays a significant role in the lives of Ghanaians. It is consumed through the sociological, political and economic activities of the people. Social activities like weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies and church services use music. Politicians also use music for their campaigns as does a business use music for advertisement.27 2.4.1 Venues and Spaces In Accra for instance, popular music is what drives the city, from mobile phones, radio/tv stations, pub, restaurants, churches, lorry stations and the sound system of cars the popular music is everywhere. For many people in Accra, popular music is an omnipresent aspect of their day-to-day existence. It is important to note that Accra plays a crucial role in the Ghanaian music industry. As ethnomusicologist John Collins notes, even the term Highlife was coined in Accra “by the poor people who stood outside black elite clubs in Accra” as a way to describe “music performed by high-class orchestras” (Collins, 2018). Besides it being the most populated city and the centre of business, Accra is the primary geographical location for the housing of Ghanaian popular music and its related activities. One primary reason is that the most venues for holding a major music concert in the country are located here. These venues include the National Theatre, Accra International Conference Centre, Black Star Square, the Fantasy Dome, The Dome, Alliance Française d'Accra, Bukom Arena and churches with big auditoriums. Outside of Accra, there are limited venues for hosting important concerts. It is either sports stadiums or playing fields. 27 Obeng, 2015 Ghanaian popular music and socio-political commentary: a case study of Barima Sidney. The study posits that because of its romantic nature Hiplife music has multiple meanings which could also serve as a social-political critique of the country. 62 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Isaac Nyarko (2013), in his study of the Influence of Popular Music among the Youth of Ngleshie Amanfro, a community located in the southern part of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana, attests that, “Every week in the city of Accra, people gather in clubs and venues to listen and dance to their favourite music”. These venues play recorded music during the weekdays and on weekends use live band performances. Due to the fast-paced, stressful nature of Accra, most people listen to music as a source of relaxation. Music consumption is diversified with recreation and socialising. Currently, hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and pubs have come to understand the role of music in Accra and hence employ bands to perform at their venues on weekends. Kiki Bees is one of such space located in East Legon a suburb of Accra. Kiki Bees started operating in 2016 with very few people patronising the venue. Through a private conversation with the owner on 14th February 2018, I discovered that the restaurant now overflows with customers due to the introduction of a live band sessions every weekend. The Band which performs there, Nkyimkyim, is known for performing highlife and hiplife music. The owner goes on to tell me on days the band does not perform, sales go down compared to days that they do. Shields (2006) as cited by Jasminka Samardžija (2000, 11) stated that music and interior layout have a significant influence on revenue in small business restaurants. 2.4.2 Live Music Events and Music Festivals Besides music in hotels, restaurants, and pubs, patronage of favourite music shows and concerts in Ghana are unprecedented. Music concerts organised by event companies and Telecom companies also provide platforms for the consumption of music in Ghana. Some musicians also organise their concerts either specifically for an album launch or annually. Sarkodie for instance has his annual Rapperholic concert, Stonebwoy’s Bhim concert, 63 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh M.anifest’s manifestivities, E.L’s Bar concert, La Meme Gang’s Crusade are examples of such . These concerts are however are not organised often but are typically done annually or on National holidays such as on Republic Day, African Union Day, and festive seasons such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and others. Due to the ready market for popular music shows, event organisers such as Charter House, Echo House, Empire Entertainment and others organise annual concerts, including the Ghana music Awards (arguably the foremost music show in Ghana), Ghana Meets Naija, Afro Chella, Tidal Rave, S Concert, 4syte Music Video Awards, Joy FM Old School Reunion, Citi FM December to Remember, Chalewote Festival amongst others. One exciting aspect of the concerts organised by these Ghanaian artistes especially hiplife musicians is that their concerts are in December. Below is a chart of some of the concerts that took place in December 2018 (see table 2). Gospel musicians such as Sonnie Badu, Diana Hamilton, Ohemaa Mercy, and Obaapa Christy also hold individual concerts. However, Churches are the major institutions that patronise and promote them. They are invited to churches to perform either during church programs or perform at gospel music shows like Adom praise, MTN Stands in Worship, and women in Worship. Table 2: Ghanaian Musicians’ Concerts in December 2018 Artiste Concert Date Venue M.nifest Manifestivities18 23rd December 2018 The Bukom Arena Sarkodie RapperHolic18 25th December 2018 Accra International Conference Centre Stonebwoy Bhimconcert 28th December 2018 Fantasy Dome Samini Saminifest 22nd December 2018 Osu-oxford street Kojo Antwi Kojo Antwi Experience 24th December 2018 Labadi Beach Hotel. 64 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The recent decrease in sales of CDs and physical records has rendered live performances as an important stream of income for musicians ( Collins, 2018; KPMG, 2014b; Yamusah, 2013). “The recorded music sector has historically been bigger than the live music sector in terms of revenues, but during recent years revenues from live music seem to have overtaken recorded music as the largest music industry sector” (Laing 2012, 11). The situation in the Ghana Music industry is no different. "Live shows are nowadays ubiquitous, whether performed on stage by hiplifers, or by the newer generation of contemporary high-lifers, rap poets, dancehall musicians; and also, by Afropop divas" (Collins, 2018, p. 199). Hence, I postulate that musicians need to take advantage of the situation and organises more concerts throughout the year and not wait until the end of the year to organise it. Also, these concerts can be extended to the other regions of the country and maybe climax it in Accra at the end of the year. In this case, they get to reach other consumers in the other nine (9) regions and increase their income. These concerts provide the fans with the platform to interact physically with their celebrities (musicians) since most of their interactions are done on social media. Jesse Shipley quoting one of the audiences at a show at trade fair says "we came to be part of the scene…. I listen to music, but I just want to see the rappers that I hear on the radio with my own eyes" (Shipley, 2013, p. 120). Popular musicians also use the number of shows they perform to evaluate their career. Robert Philip, in his book Performing Music in the Age of Recording, writes that “Concerts in front of an audience are still what counts, and are the events most musicians measure their lives by… Musicians who regard recordings as preferable to concerts are in a tiny minority” (Philip, 2004, p. 60). Thus, even though music streaming is important in current music business, performance is still lucrative. In this current Ghanaian music industry, the more shows you perform, the more relevant you are in the industry. This 65 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh is in the sense that, event organisers with the aim of maximising profit, invite musicians that will pull crowds to their events. Hence artistes who are highlighted to perform on such shows are mostly chosen on the perceived market value of the artist's popularity and his/her music and the demand. Quoting Hammer (beatmaker/music producer) Shipley notes, “if you have a hit, your name will get out there, and you will become popular and people…corporate, sponsors, stations and promoters will invite you for shows…. That is where the money is now (Shipley, 2013, p. 129). Other institutions such as universities and cooperate bodies also organise important music concerts. In universities, student bodies like the Student Representative Council (SRC) and Junior Common Room (JCR) which represents the various hall of residence during week celebrations organise music concerts which are termed "Artist Night". These concerts are often free of charge and feature various famous music artists. Besides telecom companies and radio/tv stations, cooperate bodies like banks also organises music concerts in the country. Stanbic Bank Ghana, for instance, is the body in charge of the Stanbic Jazz Festival in Ghana. The Stanbic Jazz Festival began in 2014 and continues to offer jazz music to Ghanaians every year. It has featured both global jazz legends such as Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Richard Bona, Peter White and local icons such as Ofie Kodjoe and Akablay. 2.4.3 “The Nations” Music affects our lives in different ways, and it can get you in different moods. It can connect you to your peers and separate you from conventions and older generations. However, some people want to do more than listen to music. They want to sing along or even play their versions of their favourite songs; some want to learn about every detail of the life of the celebrities and take part in the entire music process. These change in consumer 66 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh behaviour has resulted in several researches over the last two (2) decades by scholars such as (Cova & Cova 2009, Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2000, Vargo & Lusch, 2004). These studies have shown the change in the behaviour pattern of consumers from individualistic consumers to collaborative consumers who take up active roles in the creation of goods and services. The remarkable consumer participation has led to numerous terms being used in literature by scholars; which include participative consumer (Maillet, 2006), “prosumer” (Ritzer & Jurgenson, 2010), co-producer (Wikström, 1996) and co-creator (Hoyer et al., 2010). The consumer behaviour in the Ghana music industry is no different; fans of various musicians play an essential role in the sustenance of the musician's career hence they are more than just mere consumers. Most musicians have unique names for their fans which are referred to in Ghana as “Fan Army”. These include Bhimnation (Stonebwoy), Sarknation (Sarkodie), Gadam Nation (Fancy Gadam) Shatamovement (Shata wale), Eliens (E. L), Manifans (M.nifest) among others. Fans also in showing their loyalty to a musician add names of the artiste to thiers. For example, fans of Sarkodie have names like Kobby Sark, and Adwoa Sarkcess; Shatta Michy and Black Shata by fans of Shata Wale. Members of these fan bases do more than listening to the music of their favourite musicians but go further to influence the value of the music. Some of these fans through collaboration with the musicians come up with covers for the various songs they release. Sarkodie's cover art for his song homicide was designed by Fawaz Ibrahim who is one of his fans. These fans do not expect anything in return, but instead finds it rewarding to have contributed to the music of their celebrity. Some of these fans also writes the lyrics to the songs of their favourite musicians and post them on the internet. Through social media interaction between consumers and musicians, consumers get an opportunity to influence on the creative process. These include consumers suggesting 67 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh whom the musician should feature on a song and even when a song should be released. Musicians interacting with consumers to influence the value on creative work affirms Christian Grönroos’s value co-creation model (2011). This model suggests that the service provider together with its consumers co-create value through interaction. Figure 6. Grönroos’s Value Co-creation model, 2011 Due to the digitisation of music, consumers also play a role in the distribution of music and the promotion of a musician. After the musician and his/her record label has released the song or album, the fans take it upon themselves to further share the music through their social media platforms. Some of these fan bases have WhatsApp groups where they generate messages complementing the link to the music and broadcast it. Word-of-mouth functions very well on the internet, instantaneously, with all of the viral phenomena that the tool allows (Godin, 2000).28 Through this, a musician with strong fan bases can penetrate the 28 Seth Godin argues that the information can spread most effectively from customer to customer, rather than from business to customer. Godin calls this great customer-to-customer dialogue the idea virus and cheerfully eggs markets on to create an environment where their ideas can replicate and spread. 68 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh market and stay relevant in the industry. Shata Wale attests to his Shata movement playing an essential role in the success of his career. Sarkodie also shows how his fanbase contribute to his creative process in a tweet stating that, “Something…SarkNation it’s 2019 we got work to do…I'm 89% done with my bit… you about to kick off your 100%".29 This post shows how he regards the role his fans play in his music career. Some of the responses from the fans to the post affirm this. Some were, "We trust the process", "We also ready for you", "Great, we are 101% ready to do our part". 2.5 PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS The Ghanaian music industry is made of professional associations and groups which play an essential role in the industry’s operations. These bodies have diverse interests and objectives which include fighting for the welfare of their members and the entire music industry. 2.5.1 Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) The most popular among these professional organisations is the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). The Union boasts of about 95.7% of musicians in Ghana belonging to it (KPMG, 2014, 46). MUSIGA was established in 1975 and operates in all the ten (10) regions of the country. The mission of the Union is “promoting and preserving Ghanaian culture through education and equipping the Ghanaian musician to be self-reliant, creative and industrious”. MUSIGA is a member of the Ghana Trades Union Congress GTUC, and also affiliated with the International Federation of Musicians (FIM). The Union’s 29Twitter post https://twitter.com/sarkodie/status/1081679115424620545?s=12 69 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh membership comprises of groups of musicians, bands, sound engineers, music producers, entertainment journalists, music teachers, musical instrument dealers and repairers.30 The current president Mr. Bice Osei Kufuor aka Obuor under his tenure has undertaken series of research projects to help strengthen the Ghana music industry. A very noticeable one is the Union's commissioning of KPMG Ghana to undertake a comprehensive study of the industry to provide information which will help access the contribution of the music sector to Ghana's national Growth Domestic Product (GDP). In 2016, it established its Music Academy that operates out of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) building in Accra and runs courses related to practical musicianship, music production, and show business. In 2017, when it went into its second session, it enrolled 140 students. The union also has the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund which caters for ageing and incapacitated musicians. 