‘Many musicians are going broke because of streaming’ - Ras Kuuku

Ghanaian Reggae artiste Ras Kuuku has cautioned Ghanaian musicians against depending solely on streaming platforms for income, arguing that many artistes are running into financial difficulties because they underestimate the huge investment required to succeed in the digital music space.

According to Ras Kuuku, while streaming services have created opportunities for musicians to reach listeners across the world and generate revenue from their music, achieving meaningful results requires substantial financial backing.

Speaking to Graphic Showbiz, Ras Kuuku explained that uploading songs to streaming platforms is not enough. He said artistes must invest heavily in promotion and visibility if they expect to earn huge returns.

“Streaming has helped a lot of musicians. When you invest, you make money out of it, all things being equal. But if you don’t invest, you make nothing,” he said.

He further noted that many artistes fail to realise the financial demands of streaming until they have already committed large sums of money without seeing immediate results.

“It is a lot of money that goes into getting your songs on these platforms. So if you don’t have that money, you will go broke. That is why you see so many artistes going broke because they rely on streaming and hope it will make returns for them, and sometimes that is not the case. If you don’t have anyone backing you, you will remain broke,” he added.

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Ras Kuuku also shared his thoughts on why Nigerian music continues to enjoy a stronger presence on Ghanaian radio stations, television networks and entertainment platforms.

In his view, the difference is not necessarily talent but the level of financial investment behind the music.

“Their songs keep dominating because it’s all about money. They invest so much,” he said.

He explained that Nigerian artistes and their teams often commit larger budgets to promotion, allowing their music to remain visible for much longer than that of many Ghanaian artistes.

“Let’s say when our local artistes here pay for a month to, for instance, our big TV stations, the Nigerians come and pay for like six months. So the time the locals use up their slot, theirs will still be there. So it’s about investment,” he explained.

Ras Kuuku believes Ghanaian musicians possess the talent needed to compete on the global stage.

However, he stressed that without adequate financial backing and long-term investment strategies, it will remain difficult for many local artistes to match the reach and dominance of their counterparts from countries such as Nigeria.

“We are also doing well, but it’s about investment,” he said.

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AK/EB