EBA
Branding in the Ghanaian music industry is a key factor in the growth for most of the ‘buzzing’ musicians, yet some musicians find it difficult to adapt to this business strategy.
These calibre of musicians, according to gospel musician Enoch Blessing Acquah (EBA), are mostly found in the gospel industry.
EBA considers branding as a major cladding which helps musicians gain influence and maximum reach in the entertainment industry.
“I haven’t seen Ghanaian gospel musicians win ambassadorial deals as compared to that of secular musicians. When Glo came to Ghana, they signed several secular musicians and actors but left out gospel musicians. This is as a result of branding. I feel that we have not packaged ourselves well,” he said during a soirée at his Praise Factory Studios.
According to him, his fellow gospel musicians are not making enough effort to make their brand look attractive. He said gospel musicians in the US are competing with secular musicians, but the story is different in Ghana.
“Many of us apportion blame to churches, claiming they are not supporting gospel artistes. But the question is; what is the artiste doing to make the brand attractive enough for people to support? People will only buy quality. When it’s pleasing to the eyes and ears, people will buy.”
“When you go to the United States, for instance, there are many gospel artistes who are ambassadors for big brands. I think our influence as gospel musicians in Ghana and Africa is so minimal as compared to secular musicians,” EBA disclosed.
He urged his fellow musicians to spark a conversation about this issue, else the fraternity would be stagnant.
EBA is currently out with his debut solo single titled ‘Balm of Gilead’. The soft, soulful worship song is accompanied by a classic music video directed by the Praise Factory Studios.
On the video’s awesomeness, legendary sound engineer Fred Kyei Mensah (Fredima) described it as “the best music video I’ve seen in 36 years.”