George Britton has offered insightful observations on why Nigerian musicians dominate the international music scene compared to their West African counterparts.
Speaking on the Class Morning Show (CMS) with Prince Benjamin (PB), Britton lamented that Ghanaian artists often receive more support from non-Ghanaians abroad than from their fellow countrymen.
This lack of domestic support, he argued, negatively impacts their careers.
Britton also pointed out that many Ghanaian artists avoid signing with record labels, which hampers the global promotion of Ghanaian music.
This reluctance deprives Ghana of its deserved share of music tourism and revenue.
He highlighted that Nigerians are heavily marketed abroad, creating a perception that they are the primary African contributors to the music industry.
As a result, even non-Nigerian artists are often assumed to be Nigerian.
He gave examples of artists like Camidoh and Olivetheboy, whose songs are frequently mistaken for Nigerian music.
Britton emphasized that the global community tends to associate Afrobeats with Nigeria due to the strong presence of Nigerian artists, overshadowing Ghanaian contributions.
To address this, Britton called for the integration of record labels into the Ghanaian music scene to promote artists beyond their local market.
He stressed the importance of reaching audiences in America, Europe, Asia, and South America.
He also countered the argument that these markets are unnecessary for the success of Ghanaian music.
Britton identified several key issues hindering the global recognition of Ghanaian music, including a lack of patriotism, widespread plagiarism, and poor streaming habits.
He noted that successful Ghanaian artists often have low streaming numbers from their home country.
To improve this, he urged Ghanaians to adopt better streaming habits and support local artists.
In conclusion, Britton called for a united effort to promote Ghanaian artists internationally. By involving record labels and cultivating a supportive streaming culture, he believes that Ghanaian music can achieve greater global recognition.
“People think Camidoh is Nigerian. When they hear the songs of Olivetheboy, they’ll definitely think it’s Nigerian. It’s because, you see, there isn’t a force from Ghana that makes people say, ‘Okay, this is Ghana.’
“It is assumed that Afrobeats comes from West Africa so it’s Nigeria or Ghana, but they know the Nigerian artistes [more] so every song they hear they say it’s a Nigerian song.
“My neighbour is a White guy, he’s always playing Afrobeats. He doesn’t even know [it intimately] but he’s playing Afrobeats. When you ask him for his favourite artistes he says, ‘Oh, Nigeria, Nigeria!’,” George Britton noted.
For a solution, he urged: “We need to get the record labels into our space. Let the labels market us outside our comfort zone. Then our music can be heard in America, Europe, Asia, South America and all that.”