Rocky Dawuni
Grammy-nominated Ghanaian musician, Rocky Dawuni, has called on the government and media to play Ghanaian music around the clock as part of deliberate efforts to grow the local music industry and support Ghana’s 24-hour economy agenda.
Speaking on Starr Chat with Bola Ray on Starr 103.5 FM, Rocky Dawuni criticised the overdependence on foreign playlists in Ghana’s clubs, media, and public spaces, saying it undermines the country’s creative economy.
“Playlist is becoming global. We sit here and we take somebody else’s playlist,” he said. “I’ll go to clubs and our DJs are playing playlists that somebody in ‘abrokyire’ has put… all of the African artists they think should play in our market.”
Rocky stressed the importance of supporting homegrown talent, stating that without promoting local artists, Ghana cannot fully benefit from the economic potential of its arts and entertainment sector.
“If you don’t grow artists that are local, we won’t have the capacity to increase that economic contribution of the artists to our economy,” he noted.
Linking the issue to Ghana’s ambition to build a 24-hour economy, Dawuni said cultural policies must ensure local music dominates the airwaves at all times.
“If we are talking about a 24-hour economy… 24 times Ghanaian artists should be played on Ghanaian radio,” he said. “We should look at it and say, there’s a policy for it. 24 hours.”
When asked if this should apply to music played in taxis, trucks, and commercial vehicles, Dawuni responded emphatically: “Yes! They should be playing. And not playing only the ones that we feel that… all should be covered, including Rocky Dawuni’s own.”