According to online free encyclopedia Wikipedia, a blog is a discussion or informational site on on the World Wide Web which consists of discrete entries or posts typically displayed in reverse chronological order. Enough of the big definitions already though. I do not want you to get bored of the importance of this article. A blog in short is a website which gives access to a message the blogger wants to disseminate or give out.
After almost a year of investigating how Ghanaian artists react to the services most Ghanaian blogs are giving them, I can boldly say 7 out of 10 artists have a very different view of what it means for their songs to be on an internet blog. Some of these negative attitudes are more or less showing disrespect and being unappreciative or simply ignorant. Only few artists out there understand how blogs operate and knows which blogs can reach as many people as possible and producing expected results. Most artists think the geographical location of a website (or Webmaster) determines the kind of people who visit the website and also defines the “quality” of the website. This is very incorrect in most cases as a website can be accessed worldwide by anyone. This is mainly the reason why most upcoming artists in Ghana feels more honored when their songs get on Nigerian, South African, UK and American based blogs. With the perception of “My music is across boundaries”. It’s the same way most upcoming artists I have worked with from other countries feel when Ghanaian blogs post their songs. These upcoming artists will rather showoff with websites which has low traffic ratings but based outside Ghana than to show off with websites in Ghana which has higher traffic.
To me, I think it’s very silly to feel like your song is a hit or international because they are on a website outside Ghana which is probably few months old and has less visitors. Until our upcoming artists clear that perception, they will keep displaying their talent to people who are probably not interested or not willing to know what they have to offer. The same thing as when a Ghanaian Dj play a song from an upcoming artist on Radio. It may surprise you that they will not boast about it like when a Nigerian Dj plays their songs on Radio.
They will rather sit on TV or Radio stations giving shouts to an upcoming Dj who is not even known in his own area than a Ghanaian Dj who can reach as much Ghanaians as possible. To them, a DJ outside Ghana playing their song is a huge success because an “international” dj is playing their songs… All im trying to say is, get closer to these Ghanaian blogs and seek better advice from them on how to get your music heard. They know the system better and know how to get people to know something new is coming up. I dont want to make this article boring; but before I end, I want to say kudos to most of these blogs who are working hard to make songs from artists reach the world. As a freelance writer, I know how tedious this work can be. Shouts to Loudsoundgh.com, Ghanandwom.com, and all the hard working websites out there. We have to value what we have!!!
By Mark Boakye
(Freelance Writer)
