The Ghanaian Music Industry (Research Paper Sample)

The Ghanaian Music Industry
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Abstract
This paper explores the music industry in one of most culturally enriched countries in the African continent, Ghana. Ghana, like any other country around the world, has a rich historical background in the music industry. Ghanaians have been involved in music activities for a long time in history. The music industry in the country has developed significantly over the years, with new kinds of music and entertainment taking the center stage. Traditional kinds of music like highlife have been overshadowed in the favor of more fulfilling hiplife and other types of music. At the same time, new kinds of management have come up in the industry. The paper also focuses on the benefits and the shortcomings that affect the sector as a whole. The government has also been cast into the spotlight concerning its input in the support of music and musicians, as well as controlling the whole sector.
Introduction
One of the most basic activities that have been practiced by human beings over the years and mostly taken for granted has been entertainment. Although entertainment generally takes many forms in different situations, it all serves the basic purpose of making people relax and relieve stress. Among the oldest forms of entertainment, music is the most popular and common of all. Music involves the rhythmic joining of words and phrases to compose a song, normally accompanied by instrumental beats and dance (Ardley, 1989). Music, like in entertainment itself, comes in different forms. There is the scientific fact that individuals are different, and such differences arise from their inner selves and characters. There are those intrinsic forces that motivate or drive an individual towards hating one thing and having great interest in another. This characteristic is highly applicable when it comes to music. Musicians themselves, as well as the audience, choose some types of music over others. This kind of trend is fueled by the fact that there is a wide reservoir of various types of music in the world currently. Ranging from the lively and noisy rock music to the slow moving blues, there is an ever increasing value for choice in music. Of course, it is not peculiar to find individuals who listen to all kinds of music, or musicians who specialize in more than one type. All this narrows down to the intrinsic factors mentioned earlier, that determine the affiliation of a person.
Traditionally, music was used as an entertainment tool. Different kinds of music, characterized by wild dance and a lot of complicated drumming, rocked the villages, especially at night. Music and dance were the main forms of entertainment in events and celebrations that were held communally (Nketia, 1963). Such events included circumcision parties, weddings and celebrations after some rich harvests or marking the birth of a child. There were specific people, mainly old women, who had trained in regular dance, who danced to the rhythms of vocalists and drummers. In many cases, the choice of songs was limited, as most of them had been handed down from generation to generation. There were no organized structures that could manage and expand the music industry, which is one of the main differences between traditional music and modern music.
Entertainment was the main reason why people sang in the olden days. This is not the situation in the current music world. Artists and other stakeholders have realized the high paying value of music, and the sector is now providing full time careers to many. It has become a significant generator of income and employment. The ladder starts from the artists, and drops down up to the retailer who markets the work for money. Many people have found a safe haven in music dealings, regardless of whether they can even sing or not. There are official settings that have come up in the modern setting where every country has its main body governing musical activities. This is in a bid to regulate and develop the industry further. As we move deeper into the electronic age, the ease with which music is being practiced all over the world is increasing. However, with this ease come the challenges that face the industry as a whole. Governments have also taken sides in a bid to control the industry and support it. Ghana is a typical country where music has hit its peak, amidst challenges and shortcomings that face the country's music industry.
Music industry in Ghana
Historical development
Ghana is a typical African country, where music is not an invention in the current society. It is something that existed years before its modernization. The changes and developments noticeable in the industry, however, are massive and far reaching. A person who lived years ago before the colonization era, would much recognize much of a similarity between modern music and the art of those days, except the fact that music follows a constant rhythm or beat. Highlife is the kind of music that is basically associated with Ghana as its origin (Matczynski, 2011). It was popular in the 1930s, during the Second World War when American jazz was finding its way into the region. Owing to its cosmopolitan location geographically, Ghana welcomed many different styles and genre in the music industry. Highlife dance was popular even during the period after independence, when the government started favoring the folk kind of music. Caribbean music was also introduced in earnest in the West African country. This greatly owes to the fact that Ghana often welcomed many visiting musicians and bands that collude with local musicians to produce unique styles of music. Band music was also popular at the time, and involved a lot of overseas travelling. Sam's Trio, led by Jacobs himself, was the most influential band during the 1930s.
Hiplife music is a kind of American hip hop music that is done in the local Ghanaian dialect. Reggie Rockstone is given the credit for introducing this kind of music in Ghana, which took over the industry in the early 1990s. He had previously practiced hip hop in the period when he lived in the United States. Hiplife today is Ghana's most preferred genre of music. The fact that it originated from a Ghanaian citizen gives it the value of identity. It gives the people of Ghana a sense of belonging, and differentiates them from others. This, in a scientific sense, is a quality necessary in the psychological wellbeing of individuals.
Apparently, Ghana has taken a huge step in developing its music industry (Nketia, 2004). However, there are various challenges that have faced the industry, both in the past and in the present. Most of these challenges have solutions when approached from serious and committed perspectives.
Organization and challenges
Time and again, popular musicians from Ghana have been heard complaining that there is actually no music industry in the country. As an example, Reggie Rockstone, famous for having Ghana its feet in hiplife, says that there is no music industry in Ghana, what is there is what he describes as a childish scene. He says that a good music industry should be well organized, with structures that would make sure artists gain the maximum from their sweat. The same should also provide a good opportunity on the side of the government to earn taxes that can be utilized in developing the nation.
Analysts view such comments as mean and destructive of the image of one's own nation. However, in a big way, the same analysts seem to agree with Reggie in the sense that the music industry is so disorganized to be referred as one. The fact remains that the Ghanaian music industry does not really function as it is supposed to. There is an apparent mismanagement that no one seems to take note of. Most musicians in the country point a blaming finger on the top persons controlling the industry, whom they refer to as the old generation. They argue that the young and upcoming musicians are never accorded a listening ear at any given point in time.
Needless to say, the music sector in Ghana has provided employment to thousands of young people. In this case, the benefits that accrue from it should never be underestimated. In the case that it is put into a proper functioning process, the music industry can benefit thousands of Ghanaian people, in all social and economic. It is an established fact that the only way to have the lifestyles of different people sky rocketing is by creating enough job opportunities especially for the younger generation. The music industry in Ghana is one that one that can provide a self-employment platform, and give many people the chance to showcase their talents. It is sad to not that, despite the fact that the industry has really grown, it is still not performing at its maximum.
Piracy is one of the greatest challenges that face the music industry in Ghana, and threaten to hinder its growth and expansion (Collins, 2006). Musicians are not reaping the maximum benefits of their labor, owing to the fact that they are unable to sell their original copies of their work due to the vice. Seemingly, little if anything has been done in relation to curbing piracy, which is actually growing at a very high rate. I got a chance to speak with one of the backdoor producers of pirated copies of music. He describes what he does as a survival technique. He further blames the state of the national economy, which gives young people like him no chance to develop themselves. Despite having a vast training and knowledge on computer applications and their use, he has been unable to find a suitable job where he can apply what he does best. He admits that, although the practice is a vice, he actually enjoys the whole experience.
Piracy also stems from a greedy and inconsiderate society. People look for shortcuts and ways to make quick and easy cash, without caring about who they hurt in the proces...