2.5.2 Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMBRO) Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMRO) is one of the Collective Management Organisations (CMO) in Ghana. However, it is presently the only music-related copyright entity in the country. It was established to replace the Copyright Society of Ghana COSGA which was liquidated due to its inefficiencies in carrying out its duties. GHAMRO was established in 2011 but started proper operations on 18th January 2012. The principal purpose of GHAMRO was to identify and document users of music copyright works, and subsequently license, collect and distribute royalties accumulating from such uses on behalf 30 Retrieved from https://www.musiga.org.gh/ 70 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of its members.31 The organisations’ members encompass composers, music publishers, producers, and performers. It operates by handling the musical works, sound recordings, and performances belonging to its members whenever and wherever they are played in a public place both in Ghana and worldwide. It is economically beneficial to Ghanaian musicians providing them with royalties from the commercial use of their music every six months. 2.5.3 Other Professional Associations Other professional associations and organisations include, Audio Engineers and Producers Association of Ghana (AEPAGH), Professional Musicians Association of Ghana (PROMAG), Association of Music Rights Owners (AMRO), Composers and Authors of Music Association (CAMA), Songwriters and Performers Association of Ghana (SPAG), Ghanaian Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers (GHASCAP), Ghana Association of Phonographic Industries (GAPI), Record Producer and Publishers Association of Ghana (REPPAG), National Association of Ghanaian Music Producers (NASGAMP. A newly formed association is the Upcoming Artiste Association of Ghana (UAAG). This association with its motto “creating stars through music” aims to provide help to musicians who are now sprouting and have no idea about how the music industry operates. It was established in December 2018. Its membership as of January 2019 was over 150. Co-founder of the association, Ama Adomaa discloses that, the association operates by helping upcoming artistes get studios to record their music and help them promote it as well 31 Retrieved from http://www.ghamro.org/index.php/about-us/history 71 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh as how to sell and protect their music.32 The association is financed through membership dues and new members paying for the registration fees. 2.6 CONCLUSION This chapter has provided an overview of the current Ghanaian music industry and how the different components are connected and operate. It has given an outline of the industry beginning by showing the various music genres in the industry before focusing on Ghanaian popular music and its different styles. The chapter progressed to discuss how the Ghanaian music industry operates, focusing on the creation, distribution and consumption of music. The intent of this chapter was to highlight how the Ghanaian music environment is and describe how the music industry operates. It will also be used as a framework to explain how Okyeame Kwame sustains himself in this ecology. The next two chapters will focus on the case study Okyeame Kwame, starting with his biography and music life. 32 Interviewed at Alisa Hotel Accra on 17th January, 2019. 72 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER THREE BIOGRAPHY AND MUSIC OF OKYEAME KWAME 3.0 INTRODUCTION The life and the music of Okyeame Kwame is the focus of this chapter. It will explore his early life, his introduction to music and journey through his music career from his days with Akyeame to becoming a solo musician. The challenges he has faced as well as his contributions and achievements in the Ghanaian music industry will also be discussed. Hence, beside this chapter helping to document the life of Okyeame Kwame, it will also bring us closer to the “Rap Doctor”; as he is also known in the music industry and help in a better understanding of his life and music. 3.1 EARLY LIFE Kwame Nsiah Appau known in showbiz as Okyeame Kwame was born to Mr Akwesi Nsiah Boto and Mrs Alice Nsiah Boto, on 17th April 1976. Also, he comes from a family of eight (8), five boys and three girls. He grew up in Fante Newtown, a suburb of Kumasi in a compound house of 30 flats. Although they were not very rich, they lived comfortably. He states, “I had all the toys but we were not very rich”. Okyeame Kwame is the senior brother to the hiplife musicians Kwaku Nsiah Boamah, known by the stage name Flow Kingstone and Kwaku Nsiah Amankwah also known as Kunta Kinte both formerly of “Bradez”. His parents were highly educated to the tertiary level. With his parents having high regard for education, Okyeame Kwame had the best of education. His father was an accountant, who had studied in Italy before returning to Ghana to work. He remarks, “my father was brilliant, if you ask him to multiply 7 by 84,000, he will tell you the answer without twitching, he 73 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh was a brilliant man”. His mother was also a teacher, hence, she made sure he and his siblings were educated well to at least the tertiary level. Okyeame Kwame started his education at the age of six at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Ashtown; Kumasi. Later, he left for Kings International Preparatory School. After completing the elementary level in 1987, he qualified to enter Kumasi Anglican Secondary School (K.A.S.S.) in 1988. Okyeame Kwame studied in K.A.S.S. for five years and continued to Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School where he completed in 1995. He was particularly encouraged by his English literature teacher to take literature seriously and to improve on his poetry writing skills. Kwame did not enter the university immediately after completing the sixth form in 1995. Thus, he became what he calls "student of life"; hustling and learning anything he could about music and life for eleven years. Before leaving Ghana to live and work in the United States of America, Okyeame Kwame still lived with his parents in the compound house, one characterised by bickering and fighting over chores and petty quarrels. He returned in 2006, got into Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and completed his first Degree in B.Sc. Modern languages (Akan option) in 2010. In 2016, he graduated with a master degree in Strategic Marketing from the University of Ghana. Okyeame Kwame expressed his initial dislike for school when he was growing up. He states, “When I was about completing the sixth form, my mother asked me what I wanted to be after school, and I did not have any answer; I thought that my father could pay for education, so I have been sentenced to study. I had no clue what I was going to do with it. Then, when I was in sixth form final year, I realised that I must learn hard to be able to enter the university otherwise my friends will leave me behind, I had no ambition to further my 74 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh education, I was only going to school to keep my parents happy. What I was interested in doing was making music, but my parents disagreed and wanted me to become a physician”. As a child, he showed interest in poetry and was excited anytime his mother taught him poems. So, it was later in secondary school that he realised the relationship between poetry and rap, so he endorsed it and started practising it. He began to take an interest in rap music in the early '90s and started performing on the K.A.S.S. stage during entertainment, and other students organised event anytime the opportunity presented itself. Even with this level of exposure, he had no knowledge of recording music, he was just interested in rap and just felt good whenever he heard rap music. Kwame was introduced to popular music by a disc jockey (DJ) by the name Flash Junior who was also residing in the same house. This compound house also contained a night club which was set up by one “burger”.33 Before it turned into a nightclub, it was a pub called "Saturday Night”; named after the famous song “Everybody Like Saturday Night” but was later changed to “Copa Cabana” named after a big-time nightclub in New York. Flash Junior liked Okyeame Kwame and exposed him to all kinds of music. He would invite him over to his tiny single room and would lecture him about fashion, rap music and other kinds of music. Kwame would ask questions about rap, and Flash Junior would answer them and direct him to several sources where he could find more information. Okyeame Kwame thus acknowledges that “if any motivation, Flash Junior was the first person who motivated me”. Due to this association with Flash Junior and the availability of 33 Ghanaian who has returned from U.S.A or Europe. 75 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh a pub in his house, Okyeame Kwame became exposed to all kinds of music such as highlife, reggae, and hip hop. From this time onward, Okyeame Kwame’s interest in music increased and was particularly drawn to Kojo Antwi’s music. Other musicians who influenced him were L.L Cool J, Rex Omar and Bob Marley. 3.2 AKYEAME In 1991, Kwame Nsiah Appau met Daniel Kofi Amoateng at a table tennis competition in Kumasi and this began a new chapter in his life. By the end of a long conversation, they discovered that they both had an interest in rap and became friends. Kofi was a good writer and had already written a storybook titled ‘Rings do not marry’. Kofi being the better writer, would write the lyrics and Kwame would perform it. With this strategy, they performed at several rap competitions such as Panafest, Fun World and won most of them. This approach continued until 1993 when Kwame, realising that new hiplife artistes were springing up he suggested that they become a duo whereby Kofi would perform on stage as well. They performed at competitions and anywhere else that they could show their talent. After a while, they added Saint Kwabena Kankam to their group who was a graduate from the University of Education, Winneba, with a diploma in music. Saint was a saxophonist and taught them about highlife music, the arrangement of songs, the structure of music and other things relating to music. Therefore, equipped with this knowledge, the trio created good music together with Kwame and Kofi rapping and Saint playing a solo interlude. After creating music for some time, they started searching for an executive producer (investor) and found one in 1996. Around this time, Kwame had just completed the sixth form and was unoccupied at home, so he put all his energy into the group as they made plans to find 76 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh a producer. However, when they found the producer, Saint became uninterested and decided to leave the group. The trio then became a duo again (see figure 7). Figure 7. Akyeame Before a Performance (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) Their executive producer, Andrew Opoku Amankwah, was a record executive from London who supported their music and marketed them as well. At that time, rap music was growing in Ghana. Hip hop was fast becoming popular with the youth, and several musicians were experimenting with it. Some rapped in English whiles others rapped in Twi but over hip hop beats until Reggie Rockstone, a returnee from America, named the genre hiplife after he became famous for his 1994 song, “TsooBoi”. Consequently, more musicians became enthused in experimenting with this new genre which was a combination of hip hop and highlife. Names like Lord Kenya, Nana King, Sass Squad and Lifeline came up. These artistes would rap in Twi or Ga over imported American hip hop and sometimes raga beats. Hip hop brought with its certain fashion styles such as baggy shorts and baggy shirts which the older generation did not like. Moreover, it was different from the highlife music they 77 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh knew and, more so, because the lyrics used in hiplife were ‘hardcore' and sometimes vulgar or insulting. These features of hiplife, coupled with the fact that its aided westernisation made it likeable for the youth, but not for the older generation who frowned on it. Due to this circumstance, the duo adopted a strategy, thus, chose a name which will differentiate them from other hiplife musicians and be appealing to both the older and younger generation. They, therefore, went to the palace and chose Akyeame, which is the plural of Okyeame and is the Twi name for a linguist. The qualities of the linguist include; being a spokesperson, mouthpiece or intermediary between the king and his people, attracted them to the title. They adopted the name Akyeame because they saw themselves as interpreters of ideas and information to the people through music. Subsequently, Kwame Nsiah Appau became known as Okyeame Kwame and Daniel Kofi Amoateng became known as Okyeame Quophi. Okyeame Kwame recalls: “one of the strategies we took for us to become accepted was to choose something that people respected already, so we went to the court and chose the linguist . . . the spokesperson for the king . . . accessible . . . intelligent . . . all the qualities of the linguist and assimilated it to ourselves.” In terms of music, Akyeame made conscious efforts to combine hip hop and highlife music effectively to create an excellent blend of the two genres. This music attracted Peekus Laryea, a host of the TV show Weekend Rendezvous and the MC for Miss Ghana Beauty Pageant. He decided to promote their music. Through his brother Reginald Laryea (owner of Media Whizz Kids), they had the opportunity to perform at the Miss Ghana 1996. Media Whizz Kids happened to be the organisers of Miss Ghana 1996. 