TGMA introduces ‘swing period’ to ensure fair nominations for late songs

THE Board of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) has introduced a new ‘Swing Period’ policy aimed at ensuring songs released late in the year are fairly assessed for nominations.

The policy, applied for the first time in the 27th edition of the awards, allows songs released in December to be considered in the following year’s awards cycle if they meet specific eligibility criteria.

A statement released by the TGMA Board said, “To qualify, a song must have been released in December of the eligibility year, shown measurable impact during the period under review and not received a nomination in the previous awards cycle.”

It added that the decision follows three years of consultations with industry stakeholders and seeks to address concerns that late-year releases often gain traction too slowly to compete in their release year.

Under the new framework, two December releases secured nominations in the 27th TGMA: ‘Messiah’ by Sarkodie featuring Kweku Flick and ‘Excellent’ by Kojo Blakk featuring Kelvyn Boy.

TGMA Board stressed that the policy was intended to ensure the scheme reflects industry trends as music release patterns shift with digital consumption and changing audience behaviour.

They added that the awards body would continue refining its processes to uphold credibility and recognise impactful work across Ghana’s music landscape. -GNA