Without any definition of terms, I assume the words quantity and quality are understood by almost everybody who is reading this article.

In our various works, we all strive to achieve what is best but it becomes absurd when a person decides to choose quantity over quality (excellence).

Let’s delve into the movie industry a bit (focusing largely on Kumawood). Countless new movies are released each and every day. Enter a movie shop you see around and ask for the latest Ghanaian movie in town. Over hundred movie CDs would be handed to you.

There wouldn’t be any problem if these movies are of high quality and good storylines. I sometimes wonder the kind of cameras they use to shoot those movies. I guess my phone’s camera can do a better job than the cameras they use. The picture and sound qualities of most of the so – called Ghanaian movies are nothing to write home about.

Yet, when you complain, all that the industry players can afford to tell you is to support your own and stop backbiting. How do I support something in which those involved are doing nothing to advance it? What is backbiting about putting the bare facts on the ground?

As human as I am, I work hard to earn money. It would therefore be sensible to spend that hard – earned money on things that are of good qualities. So when I patronise foreign movies, it is not that I want their industry to grow and leave ours hanging. It’s a simple logic; I want value my money.

A parent disciplines a child not because he/she hates the son or daughter. It is rather because that parent loves the child and wants the best for him/her. Likewise, when we criticize some of these things, it is because we want the best for our entertainment industry.

The time and effort used to produce numerous movies every week can be used to focus on producing just a few which are of the best quality and can be marketed internationally. Generating money only shouldn’t be the focal point of producers by putting out plenty mediocre stuffs. As it is said, “Good things sell themselves.”

Now, let’s turn our attention to the music industry. Just like in the movie industry where majority focus on mass production and neglect quality, the music industry also suffers from the same ‘disease.’

It’s not bad at all to be listening to new songs each and every day because music plays an important role in our lives. As a matter of fact, music is a major business which calls for great input; from content to its final production. I’ve written about the issue of content here already so I won’t probe into it again this time.

Mixing and mastering is the final step in music production. For music to be put out and sound good to the ears, it depends on how it was mixed and mastered. It seems some of our musicians are taking the public (listeners) for granted by not paying attention to this.

One person whom I would like to draw his attention to this issue is Shatta Wale; the self – acclaimed “Dancehall King” in Ghana. At the end of every week, I hear a new track from him. Try and compare his tracks to well – mastered tracks by playing them in the same player without adjusting the volume, then you would understand what I’m talking about.

The quality of his songs in terms of production should be a matter of concern to his management rather than focusing on putting new singles out every week.

With the existence of loads of self acclaimed sound engineers, it would be wise for musicians to sift through for the best who can mix and master their songs very well.

It is the quality that we need, not quantity.