78 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Mark Okuraku Mantey, an upcoming music producer and artist manager, also saw them and decided to manage the group whiles Andrew continued to finance them. Okyeame Kwame even asserts that “by default, we (Akyeame) were in the right hands”. Their producers, therefore, nurtured them in music as well as in fashion and suggested that they shift from the hip-hop fashion of baggy shirts and jeans that everyone was wearing to a more corporate look. So, with the Akyeame brand, they tried to look decent and spoke well and intelligently. In 1997, they released their first album titled, “Nyansapo” which was produced by Zapp Mallet. On the album was their first hit song “Brebre Obaa Hemaa”. It had funky beats looped over traditional Ghanaian drum beats and sung in Twi. With proper marketing, the song became a hit; did well on the local music charts and that became the official outdooring of Akyeame. Both the older and younger generation loved “Brebre Obaa Hemaa”; the younger generation because of the beats and the older generation because of the lyrics and the essence of highlife in it. Thus, the group did not only indigenise the hip-hop music genre by using Twi, but they also localised it by adding their traditional beats and instruments to the funky Western tunes. They also wore African print shirts over baggy jeans and sneakers to satisfy both their young and old fans. After their first album Nyansapo hit in 1997, Akyeame went on to create their second album, Nkonsonkonson in 1998. With their little knowledge in music, they created this album taking references from other old highlife classics and remodelling them to fit their style of rap. The songs on the album, therefore, reflected such manner. This album had the group's most famous song, Maasan Aba which featured Yoggi Doggie and Nana Kwame. Upon release, the song became an instant hit and compelled people to 79 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh have another perspective about hiplife this time, in a positive way. Still focusing on their target audience (midline between affluent young people and older people), the song was an adaptation and fusion of Alhaji K. Frimpong’s “Kyenkyen bi adimawu” and Yaw Amoah’s “Masan Aba”. It involves the introduction of the former whereas the latter was divided into several stanzas adding rap and chorus to make the whole five minutes of the song. “Masan Aba” became an instant hit and was aired on radio stations for a long time and still receives considerable airplay. Its popularity was reflected in its nomination in thirteen (13) categories at the Ghana Music Awards, 1999. However, due to stiff competition from other already established musicians like Daddy Lumba who were nominated in the same categories, it won only one award, that is the hiplife song of the year, making them the first hiplife group to have won a Ghana Music award. From the year 1999, the Ghana music industry began to be dominated by hiplife music genre, hence, most musicians of the other genres especially highlife musicians such as Daddy Lumba and Kojo Antwi started to collaborate with hiplife artistes. The success of Masan Aba made Akyeame a popular name in Ghana around that time, hence, did many collaborations. As stated earlier, Akyeame made songs that were a right blend of hip hop and Highlife beats, accompanied by guitars and synthesizers. This approach was used for their first two albums namely, Nyansapo and Nkonsonkonson. With the success of these albums, Akyeame decided to go the same approach for their third album Ntoaso. 3.2.1 Collapse of Akyeame However, The Ntoaso album did not do well and could not even sell more than three hundred copies. This, Kwame explains that it was due to their desire to recreate the success of the previous two (2) albums and because they lacked the knowledge to regroup and recreate 80 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh something entirely new. Another problem was with the sonority of the songs. He says they lacked weight and clarity as compared to Masan Aba. Also, because they kept travelling overseas for performances, they lost the essence of the group and most of their fan base. Kwame recounts how they were embarrassed during a concert in Kumasi, Bantama to be precise, “the crowd kept yelling another artistes name instead of ours whiles we were performing”. They took the hint and left to the UK in 1999 with Daddy Lumba for a series of performances. Then in the year 2000, they went to the U.S.A with Kojo Antwi on a tour as well. Around this time, Kwame had lost his father and was having financial problems. Hence after the tour, they decided to stay and work in America for a while. Whereas Kwame worked and learnt more about hip hop and was enthusiastic about trying new strategies, Quophi studied sound engineering and videography. They managed to record their fourth album Apam foforo whiles in America and released it when they came back to Ghana in 2003, after three years of stay in overseas. Apam foforo did well, and Okyeame Kwame, suggested they did many performances, work harder on their music and take it out there to the listeners. However, Quophi held back and was more interested in sitting in a studio to produce beats and videos. It appeared his interest in being a musician had waned but Okyeame Kwame, on the other hand, still had the zeal for making music and decided to go solo. Due to the conflict of interests, the group went their separate ways at the end of 2003 to try new things. Okyeame Kwame became a solo artist and Okyeame Quophi a sound engineer. This is how a beautiful and talented duo split up to become a solo artist and a sound engineer /music producer. 81 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Akyeame had four albums to their credit: Nyansapo (1997) ---wisdom Nkonsonkonson (1998) --- maze Ntoaso (1999)—continuity Apam Foforo (2003) --- New Chapter Some of their popular songs include Brayen tina, Adonko, Sankofa, Brebre, Obaa hemaa, Obanyansafo, Asa a aba so, All I got, Akuaba (remix with Kojo Antwi), Damirifa Due, Eneyebeda okyena, Di asa, Obi Yere Ye Obi Mpena, Menko Meda and the famous Masan Aba. 3.3 OKYEAME KWAME: A SOLO CAREER After his break from Akyeame group due to individual differences, Okyeame Kwame decided to go solo. He did not start his solo career until he returned from the U.S.A in 2003. In his journey as a solo artist, Okyeame Kwame attributes part of his success to his former girlfriend and actress Nana Ama MacBrown. According to him, upon his return to Ghana, he met Nana Ama, and they started dating. This relationship had a positive impact on his career. He went on to say that she was firm and passionate about his success hence kept pushing and encouraging him to strive for himself because this time around his former partner (Okyeame Quophi) who was supporting and helping was no longer available. For instance, when they were a duo, Okyeame Quophi was the one making sure they were paid after performing at shows. So, Nana Ama made him realise the task ahead and hence prepared him towards it. 82 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Okyeame Kwame also said his relationship with Nana Ama helped him to regain his popularity because “she was the most popular female actress in Ghana by then” and hence gave his solo project an opportunity to become a success since she was the woman force behind him at that time. Also, upon his arrival from the U.S.A, Okyeame Kwame realised that most of the musicians they (Akyeame) were working with before they left Ghana had become successful in the music industry, so he decided to re-link up with them. Thus, he re-established contacts with such musicians like Obuor, Obrafuor, and Tic Tac among others. He started performing at shows with them and featured them on his songs whiles he did same on theirs. Besides these factors, according to him, he was also working hard and endeavoured to perform at various music concerts. On several occasions, he would go further to perform for free, and in situations where he charged a fee, it was always at a low rate. All these efforts were aimed at getting himself back on his feet. After doing these things for some time, people started paying attention to him. He then released his first solo album “Bohyeba” which did considerably well. He followed up with “Mawinsem”, his second solo album, which he describes as the nation’s favourite in 2008. 3.3.1 Challenges as a Solo Musician “The evolution from Akyeame to Okyeame Kwame has not been an easy task”, he says. Not only did he have to come back from four-year absence from the Ghana music scene but, he had to do it as a completely different act, without the benefit of the industry goodwill and fan base that Akyeame had achieved before he left. One can imagine the difficulties he encountered. 83 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh One major challenge was the fear of failing. According to him, the fear of failing nearly prevented him from pursuing his solo career because whenever he thought of the fact that Akyeame has ended, he was afraid he would fail again. However, later, he decided to convert the fear into motivation thus, he worked harder to make his dream of becoming a solo artist a reality. The other difficulty was managing himself, as stated earlier, his former partner Okyeame Quophi was responsible for handling the administrative duties of the group; therefore, his absence meant that Okyeame Kwame had to do both administrative work and create music. Due to his administrative inexperience, he could not make good bargains for himself, he explains, so he was often cheated. This situation proved the need for a manager. Consequently, his wife Mrs Annika Nsiah Appau took up that role as his manager. Okyeame Kwame also furthered his education in business administration to equip himself with administrative skills and knowledge. “There are also many challenges one will face when working directly with the wife in the same field”, he attests. Okyeame Kwame explains that, since his wife handles his music business and is in charge of his branding as well as his marketing, it sometimes becomes problematic when the wife represents him. This sometimes causes him to lose some of his female fan bases. Also, since they are married, their emotions occasionally cloud their judgment but with experience, conscious efforts are made to handle such situations. In the current Ghanaian music industry, Okyeame Kwame and the wife are the only couple working in such capacity, something they have transformed into their advantage through their “Flaunt Your Lover Project”. This project will be fully explained in the next chapter. 84 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.4 OKYEAME KWAME’S MUSIC After his break from Akyeame, the next chapter of creating music that would get the attention of Ghanaians was a difficult task. However, his ability to have over fifty (50) songs to his credit goes on to show the handwork he puts into creative output. Even though Okyeame Kwame showed signs of his creativity in his days as a member of Akyeame, the awards and nominations his songs have received and still receives since he went solo shows that his creativity has significantly improved. Unlike the current trend of singing or rapping over westernised hip hop beats, Okyeame Kwame is one of the few Ghanaian hiplife musicians who is fusing the highlife music rhythms with the hiplife music effectively. A vivid example is his song “Mr. Versatile”. Okyeame Kwame mainly creates hiplife music and occasionally hip hop and highlife music, which has earned him the nickname “Mr. Versatile”. In some of his music, he sometimes sings even though he is noted for rapping. When asked why, he says his main motive is to ‘shock’ his fans; he believes that the moment he stops surprising his fans he will lose them. In most of his songs, he features other musicians who sing whiles he does the rapping. In relation to the other musicians he features, he said he collaborates with musicians who are flexible, available and professional. He also pays much attention to the young, talented and energetic musicians. Okyeame Kwame has also over the years collaborated with other great musicians in the Ghanaian music industry, and he claims to be the hiplife musician with the most collaborations. He has songs with both local musicians likes Kojo Antwi, Richie, Akatakyie, Samini, Morris devoice, Tattoo, Kofi B, Kwabena Kwabena, Obuor, Daddy Lumba, Oheneba Kissi, Slim Buster, Daasebre Dwamena, Sarkodie, Ofori Amponsah, Old Soldier Asem, Bradez, Yaa Yaa, Mz, Vee, Kidi, Kurl Songx, Kwame Eugene, Afriyie Wutah and international musicians such as Olu Maintain, Israel nation, and Jay Ghartey. 85 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Okyeame Kwame is noted for slow Twi and brilliant rap with wholesome lyrics. His excellent writing skills - which he attributes to his early introduction to poetry- have twice won him “songwriter of the year” award; the only songwriter to have won it two consecutive times. Okyeame Kwame has always surprised music lovers as well as critics with his witty yet delightful lyrics. His insightful lyrics touch on a wide range of topics or subject matters like love, money, family, life, among others. He exhibits his lyrical dexterity and song writing abilities in the award-winning songs Woso, Medomaa, and Kwame Ghana which are all on the “Mawinsem” album. In the song Woso which translates as “shake”, Okyeame Kwame describes the hardships of life and the need for faith. He analytically arranged and told the stories of hardship in the context of a struggling Ghanaian. Also, in Medomaa, he raps about how he has female fans from all the ten (10) regions or ethnic groups in Ghana. In Kwame Ghana, he combines both rhythms and lyrics to tell the story of Ghana in a very positive light. He talks about where Ghana is coming from, where it is going and how Ghanaians live. When asked what goes into his music or influences his music, he generally said everything he has ever heard, seen, imagined and felt affects his music. However, specifically, he said the most influential factor in his music is his interest in poetry (literature) and his education. With regards to poetry, he recalls, “when I was a child, I was very interested in poetry, so my mother will teach me deep and long poems, and I would recite them from house to house”. The beginning of rap music in Ghana hence gave him more insight into using his poetry to rap. The influence of poetry (literature) on his music is evident in most of his songs, for instance, Woara and Sika which are both on his third album, “Mr. Versatile”. Woara which 86 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh translates as “it was you” features Rachael, the song talks about a couple who are now separated and are blaming each other for the split. In the chorus of the song, Okyeame Kwame uses Pun to tell the story.34 In Sika (money), he talks about money and its relationship with society.He shows more creativity because there are many songs about money but with his use of personification, he describes money as though it is a human being.35 Below is a section of the lyrics, “I’ve caused many wars, Broke many laws Economists and politicians know I’m the boss Broken homes and marriages, yes am the cause The people’s lack in knowledge is all my fault And I know am wrong. But through negativity I get strong It’s through this reality that I was born Leave you insanity, and I'm long gone”. Okyeame Kwame, known for good Akan (Twi) music, has a first degree in Akan and sociology from the Kwame Nkrumah University Science and technology and also studied psychology of music from Koo Nimo the leading folk musician of palm wine and highlife musician from Ghana. He states that education is a factor that has influenced his music. Some of his songs include; Tintinto, Woso, Medomaa, Kwame Ghana, Anaa, Woara, Sika, Mr. Versatile, Mmre, white wedding one in a Million, Hallo, Hepatitis B, Halleluiah, Made in Ghana, Bra, among others. Okyeame Kwame has five (5) successful albums to his credit, namely, Bohyeba released in 2004, Mawinsem (My Poem) in 2008, The Clinic in 2011, the Versatile Show in 2012 and currently Made in Ghana which was released on 20th April, 2019. Okyeame Kwame 34 A literary device which means to play upon words or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but have a different meaning 35 Personification is a figure of speech in which an inanimate object is given human qualities or attributes. 87 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh although known for releasing single songs, claims to actually prefer albums hence is known for releasing albums often as compared to his colleagues. He believes albums improve creativity although other musicians disagree with this idea. Some of the hit singles he has released that are not tied to any album includes, Hallelujah and Tension. The next paragraphs will provide a brief description of two of his current albums. 