Young Ghanaian musicians can learn about the music industry, receive mentorship, and use the Vibrate Space community recording studio and music business program sponsored by Surf Ghana in Accra.
In September 2022, Spotify made its first gift to Vibrate, which helped with the studio’s opening. Vibrate hosted many more creators for events and seminars over the past six months in addition to registering over 200 studio bookings.
Spotify is giving a sizable investment from its Creator Equity Fund, which will be handled over several years, to assist Vibrate in achieving its ambitious goals to develop and promote the creative economy in Ghana.
Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Phiona Okumu commented on the collaboration, saying, “When Spotify first arrived in Africa five years ago, we have tried to explore possibilities to assist artists in ways that speak personally to each of our markets. Together with the work we undertake on platforms in Ghana, the cooperation with Vibrate enables us to continue assisting up-and-coming artists and cultural entrepreneurs in that nation.
At a gathering, today at Surf Ghana, Spotify’s Global Head of Artist and Audience Partnerships Joe Hadley announced the most recent donation. “With our Creator Equity Fund, Spotify is thrilled to continue our efforts to promote and elevate creatives. I’m happy to report that a donation to the Ghanaian city of Accra’s Vibrate Space has been made from that amount. They have been amazing partners for us, consistently giving back to the neighborhood and providing a venue where artists can gather to further their respective creative practices. We’re eager to hear the songs, tales, and successes that Vibrate will produce.
The gift will be dispersed over several years, allowing the organization to work with and assist even more aspiring young artists who want to launch their careers.
With the additional money, Vibrate wants to stage a festival there at the end of the year, help artists in organizing their events, and open a youth hostel where young people can find affordable, short-term housing while simultaneously engaging with Vibrate’s collaborative and communal features. The organization also plans to launch a women’s program to promote the advancement of women in the industry, as well as an artist-in-residence and exchange program to foster innovation, collaboration, and cross-cultural interchange. Additionally, they want to broaden their educational offerings by adding another two years to their highly popular monthly masterclasses and launching a three-month instrument instruction program that will begin with piano lessons and progress to other instruments.
Sandy Alibo, the founder and director of Surf Ghana, said:
“We are pleased to work with Spotify. They genuinely promote the alternative scene, which is something that not every brand does. We deal with young and up-and-coming artists and creators who want to stand out in the music business, and Spotify is a brand that appeals to millennials and has been a major force in introducing African and Ghanaian music to the rest of the globe.
According to Spotify data, Ghanaian musicians are being found and listened to by Spotify users all around the world. There are six streams of a Ghanaian artist for every stream in Ghana, with the top overseas markets for Ghanaian musicians being the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and France.
Several Ghanaian musicians have benefited from Spotify initiatives designed to promote homegrown talent internationally and improve discoverability. Among them are Kofee Bean, a Fresh Finds artist, Amaarae, Moliy, and Gyakie, who have all served as EQUAL Ambassadors, as well as Black Sherif, a Spotify RADAR artist. A podcast from Ghana called Truly Accra was also selected as one of 13 African podcasts to get a portion of Spotify’s 100,000 USD last year.
“Spotify is continually looking for new and inventive methods to promote African music, and celebrate and support its creators,” said Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, managing director of Spotify SSA. We view ourselves as a worldwide platform with a local focus, and we go to great lengths to understand what is occurring across the continent to serve both artists and users there. In Ghana, one way we accomplish this is through our collaboration with Vibrate, but we also have plans and projects in place to help musicians both on and off platforms around the region.
