Ghanaian Music vs Nigerian Music; Andy Dosty speaks

The conversations and comparisons around Ghanaian and Nigerian music industries have never been put to rest since they emerged some years back.

One is far from oblivion when his/she asserts and affirm the Nigerian music industry is ahead of that of Ghana.

Numbers, endorsement and ambassadorial deals, international awards, charts and recognitions can't be ignored in such convos and the Nigerians have way more of these than Ghanaians. Songs like "Ye by Burna Boy, Essence by Wizkid and Tems, Calm Down by Rema, Love Nwantiti by CKay, Last Last by Burna Boy, Fall by Davido, Peru by Fireboy, etc" have been dominating the Billboard Afrobeats charts for months without any Ghanaian song being able to peak No.1 on the chart. "Ye and Las Last* by Burna Boy are Platinum certified in the U.S.

Few records to buttress these claim. As at the time this article was published,

- Burna Boy's African Giant is the most streamed African album on Spotify with over 670 million streams.

- Burna Boy's Love Damini is Africa's second most streamed album on Spotify with over 610 million streams.

- Ckay The First is Africa's most streamed EP and project on Spotify.

Burna Boy, Wizkid Tems are all GRAMMY winners with no Ghanaian artiste boasting of such accolade.

Ghanaian reggae artiste, Rocky Dawuni, has been nominated on few occasions but he's yet to be emerged as a winner of undoubtedly the most prestigious music awards scheme.

NBA ALL-STAR HALFTIME SHOW 2023 saw the performances of Nigerian stars, Rema, Tems and Burna Boy. Fireboy DML performed at the 2022 BET Awards. Davido performed at finals of FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. All these are stages hard for Ghanaians to hop on. Only Stonebwoy could say had a stage akin to those listed with regards to the Nigerians after performing at FIFA Fan Festival in Qatar.

Nigerian acts are also known to be on major record labels, notably, Davido is signed to RCA Records and Sony Music, Wizkid signed to RCA Records, Burna Boy signed to Atlantic Records, Tems signed to RCA Records, against Stonebwoy who's only Ghanaian signed to a major record label, Def Jam Records.

All factors imparted above clearly shows the Nigerian music industry is seeing more success than that of Ghana. To talk of streams, the little to quench all this is knowing Rema's "Calm Down" has more streams on YouTube than Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale's combined streams. 

This conversation on how Nigerians are doing it better than Ghana has been popping up amongst music buffs and industry honchos.

Factors as to why Ghana can't catch up with the Nigerians have been shared by many. Some indicates language barrier with the backstory of Ghanaians using the "Twi" dialect more. Others have attributed it to smaller populace as against the Nigerians. Others blaming the Ghanaian media houses for giving Nigerian contents more airplay.

Not long ago, Ghanaian-U.S based actor and comedian, Michael Blackson, came out to say he only knows four(4) Ghanaian superstars namely Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Black Sherif, whiles he also quickly noted that the Nigerians have more.

The recent piece that has rekindled the comparisons is when UEFA announced Burna Boy will be performing at the finals of the UEFA Champions League on June 10, 2023. This has generated a lot of conversations.

Speaking on the issue, renowned Dj, radio/TV presenter and CEO of Sky Media Group, Andy Dosty, noted few things as to why things stand where they are now.

In an interview with Ato Kwamena Otoo D'Gem "Entertainment Review" on Media General's Takoradi based Connect FM, the ace presenter cited machinery, populace, lack of focus, too much genres, among others as to why Nigerians are seeing more success than Ghanaians.

According to the ace radio/TV broadcaster, there's an enormous machinery behind the Nigerian acts, hence, they're able to enter more places, and again, the acts spends more time on things that will propel their craft to higher places unlike some Ghanaian acts who go around doing stuffs that doesn't yield positive results for their brands with regards to promotions.

"I think there's a big machinery behind them that helping them a lot. They're on major record labels which our artistes are not. Aside that, there's no holistic agenda that's pushing them. I will say it all boils down to the individuals, we were here when one top act here came to say he's not an industry boy and he doesn't need any Dj to push his songs. Regardless, we still have few people who loves him and keep playing his songs. On the other hand, the Nigerian acts put their time to push their craft and it's working for them. There's nothing like holistic industry agenda pushing them", he noted when replying Ato Kwamena Otoo D'Gem on whether the Nigerian music industry has a specific agenda pushing them.

Delving into the query on what the Nigerians are doing right, he said;

"it's not about what they're doing right, when we look at it this way, then we may ask what Ghanaians are doing wrong. When Stonebwoy performed at the FIFA Fan Festival in Qatar, no one asked what the Ghanaians are doing right."

The host, Ato Kwamena Otoo D'Gem asked if he thinks the Nigerians are having more airplay in Ghana. 

"Why are Ghanaians so fixated on the Nigerians?

When I went to Liberia, Ofori Amponsah's track was dominating there. I went there another time and Abochi's "Bestie" track was dominating there. Were they complaining of Ghanaians taking their shine?" he replied.

However, Andy Dosty noted he didn't hear much of Ghanaian songs when he went to Nigeria.

"I only heard few songs of Black Sherif, Gyakie, Magnom and one Shatta Wale song. And I think Kidi too"

In view of conversations around which genre Ghanaians should stick to, he indicated;

"from where I sit, I would love Ghanaians to stick to highlife but all our acts are focusing on Afrobeats for global recognition. Too much genres is one thing dragging us. Today you'll hear afro this, tomorrow, afro that. Oxlade and his colleagues are all singing highlife when you listen to them but they brand it us Afrobeats so if we can brand ours as highlife, I think it will help. Stonebwoy started the afro dancehall thing and it's gradually gaining grounds in Jamaica. Very soon some of our acts will sway to that and it will create another division among the genres we already have."

Andy Dosty touched on the population factor too.

"the Nigerian populace is large and it's another factor. We're less yet we're divided and it doesn't help. Look at the population of Jamaica, very small but they've managed to make their country the reggae hub. Our contents are like microscopic contents on the world scale of music. We're like orphans behaving like children's with affluent parents. So I will affirm there's no holistic industry agenda by the Nigerians. They're just focused on one genre and there's a machinery behind them."