3.4.1 The versatile Show Figure 8. Album Cover for The Versatile Show (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) On the 14th of December, 2012, Okyeame Kwame launched his fourth (4TH) studio album titled the Versatile Show. This album was launched in an unprecedented manner. One of the characteristics of Okyeame Kwame is always changing the way in which he launches his album and doing it in a peculiar manner. Prior to this album, his previous album, “The Clinic” was launched at the Aphrodisiac Night Club in Accra. However, the launch of the versatile Show album was held at the National Theatre. The event was dubbed, “The Okyeame Kwame Versatile Show”, featuring Okyeame Kwame himself as the MC for the 88 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh night as well as performing his music. The show fused both music, theatre (drama), and dance on one stage making it the first of its kind in the history of the Ghanaian music industry where a musician performs his music while, acting, and dancing together with other actors and dancers on the same stage. The idea of the show was initiated by Okyeame Kwame eight (8) years before it was finally staged. He gives credit to two masterminds whom he attributes the success of the whole event. Okyeame Kwame praises Uncle Ebo White, C.E.O. of Roverman Productions; and states, “Uncle Ebo is a very great playwright/director and oversaw the drama section of the show”. The late Professor Nii Yartey the former Head of Dance Department, University of Ghana was also in charge of the dance section. The show featured other artistes like Bradez, Samini, Kofi B, Irene Logan, Rachael, Rex Omar and others. Myjoyonline.com awarded the Okyeame Kwame Versatile Show the best innovative show of the year. 3.4.2 Made in Ghana Figure 9. Album Cover for The Made in Ghana (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau). 89 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh As aforementioned, Okyeame Kwame always aspires to launch his work in unprecedented and unpredictable ways. Unsurprisingly therefore, this album too reimagined the meaning of an album launch. Firstly, there were two big, well-publicised events to build up to the main event. First was an album listening session and then a pre-album concert at the +233 Jazz Lounge& Grill, Accra, three (3) months before the album was officially launched. At album listening session held at the Roots Apartment Hotel in Accra on Monday 17th September, 2018, Okyeame Kwame, Ghana’s Rap Doctor as he has styled himself, invited some stakeholders in the music industry to listen and give their opinion on his upcoming album ahead of its release. The media, music analysts, musicians and dignitaries from the corporate world were invited to this event. The pre-album concert was meant to prepare the way for the main launch. Okyeame Kwame, backed by the Highschool Band, led by Dan Grahl, performed a number of his old songs and just one of the songs from the new album, “Made in Ghana” because it had been released already. However, on the 20th April 2019, the much-awaited album was launched. Again, with the Highschool Band, Okyeame Kwame performed a combination of his old and new songs with the various musicians he featured. According to him, “this album launch is an experience” consequently, beside the performance, anybody who purchased the album was given a flash drive with the full album, a customised Ghanaian Chocolate and a piece of kente cloth from Ashanti region of Ghana.36 36 Kente, is a type of silk and cotton fabric made of interwoven cloth strips and is native to the Akan ethnic group of South Ghana. 90 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Figure 10. Customised Chocolate for The Made in Ghana album launch (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) 3.5 ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY As a solo artist, Okyeame Kwame has accomplished a great deal; from local awards and nominations to international awards and nominations. He is a very well-decorated artiste. Below are some of the awards he won and the nominations he received in Ghana and other countries. 3.5.1 Awards  World bank music for development award - 2011  Best produced song - 2011  Best collaborations - 2011  Best male video - 2011  Best highlife video - 2011  Artiste of the year - 2009  Best hip-hop songs of the year - 2009 91 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  Best video of the year - 2009  Best hip life-hip hop song of the year - 2009  Best hiplife song of the year - 2009  Best songwriter of the year - 2005, 2011 & 2013 3.5.2 Nominations  Best hiplife song of the year - 2003  Best collaboration of the year - 2003,2004,2008, 2009 &2010  Ghana music awards in Italy – the best hiplife song, best songwriter and best collaboration - 2004  Ghana movies award 2011 - best cameo  Channel O music video awards 2009 - best west African artiste, most young and talented artist, and best hip-hop video of the year  African music awards UK 2009 - best West African artiste, best African video and best song.  Suncity music videos award 2012 - Artiste of the year 2012, hip life song of the year 2012, the most popular song of the year 2013, best video of the year 2012 and best rapper of the year 2012  Vodafone music awards 2013 - best rapper of the year 2013, best album of the year 3.6 OKYEAME KWAME AND OTHER PROJECTS Okyeame Kwame’s work is not limited to his music but also extends to a number of other projects. As part of his music career, Okyeame Kwame is conjointly engaged with activities which are closely related to his music and others which are not related; leveraging his 92 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh popularity as a hitmaking musician to influence these projects. Below are a few of these projects. Okyeame Kwame is the Chief Executive Officer of One Mic Entertainment. He started the record label upon his return from U.S. A. He attests, “When I was leaving America, I learned that most of the major rap artists make their money from their music because they have taken a more corporate approach to it by creating their labels. So, I also had the idea that I will also create a record label, have my brand that will handle my music business properly”. He goes on to describe how the label started from a laptop and now has managed other artistes besides Okyeame Kwame like Bradez, Kofi B, Ben Brako, Stephanie Benson and Nero X. The label also organises events for cooperate bodies like MTN Ghana, Coca Cola and also make television adverts. Okyeame Kwame is also the C.E.O of Firm Bridges which is the marketing company for Horseman Shoes, a shoe collection company of which Okyeame Kwame is a shareholder. Another project linked to music is that besides being a member of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Okyeame Kwame also served as the public relation officer (PRO) for the Union from 2011 to 2015 where he worked with the current president of the union, Osei Kufuor Bice in his first term in that position. When asked why he left his position, Okyeame Kwame says the vision of the executives of the union were not in line with his hence his decision to vacate the position. Also, he served as one of the judges for the music reality show, “The Next Big Thing in Gh”; a talent show that scouted for young and talented rappers. The show has produced rappers like Tee Phlow and Strongman who are doing well in the industry. 93 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In line with his current album titled, “Made in Ghana”, the Government of Ghana together with its ministry of Trade and industry appointed Okyeame Kwame as its brand ambassador for its Made in Ghana (MIG) campaign. Okyeame Kwame uses his music and brand to promote made-in-Ghana goods and services. Hence, he is bound to travel to all the ten regions of the country to promote Ghanaian products. As a way of giving to the society, Okyeame Kwame undertakes free Hepatitis B screening and education project throughout the country. He has so far provided free screening for about 5,000 Ghanaians with sponsorship from companies including MTN Ghana, Coca Cola, and MDS licensed medical laboratory. He also receives support from Dr Kwame Boadu (Head of Sontreso hospital, Kumasi) and Dr Edward Appiah. Another social responsibility project embarked on by Okyeame Kwame is aimed at preserving the environment. He is the ambassador for Dedicated Grant Mechanism for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. It was developed by Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Ghana Forest Investment Program to fight forest loss by strengthening knowledge and practice of sustainable forest management. Defending Ghana’s forests with seedlings, education and music, Okyeame Kwame travels the country to educate people on afforestation and how to preserve the ecosystem. “OK” as he is affectionately called does not only rap but is also an actor. He has thus acted in Ghanaian movies such as “Ties that Bind” “The comforter” and ‘Amsterdam Diary”. I asked him, “If your life was screened as a movie, what would be its title?”. “My life, for now, the movie will be called “Akokono” (the worms in palm nut), because it is very soft but does hard things, I picked this name because I think I am a very soft guy, but I do hard things,” he responded. 94 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.7 CONCLUSION This chapter has woven through the life of Okyeame Kwame from his early years as a ‘kumasiano’ boy, who was interested in reciting his poems from house to house, to this current sophisticated and knowledgeable musician.37 The information has shown his early beginnings as Akyeame to his current state as the Made-in-Ghana Ambassador, Okyeame Kwame has shown creativity and contributed to the development of the Ghana music industry as a rapper, a producer, an actor, a philanthropist and a businessman. He has journeyed through the music business and has experienced the ups and downs that come with being a musician. His determination to succeed has pushed him to chase his dreams and has led him to become a prosperous solo artist even though he was earlier known in the industry as part of a duo. The next chapter further explores the concept of sustainability and ecosystem in Okyeame Kwame’s music career and discusses the approaches he has adopted to stay in the music industry since 1991. It will be discussed concerning how the music industry operates as explained in chapter two. 37 Kumasiano is a somewhat pejorative term for someone from Kumasi. 95 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOUR CAREER SUSTAINABILITY ETHOS OF OKYEAME KWAME This chapter discusses Okyeame Kwame’s philosophies and strategies of sustaining his career in the Ghanaian music industry since 1997. I examine these issues within the context of how he creates and distribute his music, brands himself in addition to how he relates with his fans. The chapter engages with the concepts of sustainability and music ecology as examined in preceding chapters to understand how Okyeame Kwame has sustained himself within the Ghanaian music industry. 4.1 MUSICIAN’S GROWTH STAGE MODEL This section rationalises Okyeame Kwame’s concept on the various stages which every Ghanaian musician goes through and how it affects their career. His hypothesis of the musician’s growth stages dwell on the business growth curve, which he claims he learnt during his studies in Business Administration.38 Okyeame Kwame opines that every Ghanaian musician goes through different stages in the course of their career. The career begins at the introduction stage then rises at the growth stage and moves towards maturity, then inevitably decline. At the introduction stage the musician is not famous, has no fan base and often referred to as "underground artiste". Also, there are very few people to work with; thus, the artiste keeps trying and makes mistakes. The growth stage of the artiste's career is when things begin to go well, and the music begins to get an audience. The media recognises his presence and grants many interviews, which boost his popularity. However, this stage comes with different challenges. Okyeame Kwame is of the view that at this stage, 38 Business Growth Curve is a curve that shows the growth progress and challenges of a business systematically. 96 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the artiste faces stiff competition from other musicians, which they show through grudges (known in the industry as beef) both in their songs and through social media. At maturity, the musician begins to actually reap from his music, charges a huge amount for performances, has a stable fan base and is now very popular. The challenge at the maturity stage, however, is dealing with how much of his brand to give out; i.e. how much music to release, the performances and collaborative works to do etc. At maturity, the musician should try and make himself and his creative works a bit scarce. Then the decline which no matter what, cannot be escaped, begins. At this stage, the musician is still respected. But a dip in popularity (particularly with younger generations) reduces his/her access to shows to perform at. He/she must therefore find ways to extend the span of their maturity stage or decline completely. This hypothesis by Okyeame Kwame is debatable, very simplistic and not proven. This is because not every musician can elevate his/her self from the introductory stage, which OK suggests. King Popa explains to me how he was “underground” for more than a decade before finally abandoning his music career.39 Also, there are other musicians who are also able to rise from the introductory stage, begin to grow and not mature but naturally decline; hence, I do not agree that this model can be applied to every Ghanaian musician. Dwelling on this model, Okyeame Kwame opines that he is at the maturity stage heading towards decline. He states that "Right now, I am at maturity, the tip of maturity because I have been matured for ten years and I have extended my maturity period but being at this stage for long equals to declining thus there is the need to revive”. What ecology shows is 39 Personal communication on 13th January, 2019 at cash two recording studio, north legon. 97 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh how organisms strive to survive in an ecosystem by adopting several survival strategies. Okyeame Kwame, as a musician working within the Ghana music industry has over the course of his career had to adopt multiple approaches as he seeks to sustain his career. Surviving as a tier one musician over a sustained period is never a simple matter; even in thriving musical environments. In a context as challenged and economically diminished as the Ghanaian music industry, the need for adaptation strategies is even greater. The following paragraphs discuss some of the ecological adaptation strategies Okyeame Kwame has adopted in his career sustainability efforts. 