Our songs don’t cross borders – George Britton on Ghanaian music’s reach

UK-based artiste manager George Britton has sparked debate within the Ghanaian music industry with his assertion that songs from local artistes struggle to make an impact beyond the country’s borders.

Speaking on Property FM in Cape Coast, the music executive and founder of GB Recordz explained that, despite the vibrant nature of the industry, Ghanaian music remains largely confined within the country.

“Oh, our music industry is only within the confines of Ghana. For now, the Ghanaian music industry is heavy in Ghana, and that’s where it is,” he remarked.

He further lamented that Ghanaian songs rarely cross into neighbouring countries like Ivory Coast or make a significant impact in Nigeria, which has one of Africa’s most dominant music industries.

“I mean, our songs don’t cross, and we don’t even move as close as our neighbouring Ivory Coast or as far as Nigeria. How many songs from Ghanaian artistes make it big outside? Maybe just one or two can penetrate Nigeria,” he pointed out.

Britton contrasted this with the influx of foreign music into Ghana, emphasizing that international acts from Nigeria and South Africa, for example, consistently have a strong presence in the country.

“But ask yourself how many songs also move from the other side, like Nigeria, South Africa, etc., which also penetrate Ghana?” he questioned.

As a solution, Britton suggested that Ghanaian artistes should adopt a more strategic approach to promoting their music internationally.

He used Kofi Kinaata as an example, encouraging him to market his Fante-language songs to global audiences, just as Nigerian singer Asake has done with his Yoruba-infused music.

“I wish that a big artiste like Kofi Kinaata, who sings in Fante, would sell his music to the people of the UK or America like Asake does in his native language,” he advised.