Ghana’s creative sector is heading down a perilous path, echoing the film industry’s past mistakes. It’s a slippery slope, and if we don’t pay attention, we’ll be left with empty venues and lost investors.
Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker Socrate Safo has raised alarms about the troubling trajectory of the nation’s creative industry, particularly in music. In a candid Facebook post, he warned that the current trends are reminiscent of the missteps that led to the decline of Ghana’s once-thriving film sector. Safo highlighted how practices such as free access to content and rampant piracy eroded the value of creative works, leading to a gradual exodus of investors and a quiet collapse of the film industry.
“The film industry once beat its drums by night and day. The movies were everywhere, yet the revenue was thin. Free access became normalized, piracy became tolerated, and ultimately, value disappeared. The noise faded, investors vanished, and the industry collapsed silently,” he stated. Safo asserts that the music industry is now following a similar path, but the stakes are higher. He criticized the current model where artists often take on significant debt to put on free shows that generate social media buzz but result in financial losses.
“After the applause fades, the truth appears: losses, debts, regret,” he lamented, calling for introspection rather than complacency. Safo also scrutinized the narrative of victimhood that some in the industry adopt, blaming streaming platforms and inadequate support while making destructive choices. “Under the cover of victimhood, harmful decisions are justified. Free concerts turn into ‘promotion,’ and free songs become ‘strategy,’” he argued. He emphasized that artists increasingly pay for studio time and services only to release music for free, focusing on streaming numbers that, while impressive, don’t translate into income.
Safo expressed concern that this trend teaches audiences to expect content for free, undermining the very foundation of a sustainable creative economy. “The paying audience is disappearing. Just like those who once bought films, the music consumers are being conditioned to not pay,” he remarked. He noted that many live events rely on sponsorship or artists’ own funding, which only reinforces the expectation of free entry. “They learn that if they wait long enough, someone will shout ‘free entry.’ Why would they pay?” he questioned.
Furthermore, he cautioned that investors are closely watching the situation. When they see no returns, they’ll invest elsewhere, leaving the industry in dire straits. “Sponsors are realizing there are cheaper ways to gain visibility. When they wake up to the reality, they won’t voice their concerns on social media; they’ll simply pull their investments,” he said, predicting a bleak future for the industry if changes aren’t made.
Safo advocates for a more sustainable approach: organizing events in venues that attract paying audiences, even if they’re small. He believes it’s essential to respect the value of creative work. “Organize shows that draw paying audiences. Build slowly and respect value,” he urged, warning that forgetting past lessons would be the industry’s downfall. “Old school isn’t the enemy; forgetting the lessons of history is,” he concluded, urging the creative sector to learn from its past before it’s too late.