4.2 AKYEAME TO OKYEAME This section explores how Okyeame Kwame transformed from a member of a music group to being a solo musician. It discusses the various strategies he deployed throughout this transition period as well as explains how they have underpinned his career sustainability. According to Titon (2015, p. 2), resilience refers to “a system’s capacity to recover and maintain its integrity, identity, and continuity when subjected to forces of disturbance and change. These were the exact traits Okyeame Kwame exhibited after the breakup of Akyeame. He recovered and maintained his integrity and identity by not switching to another career. He still maintained the name and more importantly continued making music the same way as he was known earlier, despite the changes and challenges that confronted him after the split; and he further developed more skills. As Titon states; "Resilience does not simply mean "learning to live with it", as people new to the term mistakenly think. Nor does it mean hunkering down in a defensive stance. Rather, resilience implies a way to manage disturbance and change and guide the outcome toward a desirable end”. (ibid. p. 2). As noted in chapter three, Okyeame Kwame was a member of the music group Akyeame, one of the first generation of hiplife musicians who did well until their split in 2003. Life 98 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh after Akyeame was not easy, because for the first time in his music career, he was alone and it was awkward and overwhelming for him. According to him, his former partner, Okyeame Quophi, did most of the work (creative, Business and administrative) for the group and so their breakup left him severely handicapped. This phase of his career is what Okyeame Kwame describes as the crucial point where he could have easily given up on his music career. According to him, he is a better musician than he used to be when he was a part of Akyeame. He now creates and distributes music in a self-sufficient way. Captain Planet, a member of the hiplife group 4x4, shares OK’s views on group dynamics limiting creative abilities and growth. He notes that "being in a group limits your creativity in many ways. It is like being in a family it is not all about you. Whatever decision you take you need to consider the others. What being in a group does to you is that you will endure things that ideally you would not allow".40 This is in no way suggesting that having a solo career is the most ideal strategy for a music career sustainability. The music industry has several musicians who were not able to have a sustainable solo career after breaking from their groups. Examples include Praye, Wutah, and Buk Bak. These are groups upon their arrival on the music industry performed at major events and in coveted venues, made hit songs and were very popular and later, broke up. Individual members of these groups tried to be resilient by going solo but were not successful. 40 Retrieved from https://www.graphic.com.gh/showbiz/news/music-groups-limit-your-creativity-captain- planet.html#&ts=undefined 99 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Jeff Titon postulates that “resilient systems share certain characteristics. Identifying what makes a music culture vulnerable, what makes it resilient and ameliorating the former while strengthening the latter becomes, therefore, a practical strategy for enhancing a music culture’s sustainability” (2015, p. 2). To be resilient as a musician requires one to be conscious and be able to identify what creates vulnerability or threatens their sustainability and then act accordingly. From my interactions with Okyeame Kwame, I realised that education had played a significant role in how he strove to be resilient after the breakup of Akyeame. After the breakup of Akyeame, Okyeame Kwame identified a need to learn to write his own music- a task his former partner had taken charge of in the days of Akyeame. In order to tackle this deficiency, he went to the university to attain a degree specialising in Akan (the language he often uses in creating music). Few musicians in Ghana have a first degree, much less one that is related to music. Formal education did not only improve Okyeame Kwame’s music writing skills but also his knowledge in the Akan culture, which is reflected in his music and dressing, which has helped shape his brand as Okyeame Kwame. He now writes his songs which have won him numerous awards. As noted earlier, a major weakness Okyeame Kwame realised after Akyeame was his inability to manage himself as an artiste, charging for performances, getting business deals among other business-oriented activities associated with his music career. He addressed this by undertaking postgraduate work and graduating with a master’s degree in Business administration (Strategic Marketing) from the University of Ghana. Yamusah postulates that one of the significant challenges that affect musicians in the northern part of Ghana is their lack of formal education (Yamusah, 2013). Nevertheless, I am of the view that, although formal education can help musicians when dealing with contracts, they do not need a formal education in music or any field to show resilience or survive. However, they must 100 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh strive to learn or educate themselves through other means either formal or informal in order to build upon their career. 4.3 OKYEAME KWAME ECOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS This section discusses Okyeame Kwame’s career sustainability strategies as a solo artiste. I will commence by discussing his adaptation strategies such as; migration, revival, consistency and diversity before focusing on other strategies in respect of his music creation, dissemination, and how he relates with his audience. 4.3.1 Migration The first strategy Okyeame Kwame adopted towards his sustainability was by relocating from Kumasi to settle in Accra. This move enabled Okyeame Kwame to position himself well in the Ghanaian music industry market commercially and has contributed tremendously to his longevity in the industry. During his days with Akyeame, Okyeame Kwame was still living in Kumasi but was moving to Accra regularly for performances and other activities. However, after going solo, he saw the need to move to Accra permanently. Okyeame Kwame recalls how his fans in Kumasi felt neglected when he first moved to Accra because they had been with him since his Akyeame days. However, he explains that it was a step in the right direction. As mentioned in the discussion of the Ghanaian music industry, most of the activities in the music industry and the country at large take place in the capital city: from physical structures to major music activities; in fact, all the top and active musicians in the industry reside in Accra. Other Musicians who also moved to Accra to give "life" to their music careers include Sharifa who moved from the Northern Region of Ghana, Kofi Kinaata from the Western Region and Edem from the Volta Region. 101 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Migration is not a new strategy for career sustainability among musicians. During late 1980s, migration was the significant approach that contributed to the sustainability of many musicians in the Ghana music industry when the country was facing both political and economic challenges. As a result of these upheavals, there were night curfews, high tax on musical instruments and general negligence on the music industry (Collins, 2002). Consequently, there was a low patronage of music during this period and most musicians, in order to continue making music, left for countries like Germany, UK, U.S.A, and The Netherlands where they thrived as musicians. 4.3.2 Revival Revival is also a vital aspect of music sustainability. When used in this context, revival means Okyeame Kwame renewing or reinventing himself by creating new music and having a lot of performances after being quiet in the industry after his album Mr Versatile. Much of the scholarly research conducted into revival strategies focus on intervention or revitalising fading genres of music. An example is a study by Esbjörn Wettermark and Håkan Lundström (2016) titled Ca Trù: “The Revival and Repositioning of a Vietnamese Music Tradition”. The study reports that “with the disbanding of ca trù culture in the mid- 20th century, traditional transmission processes largely disappeared, including extensive exposure to and engagement with the music, its creative processes, and its performance culture” (p .311). However, to revive the ca trù music tradition, several measures were put in place. These include one-on-one tuition by old masters, group learning in ca trù clubs, changes in official and public views on ca trù, free public performances to reach out to a new audience, commercial recordings, and the use of the internet mainly through YouTube and social networking sites. 102 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh A local instance of revival is provided by the work of Eric Sunu Doe, a leading researcher of Ghanaian music, who since late 2014, has been engaged in a revitalisation project on the Ghanaian palm-wine music tradition. He has been exploring ways to position the music tradition so that it is not lost forever. One measure he has taken to this end is to found the Legon Palmwine Band, which creates and performs strictly palm wine music. In one of my interviews with him, Okyeame Kwame, stated; “I am at a point in my career where I need to re-invent myself by releasing a new content”. His most important revival tool, therefore, has been the release of new songs; the most recent of which is his 2019 album, Made in Ghana, discussed in the previous chapter. This album focuses on creating awareness of the Ghanaian culture globally. The first song on the album titled, “Made in Ghana”, features KiDi. Songs on the album represent the ten regions of Ghana and their varied music cultures. All the other artistes he features representing the various regions. Feli Nuna (Volta Region), Afriyie Wutah (Ashanti Region), Kidi (Central Region), Atongo Zimba (Upper East Region) and others. The “Made in Ghana’ album instils a consciousness of national pride, promotes music tourism and draws a more considerable attention to indigenous music fusion. It has also helped him revive his career. He has received many accolades from many people for it. For instance, Abeiku Santana, a popular radio broadcaster and tourism advocate, highlighted the significance of the “Made in Ghana” album to tourism in Ghana. “Let’s commend Okyeame Kwame for celebrating the pride of Ghana by bringing cultures of the regions in one album”, he said.41 This album has landed him the role of the made-in-Ghana ambassador for The 41 On 17th September, 2018 at the Roots Apartment Hotel in Accra. 103 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ministry of Trade and Industry. Also, a song from the album is the official song for the ministry’s made-in-Ghana campaign. The song “Made in Ghana’ received much upon its release and was number one on Live FM’s ‘top 10’ chart for more than two months. The current album has generated social media interests, radio interactions and also earned him a nomination in the 2019 Vodafone Music Awards. These go on to prove that, Okyeame Kwame has succeeded in reviving himself with the new album. Other musicians in the Ghanaian music industry such as Shatta Wale adopt a strategy of creating controversies and grudges to get the attention of the public, especially the media, in reviving his career. Shatta Wale was established in the Ghanaian music industry by the stage name Bandana, went out of the music scene for almost a decade only making a comeback in 2013 with his rebranded name. According to Kwame Dadzie, (2018) “Shatta Wale rides on controversies to spread his tentacles from being loved by only his core fans to being enjoyed by a larger audience”.42 He is known to have undertaken controversial acts like insulting organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, slapping his bodyguard on stage and later explaining that it was part of their stagecraft. Also, there was a sexually explicit video of him which circulated on social media (Snap Chat) quite recently. Okyeame Kwame refers to such revival strategies as ‘easy’ and a shortcut to creating new content, which is the method he favours. The music industry as an ecology is made up of different individuals with different methods of survival. Whatever approach a musician adopts to survive cannot be described “easy” as Okyeame Kwame suggests nor should it be negated. For in as much as other musicians’ 42 Retrieved from https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Kwame-Dadzie-writes-5- secrets-about-Shatta-Wale-s-rise-to-stardom-668221# 104 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh resort to other ways for reviving their career, they still make music. Shatta Wale, for instance, is known to have released so many songs in 2017 despite his controversies.43 I argue therefore that; continuous creation of new music does not guarantee a musician’s career sustainability even though it worked for Okyeame Kwame. 4.3.4 Consistency Okyeame Kwame explains that it takes a lot of time and energy to create new content, especially when one is declining. The musician must maintain the quality that has become associated with him/her but must not be seen to be recycling old music or to have lost touch with the fans’ interests. Though Okyeame Kwame considers that it is a very difficult task to be consistent with content quality but innovative at the same time, he says it has been critical to the sustainability he has been able to build into his career. Ghanaian popular musician, Samini, who is also one of the few Ghanaian musicians who has been active in the music industry for two decades affirms that consistency is the best strategy to sustain one's career. At his workshop held at the University of Ghana, Department of Dance Studies, under the topic Consistency: The Surest Way to Longevity in The Arts, Samini explained how he has stuck to creating new music and performances since he started his music career this proves how consistency is one of the strategies for career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry. 4.3.5 Diversification The first lesson that ecology teaches is the adaptation advantage of diversity. In the competition for resources, the more diverse the organisms, populations, and communities, 43 Retrieved from https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Shatta-Wale-has-released- 108-songs-in-2017-604956 105 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the higher the chances of survival in, and of, the ecosystem” (Titon, 2010, p. 123). Hence to be able to survive in the music industry which keeps changing and also comprises other musicians, there is the need to adapt to it accordingly and the best way is by diversifying. Okyeame Kwame has been able to link his formal education in business administration to his music career management and in turn, has helped him survive the industry after breaking from Akyeame. This is evident in the other projects he embarks on besides making music and performances. The first question I asked Okyeame Kwame was "do you think it is possible to build a career as a musician in Ghana?”