Flowking Stone opens up on music promotion challenges in Ghana’s digital age
Ghanaian musician Flowking Stone has expressed his concerns about the financial burden of music promotion in the digital era. In an interview on 3FM Drive with Giovani Caleb, he highlighted the stark contrast between the past and present, where artistes now bear the brunt of promotional costs.
According to Flowking Stone, the shift from physical album sales to digital streaming has left artistes to fund their own music promotion, a task that requires a significant budget. He noted that producers, who once covered promotional costs, have turned their attention to producing movies, leaving artistes to navigate the challenges of self-promotion.
Flowking Stone explained, “Those days when we use to come to radio, there were the producers who used to drop our songs and fund it. Take the songs to the DJs and pay them. Now, it got to a time when the producers left to go do movies when Kumawood was at the top and music was not working like that.”
He emphasized the difficulties artistes face in promoting their music on various digital platforms, saying, “Now TikTok came and people started blowing and we were like okay. Even before TikTok, there was Facebook. There was a time even when you post a video on Facebook, they will open up to all your fans and reduce the number of people who will see. They will allow only 5% of your fans to see it unless you buy advert…”
Flowking Stone’s concerns highlight the need for a more sustainable music industry ecosystem, where artistes can focus on creating music rather than shouldering the financial burden of promotion. His latest album, “Decision,” features collaborations with King Paluta, Mr Drew, Morphty, and others, and is a testament to his perseverance in the face of these challenges.
By: Aluisa Comfort
