They managed to escape the broken Ghanaian music industry, find some success in the U.K and are now doing quite well for themselves. But Reggie ‘N’ Bollie still has some thoughts on why their colleagues back home are still suffering and living hand to mouth. READ ALSO: Is Rita Dominic Really 44? – See This … Read more
Kwaisey Pee, a Ghanaian High Life Musician has declared he has gone bankrupt and industry players are not even helping him to make a living from music. Kwaisey Pee recently named Bisa Kdei as a Payola King, who technically buys the airwaves leaving no free space for some of them.
Highlife musician Kwasi Pee has fingered his musical comrade Bisa Kdei as one of the artistes who pushes his music with money to DJs (an unprofessional act called Payola) and that’s the reason behind Bisa Kdei’s consistent relevance.
According to Kwasi Pee, from his experience, his music gains airwaves traction when he puts money behind it and now that he doesn’t do that, his songs gets less attention. He told Joy News.
In an interview with Prince Benjamin on Class Drive on Class91.3FM, Wanluv established his songs are not popular because he has refused to conform to the payola culture. When the konkonsa hit maker was asked when his songs do not receive massive airplay, he said:
For many years, we’ve smoked ourselves in the US 1950’s doctrine of Payola without necessary looking at the cross-sectional effects—especially the benefits of paying for your music to be hugely played on radio stations.
Ghanaian songs are not going anywhere and this is partly due to the fact that, our musicians have bought into this concept of; ‘I will not pay for my music to be played or promoted’, wrongly terming every payment for radio broadcast as POYOLA, a contraction of “pay” and Victrola record players.
Now let me emphatically mention that, paying a DJ to play your song on radio is not PAYOLA and there is nothing wrong with it—be it legal or moral.
According to the U.S. law, 47 U.S.C. § 317 which gives grounds to PAYOLA, the illegal act of PAYOLA takes place when a radio station plays a specific song in exchange for money, service or other valuable consideration directly or indirectly and fails to disclose on air as being sponsored airtime—rather, presents the song as being part of the normal day’s broadcast.
All around the world, musicians and record companies pay HUGELY for their songs to be played/promoted on radio stations, online and TV. There is nothing wrong with such payments; the only thing wrong is when those broadcasting the songs fail to state that their actions are sponsored.
In fact, I consider Payola as an intelligent crime against radio listeners and not even the musicians so why are the musicians in Ghana rather the ones heavily fighting it?
Have we sat down to think of this? What is the difference between paying for your music video to be shown on a TV station and paying for your music to be played on radio?
If there are equally good or crap songs out there and a DJ has a limited time on his hands, I see nothing wrong if a musician buys 4 minutes of the DJ’s airtime to make sure his song is played—-and remember the catch, as long as the DJ makes it clear to the listeners that this is a promo or does not present the song as being part of the normal day’s broadcast, that is not illegal and it is not called Payola.