. His response was “Totally! Yes, it is possible, but it is challenging because you cannot rely only on performance and selling music”. Okyeame Kwame believes that, as a musician in Ghana, there is the need to have a secondary source of income which should be a by-product of being a musician. Thus, he uses the music to become famous then dwell on the popularity to enter into another business to earn money. He further explains that "it comes back to the fact that the music itself is not a valuable content, but the secondary economy of being a musician is valuable. It is about diversification". “Okyeame Kwame, in his efforts to switch to a solo artiste, was faced with stiff competition from other musicians in the Ghanaian music industry who were equally striving to survive hence, there was the need for him to add some variety to his career in order to make it sustainable. Accordingly, Okyeame Kwame diversified by creating other businesses which he promotes using his popularity. Other businesses he operates include One Mic Entertainment which, besides managing other artistes, also organise events and television adverts for companies like Coca Cola Ghana, MTN Ghana and Bello couture. He owns a marketing company (Firm Bridges), he is also a co-owner of Horse Man shoe Collection. He recently launched a hairline collection modelled after his daughter (Sante's Hair) which sells different types of women hair and wigs. Okyeame Kwame and his wife Annica are 106 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh considered one of the most well-known celebrity couples in Ghana. He has leveraged their celebrity status by creating an annual event for couples dubbed “Flaunt Your Lover”. This event has been organised for the past three (3) years in February. Flaunt Your Lover is an event where tickets are sold for couples to meet, listen to music and engage in other romantic activities. Through the sale of tickets and other merchandise like chocolate and gift hampers, Okyeame Kwame gains economically from this event. Okyeame Kwame believes that there is the need to be sustainable financially; hence, from these projects, he creates another source of income; therefore, he does not rely solely on his music but instead uses the music to generate extra income. I had an encounter with H.B Agyei a highlife musician at Movenpick Hotel, Accra on the 18th December 2017 which proved the wisdom of this strategy for musicians. The band which I perform with had the opportunity to perform with H. B Agyei, who is old and, in a wheelchair. Before the event, he was scheduled to a have rehearsals with the band, but his health situation prevented him from being able to rehearse, even though he managed to be present for the main event. H.B Agyei is a very popular artiste in Ghana and was very active during the early days of his career, thus has many hit songs which people still enjoy. However, old age does not seem to permit him to be having performances. I inquired why he still wants to perform even though his health is not up to it. I found out that performing his songs is his primary source of income. So, he continues to perform out of necessity. Okyeame Kwame states that "the strategy is to create good music and created amazing content that the people fall in love with then dwell on the love, and the response from the fans to now sell a diversified product”. Okyeame Kwame builds a brand around his name which compels people to purchase goods and services that are tied to his name which in turn 107 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh generate more money to invest back into his music thus enhancing the sustainability of his career. Through further discussion with other musicians, it became clear that other musicians also employ this approach. A successful highlife musician like Amakye Dede owns a restaurant and pub (Abrantie Spot) which have been in operation for more than two decades. As mentioned in Chapter two of this study, one of the main venues for regular music performances in Ghana are pubs and restaurants. Abrantie Spot holds live music performances every week where Amakye Dede performs once every month. This offer by the establishment, draws many customers. Sarkodie owns Sark collection a clothing line with his emblem on it. Other avenues musicians delve into include, establishing music studios where besides recording music, the studio is offered for rehearsals at a fee and also rent out the equipment for other events. Musicians who employ this strategy do not have to depend only on their music hence when sales are down, or they cannot perform, there will still be a source of income which would have been created from their music. Okyeame Kwame’s diversification does not only end with his businesses but he also uses his brand to enter into endorsement deals with cooperate bodies where his image is used to create a market for the companies. These deals also create an audience for him as well. Okyeame Kwame has served as the brand ambassador for MTN where he headlined all of the concerts organised by the Telecommunication network for over five years. Since MTN operates throughout Africa, Okyeame Kwame had the opportunity to extend his music outside Ghana. He also served as the brand ambassador for Menzgold Ghana where his pictures were used on their billboards (see figure 11) and for television adverts. 108 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Figure 11. Okyeame Kwame's Advertisement for Menzgold Ghana. (courtesy Menzgold Ghana co. Ltd.) 4.4 CREATIVE APPROACHES This section is centred on Okyeame Kwame’s creative ethos. It discusses the different music creation methodologies that he does not compromise on. The various music creative process in the Ghanaian music industry as discussed in Chapter two will be used as the framework for discussing his philosophies. Although Okyeame Kwame sees the need to be financially stable, in order to have a sustainable career, he does not make money the primary motive for making music. According to him, “if money motivates you to make music, you have defeated the purpose of music hence is not authentic because creating music to earn money limits creativity”. It must be stated; however, Okyeame Kwame’s position does not suggest he only creates music which is free of any external conditions but rather, his strategy for sustainability is 109 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh based on finding a balance between creating music for money and creating music for its self. This means that although he creates much of his music for its own sake; he does keep an eye on the commercial and has admittedly created certain songs which do not conform to his personality but served a commercial purpose. But even in those cases, his core creative principle is the quality of the music he produces. In his efforts to create music without any external motivation, Okyeame Kwame practices cerebral hygiene.44 During this process, Okyeame Kwame purges himself from any information relating to music or entertainment and instead, through meditation, create music which is free from any external factors and an accurate representation of himself. As a result, he creates songs which are a representation of his viewpoint. Such songs include those that display his love for poetry, addresses family issues. He typically uses little instrumentation in this strain of music to allow the lyrics of the song stand out. An example is his song “woso” which translates as “shake”. ‘The song is a representation of my view on resilience’ he explains. The song communicates that everyone should be able to “shake” their troubles and hardships off and keep on striving. According to him, he does not struggle to create such songs. Songs like “mobile money” which is about a girl asking a guy for money to prove his love are created based on commercial purposes. Such songs are an imitation of external factors. The motive for such songs is to fetch him more airplay, downloads, more fans and ticket sales. 44 Cerebral hygiene is the practice of cleaning out the mind of any unused or unwanted data that he has been saved. 110 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh According to Okyeame Kwame, he prefers releasing albums to releasing singles for several reasons. First of all, it is because an album has more than five songs which are created based on both internally and externally motives. However, releasing singles will not make that purpose achievable. Secondly, an album, as a body of work has a theme and is focused toward a particular direction, as is evident in his Mr Versatile and Made in Ghana albums. The former shows his ability to create various styles of music and the latter addresses his patriotism. Each of the songs in the album is tied to each other thematically and conceptually, creating a coherent, consistent texture to the album. Releasing unrelated singles derails the consumers as their appreciation of one song cannot inform their reaction to the next. The album approach, by contrast, enables the consumers to relate or align themselves with the projects he releases over the years thus ensuring sustainability. Thirdly, Okyeame Kwame is of the view that, when recording an album, he puts one sound engineer in charge of the mastering and mixing, therefore, all the music is of the same level; something which singles produced by different sound engineers cannot create. Finally, the strategy in creating an album instead of a single; is to enable the selling of more than one song and the opportunity to have an event for a launch- both of which create more revenue and awareness as compared to releasing single. As observed in chapter two of this study, most musicians after being inspired to create music decide to write the lyrics down or record the melody with a mobile phone or any available recorder so as not to lose the idea. Okyeame Kwame has a private room makeshift studio in his residence. The setup is a computer with Fruity Loops and Cubase Software installed, a Midi Controller, Sampler, Microphone and Studio Monitors. Okyeame Kwame says, instead of going to a professional sound engineer without any idea or with just a melody, he instead creates a skeleton of what he aspires to do before their meeting. Not only does this save him 111 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh time and money but also improves the quality of the song produced. It is important to note that, the capacity to own a makeshift studio like Okyeame Kwame's is not easy in Ghana due to the price of this equipment; hence it is very doubtful whether this approach is feasible for other artistes especially the upcoming ones. Moreover, in terms of recording his music, Okyeame Kwame believes that recording with live instruments or at least with one live instrument is the best way to create music because, many years after its creation, music created with live instruments still sounds new. A similar view is shared by Samini even though they both undertake a vocal recording over programmed beats once in a while. Okyeame Kwame admits that recording with live instruments is costly. Besides paying the sound engineer, he also has to pay the various instrumentalists he works with - usually a band of eight members. However, Okyeame Kwame considers that recording his music live provides him with the opportunity to work with other musicians who bring their creativity on board. Also, he attests that, during a live recording session, the music is performed from beginning to the end unlike recording over the programmed beats whereby most of the work is looped, i.e. repeated same way as recorded initially. For instance, when recording a song live, he sings the chorus again after every rap section singing each chorus differently, but if he records it over programmed beats, the first chorus he sang is repeated after every rap section. Okyeame Kwame’s philosophy of recording with live instruments is that “having the live feel in recordings gives life to the music so that if it is played after a long time, it still sounds new and this ensures longevity”. This view is very debatable. while it might help him in his creative process and sustainability; it does not follow that the other process of making music results in less quality. With the improvement in technology, there are certain sampled beats 112 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh on music production software which sound just like the live ones, making it difficult to tell the difference. In his quest for a sustainable career, Okyeame Kwame does not create his music alone but partners with other artistes in the music industry. Jeff Titon in his paper, Music and Sustainability: An Ecological Viewpoint postulates interconnectivity as a fundamental ecological principle, asserts that "interconnectivity means that sustainability interventions are short-sighted when directed at organisms, populations, or communities without considering how they interact with one another" (2009, p.124). Hence, to have a sustainable career in the Ghana music industry without considering, relating and working with other artistes in the industry is unattainable. Collaboration is therefore an approach adopted by every local musician. Although other artistes in the music industry collaborate with other musicians in creating songs and occasionally albums, Okyeame Kwame's approach in featuring other artistes on their songs or his songs is distinct. His collaborations can be traced to after his break from Akyeame when he returned from U.S.A. Okyeame Kwame came to meet an industry with new artistes such as Samini, K.K. Fosu, Castro among others who were making waves and were well recognised. To enable him to penetrate the scene and make himself visible again in the Ghana music industry and as a solo artiste, he recognised the need to work with some of these artistes. Accordingly, he featured on many songs of other musicians who, in turn, featured on his. This symbiotic relationship with the other musicians thus helped his solo career gain the attention he pursued since they were already established. Currently, Okyeame Kwame still works with other musicians to maintain his relevance. Okyeame Kwame chooses young and talented musicians to work with. According to him, “The young 113 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh musicians are hungry for success, so they give their all”. On his new album, Okyeame Kwame featured young musicians like Kidi, Kwame Eugene, Feli Nuna and Mz Vee. It is important to note that, Okyeame Kwame works with other musicians who are outside the Ghana music industry, an endeavour that promotes his music outside Ghana. Okyeame Kwame has collaborations with international musicians such as Jay Ghartey (UK), Olumaintain (Nigeria), Bennie Man (Jamaica), among others. Another method Okyeame Kwame uses in his creative process to ensure his longevity is to create his music using more than one language. Although Okyeame Kwame sings and raps better in Twi, he occasionally adds one or two languages; a practice referred to as code- switching. It is a sociolinguistic term derived from bi/multilingualism to refer to the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in a conversation. When two languages get in contact, they turn to influence each other. Okyeame Kwame who through both education and parenting came into direct contact with both Twi and English, exhibits code-switching in his daily conversation and has extended it to his music. Quarcoo, Amuzu, & Owusu, (2015) in their paper codeswitching as a Means and a Message in hiplife Music in Ghana states that, Ghana is a linguistically diverse country where the alternate use of multiple languages in conversations (i.e. codeswitching/CS) is an everyday phenomenon. However, CS in the popular music industry has been rare, a situation that is being changed by the emergence of bilingual hiplife songs. Unlike CS in a spontaneous speech which is largely unconscious, the CS in Ghanaian hiplife music is usually premeditated, design to elicit certain audience reactions (p. 1). Thus, Okyeame Kwame makes conscious efforts to use code-switching in his music not to only show his creativity or for aesthetic purposes but to enable his music to reach a broader audience. Since there is the possibility of his music reaching other audience who are outside 114 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the immediate context of the language, he often deploys which is Twi, he now adds English and pidgin.