The government, on October 30, unveiled the GMX App, a music streaming platform aimed at promoting Ghanaian music globally while ensuring fair compensation for artists.
Though the platform has the potential to transform Ghana’s music industry, concerns have emerged over the lack of consultation with industry stakeholders during its development.
Speaking on The Chat on Channel One TV on Saturday, November 16, 2024, the President of the Music Alliance, Seven Xavier, criticised the government for sidelining key players in the music and technology sectors.
“They should talk to people who actually know the business. It looks as if they only talked to people who really have no clue about what it takes to get streaming platforms running. They didn’t involve tech people, music business people, artistes.
“I am definitely sure that somebody took some good money to tell them to just put anything out there. But we are in 2024 and we have been exposed to platforms from other countries and we have seen how over the years they have morphed into better platforms based on the feedback they get from consumers or the business itself.
“The number one thing a right holder will be looking out for is the money, and they didn’t say the rate they are giving to the artistes,” he stated.
Software Engineer, Solomon Appier-Sign, also highlighted several issues with the GMX App, including the absence of a clear revenue-sharing model.
He also pointed out a lack of features to keep users engaged on the platform, such as song recommendations.
“The only way you can make artistes more money is when people are spending a lot of time on the platform; the more songs you stream, the more money the platform makes and the more money the artistes make.
“How you would keep people on the platform is through recommendation. Now, I play a song and when it is done, I don’t know what to play next,” he stared.
