DJ Premier [R] with KMJ
Host of Entertainment Capital on Accra100.5FM, Bismarck Boachie, has said until musicians respect Disc Jockeys (DJs) and realise that it takes a DJ to play their music to promote their songs, “they (musicians) will never get it right.”
According to him, Ghanaian musicians do not respect DJs.
Speaking on Showbiz Now on Joy Prime on Multi TV, in reaction to calls for DJs to play 80 per cent Ghanaian music on the airwaves to promote local music, the astute radio personality said the problem was not about playing the songs but the disrespect shown DJs.
He explained: “The first thing is that there is disrespect in the system, we need to find the cause of the problem and then know the solution”.
DJ Premier continued: “The first problem we have is that there is disrespect. Ghanaian musicians don’t see the relevance of DJs and that is why most DJs are also turning their backs on them, and when I say DJs, it’s not only limited to people playing on radio, those selling CDs on the streets and playing music in the pubs – they’re all DJs. the DJ is the final endorser to every artiste’s project. Until Ghanaian artistes begin to respect DJs for what they do [we’ll have a problem] because the DJ plays a role in the carrier of an artiste”.
According to him, the advent of social media has given musicians a false impression that they can survive without DJs.
“When social media came, the artistes were like social media is here so we don’t need the DJ anymore, now they [artistes] should go and play the songs on social media,” he said.
He went on to indicate that he, like every media personality, has always been disrespected by artistes.
“If you’re a media person and you’ve not suffered disrespect, then you are a novice or you are new in the system. Until musicians get to know that it takes a DJ to play their songs out there for people to love it, for it to go far, and that the DJ is a stakeholder in his career, we won’t get it right,” he reiterated.
He was of the view that distrust between artistes and DJs should also be addressed as it has the potential of destroying musicians, especially up-and-coming artistes.
“DJs feel when they help an artiste from zero to hero, they’ll turn their backs on them and vice-versa, and, so, there is mistrust in the system,” he bemoaned.
