Western Region – A region touted to hoard the “best” things. A region believed to have produced the best in the creative space, especially music, is now falling short as far as music market is concerned.
Market share? — It’s nothing to boast about and it’s sad.
What’s the cause? Investors, media, artists or consumers?
Solutions are farfetched so I’ve overcome my sadness and disappointments.
But it seems I couldn’t get away completely… There lies a new occupant – CONCERN.
With artistes like Qwesi Flex, Afezi Perry, Quesi Ghana, Papa Elliot, Don Kweli, Sayvee, Kofi Kinaata, Expo, Singlet, Kyn Citi, Dotman, Nana Bee, Kasatintin, C2C( Coast 2 Coast), B.B, Aya, Curr3ncy, Sayiless, Kojomo, Snow B, Ayesem, Nero-X, Minizta, Yaw Lucaz, Hyndu, Bubu Maani, and few others, Western Region saw a great market share in our space few years back.
That was a time of a sound identified with Western Region based artistes, influenced so hard by highlife, and being garnished with youthful traits. Some chose to be with other genres, which was cool but highlife was leading the way.
It was a time that was hard to hear a song in the kaleidoscopic streets of the region’s capital which wasn’t owned by Western Region based artiste or the featured artiste wasn’t from the region. For that, Western Region based artiste had a bigger regional market share.
So what happened?
The DJs and media as usual will always be at the blaming corner when these issues pop up.
Mind you, the DJs in the region made sure to beget an agenda that will benefit the artistes; and the media houses gave them the room to operate — but, to what end? The DJs had their qualms with the artistes, but that’s a discussion for another time.
From 2014 to 2019, it was just good to be an artiste based in the Western Region. The success of the agenda at the time saw a significant difference and Western Music Awards was born three years after the agenda had started and the results were so much staring in the faces to be ignored.
But the ripple effect of monotony was fast approaching.
As we were expecting to see our sound reach different territories, music from Western Region based artistes suffered a blip in the latter part of 2019. Comparatively, many songs that were being released became banal.
What one could term as sorrow-themed or nemesis-themed songs flooded the system, with many unable to have or fight for a regional or national space.
With the rise of Afrobeats and the influx of Afrobeats sounds with huge budgets behind, a new wave had started blowing and it was just a caution in the air, but we didn’t pay attention.
It was just as we needed something to wean us off the sorrow and nemesis-themed songs; and Afrobeats was right there because they had already started chalking global success and giving us something fresh; though the sound had been there for some years.
Trends are great as long as they continue to provide objectively great art. Afrobeats running its course and we’re struggling now.
Afrobeats could be a factor as to why it appears we were caught off guard, I also factor in the lack of dynamism, failing to face the new challenges on the music market and complacency.
Everywhere you turned, same content hits you. The playlists were filled with the same formulaic slop, same bounce, same scenarios and themes. Everything was negatively samey.
Due to how songs from Western Region based artistes flooded the region’s market with unrealised efforts from Djs and the media, it was just like microwaving a hackneyed vibe where everyone was relaxed and dropping same music.
So this is what happened: an overstimulated consumer, drenched with the abundance of songs, but finding very little of value to them. That’s why consumers started not picking up on the music.
Music has proven to be a getaway for many. What happens when the place proven to be a getaway becomes corrupted by repetition?
The artistes also failed to be industry enablers; basking in glory all alone. When consumers started to drop them, they fell alone as well.
The DJs that orchestrated the rise of our sounds felt neglected and disrespected at a point and also loosed their sleeves.
Kofi Kinaata is the only artistes from that pool of talents who has made a name for himself nationwide.
It’s hard to end this; and honestly, I don’t know how to end this but our past is currently looking better and brighter than our future.
Things must change!!!
By Kofi Ansah; opinion based.
