Flowking Stone Highlights Challenges Saying “The Game Has Changed.”
Ghanaian rap sensation Kwaku Nsia Boama, widely known in the entertainment industry as Flowking Stone, has shed light on the increasingly difficult landscape for promoting music in Ghana. In a candid interview with Giovani Caleb on 3FM’s Drive show on Friday, August 23, the rapper detailed the significant shifts in the music industry over the years, attributing the challenges to changes in how music is produced and marketed.
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Flowking Stone, who has been a prominent figure in the Ghanaian music scene, recalled the days when music producers played a pivotal role in promoting artists. These producers were responsible for all financial aspects, including securing radio airplay and compensating DJs to ensure that their artists’ songs gained the necessary exposure.
“Those days when we used to come to radio, the producers would drop our songs and fund it. They’d take the songs to the DJs and pay them,” Flowking Stone reminisced. “Then, it got to a point where the producers left to go do movies when Kumawood was at its peak, and music wasn’t working like that anymore.”
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The rapper noted that the rise of the internet had a profound impact on the industry, leading to a steep decline in CD sales—a key revenue stream for producers. This shift caused many producers to pivot towards film production, particularly in Kumawood, which was experiencing a boom at the time. As a result, artists were left to fend for themselves, marking the beginning of a challenging era for many musicians in Ghana.
“There was a change. They weren’t able to sell CDs; the internet was emerging, and the artists were in disputes with producers over various issues,” he explained.
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With producers stepping back, musicians were forced to take on the burden of promoting their own music, leading to the rise of independent or “indie” artists. Flowking Stone highlighted that these artists now have to cover all promotion expenses, from paying dancers to securing airtime on radio and TV, and even running advertisements on digital platforms and social media.
Despite the presence of record labels, Flowking Stone believes that the situation has not improved significantly. He pointed out that the costs associated with promoting music have skyrocketed, making it difficult for many artists to succeed.
“There was a very long period when artists were funding themselves; it’s only recently that record labels have started to come in. Then TikTok emerged, and people started gaining popularity, and we thought, okay, this could work,” he said.
However, the rapper also expressed concern over the increasing costs of promotion on social media platforms. He noted that platforms like Facebook and TikTok, which once offered organic reach, now require artists to pay for ads to reach a broader audience. This has added another layer of complexity to the already challenging task of promoting music in Ghana.
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“The funny thing is that TikTok is the last hope, and they started charging more than all the others. So now the job is difficult—you can blow up on TikTok, but if you don’t have good friends on radio, it won’t go further. The original budget you need has become bigger, and as an artist, you might not have it,” he added.
Flowking Stone’s remarks offer a sobering insight into the current state of the music industry in Ghana, where the rise of digital platforms has made promotion more accessible yet more expensive and challenging. As artists continue to navigate these changes, the landscape of the industry is likely to keep evolving, with only the most adaptable able to thrive.
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Flowking Stone Highlights Challenges.