(Babalola & Taiwo, 2009), in their study on code-switching in contemporary Nigeria, hip-hop Music concluded that code-switching enables musicians to popularise their brand to the extent that they engage multi-national companies in business deals. They also opine that code-switching helps the artistes gain more fans and increase the sales of their albums in various countries of the world; thereby making this music not just accessible in their home country. This, in turn, earns the artistes more invitations to international music festivals in Europe and America to promote their music. Eirlys E. Davies and Abdelali Bentahila affirm this by postulating that, “code-switching in song lyrics is by no means a recent phenomenon, motivated by the expansion of mass media that provides unprecedented opportunities for people all over the world to be exposed to music originating in cultures other than their own" (Davies & Bentahila, 2006, p. 368). Okyeame Kwame who seeks commercial success in the vast market for his music uses code-switching as a stylistic method in his songs. This contributes to a positive local and global impact for him both economically and socially and further reflects his diversity which is all geared towards a sustainable career. In terms of performances, as aforementioned, Okyeame Kwame prefers live music. He mostly performs with a band which he holds a series of rehearsal prior to a concert. He is known for working with two bands in the country; Highschool Band and the Patch Bay. Also depending on the nature of the event and venue, he performs with a DJ. His performances in night clubs, for instance, are with a DJ. With the quest to have good performances which will attract his audience, Okyeame Kwame has acquired a personal DJ. Okyeame Kwame since 2010 has worked with DJ Aboakese as a personal DJ; holding rehearsals with him before a concert. He believes that regular rehearsals and performance 115 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh with the Band or DJ helps him to form a unique bond with them, while also letting them get to know his music very well so that they can perform it at peak levels. Other musicians also now have personal DJs and Bands, Stonebwoy, for instance, has the Bhim Band, Sarkodie has DJ Mensah as a personal DJ, and Shatta Wale only performs with DJ Vyrusky and even have a song together. This approach is adopted by other top artistes in the country, goes on to show how ideal it is for thriving in the Ghanaian music industry. 4.5 MARKETING AND DISSEMINATION METHODS This section describes the various methods Okyeame Kwame adopts in getting his music to his audience. As described in chapter two, the rise in the use of internet has altered the dissemination process of music in Ghana which other musicians are adapting accordingly; however, this section will dwell on how Okyeame Kwame conducts the distribution of his music in his quest to have a sustainable career. 4.5.1 Digital Market For a career spanning a little over two decades, Okyeame Kwame has witnessed technological changes and the marketing and distribution pattern in the Ghanaian music industry. As such, he has improved methods on his promoting and marketing his music and his brand. Okyeame Kwame describes how their music was distributed when he was Akyeame: So, after we had released a song, our producer gives it to a distributor who will now give it to a retailer. The retailer will now sell it to a vendor before someone can buy it. Alternatively, they have to take “trotro” to Cantamanto an area with the most traffic in the whole country before he can go to Despite Music Shop to purchase just one CD. Okyeame Kwame has throughout his career recorded, promoted and distributed his music first on cassette, then CD and now MP3. He is of the view that not only has the improvement 116 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of the internet slashed the high cost of creating CDs and printing covers but also, there is a shorter distance in delivering the music to the consumers. Okyeame Kwame has taken full advantage of the internet and is pushing his music through the main digital markets where it is easy to monetise and be profitable. Even though Okyeame Kwame has his music on Spotify and Apple Music, he currently holds a partnership with Aftown which he thinks is more African and can promote his music better as compared to the other digital platforms. Aftown was initially the only platform with access to all the songs on his latest album. Okyeame Kwame is able to keep track of all streaming activities on his music. This includes the number of fans, number of hours his music was streamed, and the number of countries his music reached. Moreover, the dissemination of music on the digital platforms is cost- effective and also to some extend tackle piracy since there are no CDs or cassettes to be duplicated. 4.5.2 Social media Beyond not having enough time to handle all his social media platforms, Okyeame Kwame claims he has limited competence in its usage. He has hired a group of young people to handle his social media activities, but he supervises and determines whatever content goes on the various platforms. The group includes a photographer, his DJ and two other people. Okyeame Kwame is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Besides deploying these social media platforms to interact with his fans, which I discuss later, he utilises it for updates concerning his career and also to distribute his music. On WhatsApp for instance, he circulates links to his new music, cover art for his music- both for whole albums and singles (see figure 2 cover art for song from his current album) and occasionally shares the half version of these new songs. unlike other artistes who, with the 117 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh intention of becoming popular, share the full song for free. Although this might work for upcoming musicians who are seeking audience, it is not a good practice for those already established since they will not be able to generate enough money from their music. Figure 12. Cover Art for the Song Made in Ghana (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau) 4.5.3 Radio and Television Like every other musician in Ghana, Okyeame Kwame also relies heavily on radio and television to promote his music. As a musician with so many years of experience in the industry, Okyeame Kwame chooses carefully the media outlets through which to promote his music, because, according to him, not all the stations share the same views and value as his. So, for instance, he refuses to promote his current album on Y FM since their values and content are mainly about the western world and his theme in the album is the Ghanaian heritage, traditions, culture and patriotism, Other musicians have also raised their concern about this issue of some radio stations patronising foreign content as compared to local content because it does not help the Ghanaian musicians and the industry. Comparing this situation to the Nigerian, Kula GH a musician and radio presenter in one of the stations in Accra disclosed to me through personal conversation that, he spent three days in Nigeria and only heard two (2) Ghanaian songs on the radio which goes on to show how the Nigeria 118 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh media strive to promote their music.45 The Ghanaian media’s blind spot to the situation does not help the sustainability of the Ghanaian musician. This resulted in the call for 80% Ghanaian music and 20% foreign music on all local radio and television stations by musicians and other industry players. Also, Okyeame Kwame works with radio and television stations by identifying which stations his main fans tune in to. Thus, he has a one-year partnership with The Multimedia Group and this company has both radio and TV stations in all the ten regions of the country. Okyeame Kwame relies on them let as his primary media outlet for his new album even though he works with other media companies. In addressing Payola, Okyeame Kwame attests that he does not pay any money or offer any form of favours for his music to be played on a radio or television station since the gesture does not promote originality. 46 I must emphasise here that, the paying of payola does not only destroy the industry but creates challenges for musicians who cannot afford to pay for play in turn reducing their chances of getting their music disseminated to a broader audience does not help in the sustainability of their music career. I hence agree with Okyeame Kwame when he postulates that the relationship between a musician and the media house is symbiotic. He states that, "the media uses me as raw material, they use my music as content, and they use my personality, and my interview as resources and I use them to reach my fans." 45 On 17th January, 2019 at Alisa hotel, Accra. 46 Payola refers to the practice of paying a bribe to get a content promoted on radio or television station. 119 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.5.4 Unions and Associations Despite Okyeame Kwame being a member of both MUSIGA and GHAMRO, he says both associations have not in any way contributed to his sustainability in the music industry. Okyeame Kwame opines that "the Union is supposed to link up with other music unions around the world, learn from them, share ideas and cultural experience but they do not that and so does not have any direct impact on the society”. During the focus group discussions for this study, other musicians I interviewed shared a similar opinion. They deny benefiting in any way from the associations to which they belong even though they pay dues. I interviewed Enoch Ansah a musician who is a fully registered member of MUSIGA on 23rd November 2018 at his residence in Accra on this topic, and he responded that he does not gain anything from the association, However. he hopes his membership can help him travel abroad one day. This is a common reason why other musicians plan on joining the association. Okyeame Kwame believes that to be sustainable in the Ghanaian Music industry, an artiste should not rely on MUSIGA or any association. He says this even though he was once the Public Relations Officer of MUSIGA. Concerning GHAMBRO, not only is its operation a challenge but does not pay royalties to most of its members. Okyeame Kwame expresses his lack of interest in the body in the sense that, he has not received any form of royalty from them for past five (5) years. Other musicians share the same view. For a nation with so many radios and Tv stations, musicians should be able to gain some royalties from the use of their creations but, due to the inability of the body to perform its responsibility, musicians are not able to gain from them. Some of the challenges expressed by GHAMBRO includes musicians not registering their music with them or not doing it the right way. Others include music consumers refusing to pay for using music. I think GHAMBRO should educate both musicians and the general public on 120 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh its methods of operation and its relevance. This way, musicians can gain what they deserve from the creative work. 4.6 OK WORLD This section delves into how Okyeame Kwame relates to his consumers and further identifies how the fans contribute to his career sustainability. From the discussion on consumer behaviour in the Ghanaian music industry, it became evident that the role of consumers within the Ghanaian music industry are changing. Thus, through the support and patronage of the music and other activities of their preferred artistes, consumers contribute hugely to the sustainability of a modern-day artiste. Okyeame Kwame has given an umbrella name to his fans which is OK World and has a logo for them as well (see figure 12). Upon the release of his hit single, “It’s OK”, Patrick Fynn a Ghanaian entertainment blogger on the 1st November 2016 compiled some of the reactions from the OK World. Below are two (2) of them;47 For years, OK has given us collections of his God-given talent. He started way back in the 90s and still reigning though some of his people have flopped year by year he has grown into a fine gentleman, dynamic, classic and a perfect entertainer with a great fashion sense. ‘It’s OK’ is a motivational song that highlights the struggles of life and the patience to wait on the Lord for the appointed time. It’s OK is just one of his perfect touch. Jewel Yorke. On all social media platforms, Okyeame Kwame really promoted the ‘It’s OK’ track before it was released. I didn’t understand all the hype and buzz, but when I listened to the song with a nicely laced chorus by Nero X on it I nodded my head like an Agama Lizard and truly I said this song is truly OK. It's OK to be OK with such an enigmatic motivational song It’s OK. Qwame Opoku Gyasi Mahala. 47 Retrieved from http://ghanagist.com/okyeame-kwames-its-ok-is-unique-fans-express-opinions/ on 11th May 2019. 121 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh These responses are a few ways members of the OK World express their admiration and appreciation of Okyeame Kwame and his creativity. Other ways include the fans selling merchandise for Okyeame Kwame, posting his photos on social media among others. Also, during the sale of tickets to an Okyeame Kwame event, the OK World participate in its promotion. They also contribute heavily to the voting process for awards. Figure 13. The logo for OK World (courtesy Kwame Nsiah Appau). Okyeame Kwame pays close attention to his OK World by engaging and organising them through his daily interaction with them on social media. Through these interactions, the fans contribute to the value of Okyeame Kwame. For instance, Okyeame Kwame has a WhatsApp group page for some of his active fans, on here they discuss ways of promoting new songs. The fans further share news about the music and other upcoming projects. Also, using the live feature on the Instagram app, Okyeame Kwame broadcasts his daily routine and his fans get to see whatever activity he is undertaking. During the making of the new album for instance, anytime he was in the studio, he would broadcast it enabling his fans to have an idea of the creative process. Okyeame Kwame’s regular ways of interacting with 122 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the OK World on social media include; "The Made in Ghana Personality or Couple of the Week, Sing and Win, Questions and Answers, Motivational messages, Complete the Lyrics and Throwback or Flashback”. The Made in Ghana Personality or Couple of the Week strategy is in line with his current album where he selects and posts pictures of a particular fan who wears outfits that represents Ghana. Over the weeks he has posted couples, babies and families on all his social media platforms. Okyeame Kwame explains that these gestures are to make the fans feel part of his World. The Sing and Win also involves the fans sending him a short video of themselves singing to win a prize. Through this method, many of his fans learn his songs and send them to him via his social media pages. Another interactive method between Okyeame Kwame and the OK World is through the Questions and Answers game. Okyeame Kwame posts questions and puzzles and seeks answers from the fans. The various answers the fans provide lead to an active dialogue between the celebrity and his fans. He sometimes also posts some of his lyrics and asks the fans to complete it. Thursdays are dubbed ‘Throwback Thursday’ and Fridays are ‘Flashback Friday’. On these days, he posts some of his old photos and videos and occasionally, those of his fans. Through these interactions, Okyeame Kwame builds and strengthens his fan base, which he accepts to contribute to his sustainability. Okyeame Kwame speaks of the need for him to manage his relations with his fans carefully because "there is much mystery behind an artiste which attracts people. Too much exposure and interaction with them reduces the mystery”. Thus, though he interacts with his OK World, he finds a balance and keeps them in suspense sometimes. 