Ghanaian US-based investor and event planner, Nana Gyimah, has bemoaned the lack of official contracts between most Ghanaian musicians and their managers.
According to him, this was one of the biggest challenges for him during his Ghana to the World Concert that took place in the USA last year.
He explained that because most musicians do not have a solid system or structure professionally, it becomes difficult to sign a contract with them, especially when booking them for shows.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with George Quaye, Nana Gyimah said “I used to say it’s not the issue of the artiste, but with time I have got to know. In every job, you do, you need to surround yourself with professional people who know the job, not people learning what you are also learning.”
“This limits artistes, and some don’t even know how contracts work. If you ask most artistes if they have contracts with their managers, about 80% will tell you no,” he added.
According to Mr. Gyimah, the reason people do not prioritise such contracts is because Ghana’s industry is like a hub. “Everyone knows everyone and they think they are friends.”
He said, unlike Nigerians who pay mind to the business side first, it’s only a few Ghanaian artistes that have been able to structure their team professionally to put themselves on the map.
Mr. Gyimah explained that Nigeria projected more than seven of its musicians into the limelight in less than a year, yet Ghanaians are struggling to make it in the diaspora.
“With those who have a team, you see them. We have about seven artistes who were discovered this year in Nigeria. They all have a global presence. How many can we count for our people? The same people headlining five years ago are still headlining in Ghana… just a few heads pop up,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gyimah urged Ghanaians, especially those in the diaspora to gear up for part two of Ghana to the World Concert, which has many A-list Ghanaian artistes and entertainers billed on November 6, 2022, in the USA.