123 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.7 CONCLUSION This chapter has discussed the philosophies and strategies that guide Okyeame Kwame in his music towards a sustainable career. The chapter commenced by discussing his Musician’s Growth Model, where he believes every Ghanaian musician career goes through different stages. However, without enough empirical evidence to back this model, I do not concur with this hypothesis. The chapter further explored the various strategies he adopted that enabled him transit from Akyeame to Okyeame Kwame despite the challenges he encountered and also discusses how he has sustained his solo career. The next two (2) sections were centred on how he creates and distributes his music; thus, the different methods and ideas he always employs when making music and how he gets it to his audience. It proves how digitisation is a better way for music dissemination since it is cost effective and accessible, making it a right approach towards a musician’s career sustainability. The final section addressed his fan base; OK World focusing on how he interacts with them and how they contribute to the sustainability of music career. These ideas, methods and ethos were discussed within the theoretical framework of music sustainability and music ecology. The next and final chapter of this thesis summarises the whole thesis and shows the significant findings as well as my recommendations for the Ghanaian music industry, musicians and future researchers. 124 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION This chapter concludes this study by providing a summary, and the findings from the research. Based on these it makes a number of recommendations for musicians as individual artists and as professional collectives in Ghana; and as well for state policymakers in several spheres including music education, trade and unions. 5.1 SUMMARY “While there seems to be little risk of music disappearing from our planet altogether, those who make and care for music are continually faced with choices that affect the vitality and sustainability of music practices” (Schippers & Grant, 2016, p. 333) thus, the need for a study as such. The primary purpose of the study has been to investigate career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry through the case of Okyeame Kwame. That it is no small challenge to have a sustainable music career in Ghana is a well-known fact. But, surprisingly, the underlying causes and impact have not been represented in the academic literature. This research makes a significant contribution to knowledge by helping address this gap and initiating the discourse on how music career sustainability can be achieved in the music industry. Also, a more extensive social benefit is that the sustainability of Ghanaian music careers will, in turn, help in the sustainability of Ghanaian musical traditions, and the growth and evolution of Ghanaian cultural music forms. The thesis has adopted Sustainability and Music Ecology as the theoretical framework; through which the career strategies and philosophies of Okyeame Kwame have been studied. Three objectives have guided the study: first to examine Okyeame Kwame's career sustainability philosophies and methods; second to explain the structures of the Ghanaian 125 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh music industry and finally to examine and document Okyeame Kwame’s career and music. The data upon which the insights of this work are based were obtained primarily through observation, interviews, focused group discussions and secondarily literature reviews. Chapter two of the study was used to achieve one of the objectives of the study, which was exploring to understand. This was because, in order to investigate career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry, it was essential first to understand how the music industry itself operates. Chapter two is an ethnography of the Ghanaian music industry. It sought to provide through, the lens of popular music, an overview of the Ghanaian music industry, and its ecological structure in the digital era. It demonstrated how the various components of that ecology are connected and operated; i.e. the creation, distribution and consumption of music. It also discussed how landscape impacted musicians and their career choices. The context in which the study is conducted also provided information which was used as background for the subsequent chapters—chapters three and four. Hence, In chapter three, I focused on some important events that impacted the trajectory of Okyeame Kwame’s career both in its early stages and as his music. A vital essence of this chapter was to provide information on the contrast between and the journey from his days with Akyeame to his evolution into a solo musician; focusing in particular on the challenges he has faced during the transition period. The chapter further highlighted his music; observing how his two most recent albums were launched. Other commercial ventures he undertakes and how they link to his musical career, were examined. This set the stage for the analytical discussion in chapter Four. 126 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Titled Career Sustainability Ethos of Okyeame Kwame, the fourth chapter fulfils the third objective of the study by discussing Okyeame Kwame's philosophies and strategies in sustaining his career within the Ghanaian music industry since 1997. This chapter organises the strategies in relation to his; 1) transition from Akyeame to Okyeame Kwame, 2) Solo career, 3) methods of creating music, 4) way of disseminating his music, 5) consumers and assesses them to see whether and in what ways they have actually contributed to the sustainability of his career. 5.2 FINDINGS Okyeame Kwame has proven to be one of the unwavering contemporary musicians who are counted as one of the few early hiplife musicians who are still active and consistent. He has been in the music industry for over two decades and is still active. The strength of his philosophies and ethos together with a conducive music industry is what has brought him this far. I observed that Okyeame Kwame is very passionate about his music and even conducts research on the subject matter he wants to talk about before writing his song. Okyeame Kwame is a musician who is business oriented and his upbringing and education are evident in his creativity, which has played a significant role in his music career. Below are other significant findings; 5.2.1 Entrepreneurship and Musicianship This study has revealed that sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry requires musicians to be aware of the business aspect of their career. As discussed, the industry is now business and market-driven so, every aspect of it needs money to execute. This research observed that one of Okyeame Kwame’s strategies of sustainability is his awareness of the situation and approaching it as such. Hence musicians should treat themselves and their 127 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh music as business as Shawn Cater the American hip hop artiste popularly known as Jay Z states; “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man”.48 This fabled line shows how business-oriented Jay Z is, although he is a musician. This is reflected in his position as the CEO of Def Jam Records and is rated as one of the wealthiest musicians in the World. 5.2.2 Diversification Another finding is the need for musicians to diversify in their quest for sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry. Okyeame Kwame does not rely only on his music for the source of income; instead, he dwells on his popularity to sell other products and services which also generate money for him which he invests into the music. Jesse W. Shipley quoted Reggie Rockstone, a hiplife musician as; "The music doesn't sell, but I can make my fame work for me now" (Shipley, 2013, p. 396). Rockstone, who is considered the originator of hiplife, has used his popularity to open a pub named Reggie's Office, where he attests to be making much money. 5.2.3 Collaboration This study has shown that the Ghanaian music industry is an ecology comprising other musicians and sustainability in an ecosystem requires interconnectivity among its organism. Therefore, musicians having a good relationship with their colleagues, creating music and engaging in other projects together is a fundamental principle to survive in the industry. 48 Jay-Z's verse on the remix of Diamonds from Sierra Leone by Kanye West. 128 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.2.4 Active Consumers Whiles exploring the Ghanaian music industry in chapter two (2), a significant finding was that the consumers in the industry contribute immensely to the sustainability of musicians and through that are no more passive consumers but rather an active consumer. Through social media interactions and other means, consumers contribute to the value creation process. Hence, although over the years, the role of the fan base in the country has primarily been limited to participation in concerts or by the physical purchasing of records and products. Today, this role appears to be changing, and through their activities, they contribute to the creation of a socio-cultural and economic value for musicians and their sustenance in the Ghanaian music industry. 5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations in this section are drawn from the aforementioned findings. Though based solely on Okyeame Kwame’s experience, they nevertheless hold important ideas for all Ghanaian musicians and the industry at large. My recommendations from this research are as follows: 5.3.1 Music Business Education There is a need for the music education curriculum in Ghana to include the business aspect. The 2014 report on the Ghana music industry by KPMG stated that "Interestingly, there is limited specialisation in the teaching of the business side of music, such as production (5%) and marketing (2%)" ( p. 105). Hence musicians who have the opportunity to study music in schools are not exposed to the business aspect of the profession which results in the musicians always complaining about the small income the field accrues. As stated earlier, due to the commodifying of popular music, the music industry now is subject to demand 129 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and supply, so there is a need for modern day musicians to be aware of this. Also, the research has shown that Okyeame Kwame’s education in business administration, as well as his creativity, is a factor for his career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry. However, most musicians do not have enough knowledge about the business aspect; hence, there is a need for it to be introduced in the education system. This way, as students learn how to create music, they are taught how to make a living out of it. Knowledge in the music business will help musicians to diversify with their music. Informally, the various music unions and associations, especially MUSIGA, should organise workshops frequently o educate musicians who cannot go to school specifically on this topic. On this basis, I postulate that musicians treat their music as musicians should treat their music and service as a commodity since the laws of demand and supply bound the industry. However, money should not be the primary motive for creating music hence the need to find a balance. 5.3.2 Planning for the future This research has shown how the Ghanaian music industry changes; hence, there is a need for musicians to manage change in order to guarantee continuity and resource availability for the future. This research uncovered how some music careers are not sustainable due to poor planning. Some musicians who turn to make hit and gain popularity do not plan for the future due to the assumption of endless abundance and prosperity - the fool's paradise syndrome. Hence, I recommend that musicians should plan their career well because one of the definitions of sustainability is the planning and maintenance of resources for the future. 130 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.3.3 Unions and Associations This study has shown that unions and associations for musicians do not contribute to the career sustainability of their members, hence a negative attitude towards these associations, especially MUSIGA. It is true that the unions embark on projects, but the members do not see any impacts on their career. I recommend that unions should be concerned about the immediate and direct impartation of their members. They should devolve into projects that will help promote their music towards a sustainable career. 5.3.4 Further Research This study does not claim to have thoroughly addressed the issue at hand, which is the challenge of career sustainability in the Ghanaian music industry. 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Brew Researcher with Nenesenor (upcoming musician) and demo graphix (music promoter) after a focus group discussion at university of Ghana, Drama studio. Photo credit: Nash Nii Quaye 141 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX B: INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSION GUIDE MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION. • To what extend can a musician stay relevant in the Ghana music industry? • What are the career challenges the Ghanaian musician faces in the industry? • What are the possibilities of making a living in the Ghana music industry? SUPPORTING QUESTIONS Composition and Recording: 1. When did you start making music /how long have you been making music? 2. When/where, did you publish your first song/album? 3. How many songs/albums have you Published? 4. What are your musical specialties (writing/composition/singing/instrument)? 5. Where, when and how did you learn your musical specialty? 6. What languages to you sing in and why? 7. What genre of music do you do? 8. Do you write and compose your songs by yourself? 9. How do you write and compose your songs? 10. Where do you record your songs? 11. How do you record your music (producer, instrumentation, engineering and voices)? 12. Who finances your recording? 13. How much does it cost you to record a song/album? Marketing and Promotion: 1. Do you sell your music? 2. Who sells your music? 3. Where do you sell your music? 4. How do you distribute and retail your music? 5. Do you sign any agreement(s) with the distributors. 6. What are your media of promotion (mobile van/radio/TV/internet/spinners/record shops?) Performance: 1. Do you perform your songs after recording/publishing? 2. Where do you perform (city) / town(s) and venue(s))? 3. At what occasions do you perform? 4. How do you perform (backing-track or band)? 5. Which do you prefer/enjoy (backing-track or band)? 6. How often do you perform? 8. Who are your audiences? 7. How does your performance relate to your recordings and marketing? 8. Which do you enjoy most, recording or performance? 9. What are your challenges in relation to performance? Auxiliary 1. Whom else do you work with (musicians, manager, lawyer and promoters)? 3. Any other matter (which has not come up)? 5. How does your ethnicity and culture influence your music? 7. Do you make any royalty collections from commercial users of your music? 8. Do you belong to any musicians/welfare union? 142