Entertainment
VGMA Partners Ghana Music Live to Deliver a Career-enhancing Package to VGMA Unsung Nominees
Ghana’s Premier Award Scheme, VGMA, has partnered with neo-media entity Ghana Music Live to enhance the career of this year’s VGMA Unsung nominees.
To enhance the career of the nominees and winner of the 24thVGMA UNSUNG, Ghana Music Live in collaborative discourse with Charterhouse has curated A list of goodies that will directly impact the growth and success of nominees and winner. So, in 2023, the nominees and winner of the Unsung initiative will not only get the spot to perform at the VGMAs, but they will also have the following:
•Radio station music rotations per region, and interviews across Ghana for a year.
•Assigned Dj for each nominee for a year (Provided by the Djs Union of Ghana – Djuga)
•Distribution Deal for a year (Provided by Apprise Music with playlisting and premium placements)
•Website development for all nominees (All Design Costs fully Borne)
•Free Music Video shoot for the winner only (All Costs and Direction borne by Tigon Creative Studios)
•Video rotation on two stations in each region for a year.
•Artiste Incubation Programme (Provided by the Ghana Association of Phonographic Industry – GAPI, Musicians Union of Ghana – MUSIGA and Ghana Music Live (GML) Incubator Programmes)
•Free production and promotion consultancy and Advisory Services for a year
According to Robert Klah, Head of Public Events and Communications of Charterhouse, “the VGMA Unsung is designed to help put the spotlight on the unsung artiste by providing them with a shared platform with the stars of the country, from nominees’ announcements, through to nominees’ jam and finally a performance on music’s biggest night. However, we recognize that becoming a successful artiste will require more than the VGMA platform. Hence, we are happy with our partnership with Ghana Music Live, to help us give more value to the Unsung Acts.”
VGMA Unsung
VGMA Unsung is a Charterhouse initiative designed to provide emerging artistes with the springboard to breakthrough into mainstream music. Introduced in 2014, the VGMA Unsung has featured nominees who have a major stake in Ghana’s music industry. MzVee, Kuami Eugene, Epixode, Kelvyn Boy, Gyakie, Kofi Jamar, and many more. Call for entries for VGMA Unsung are usually announced at the beginning of each year, as part of the VGMA calendar. The 24th VGMA Unsung is a Charterhouse initiative sponsored by Closeup.
Ghana Music Live
Ghana Music Live is a 360 solution to empowering Ghanaian musicians across the globe. Through Interconnecting an App and website and creating a seamless sales and promotion avenue for music-related works by Ghanaians, this novelty constantly strives to partner with stakeholders to empower and enrich the ordinary Ghanaian musician.
With a core team and regional reps, Ghana Music Live is well-positioned to provide services to facilitate the growth and development of Ghana Music and Ghanaian musicians.
Several professionals purportedly hold the fort for Ghana Music Live to keep it rich, saturated, readily available, and always up-to-date.
Some of what Ghana Music Live puts out daily and weekly include MusicThisWeek, MusicCharts, Gospel Spotlight Videos, Event Highlights, Celebrity Quotes, Celebrity Birthdays, This Day In Music, and interesting Throwback Videos.
The Ghana Music Live App is available on Google Play, Apple Store, Microsoft Store and on the web.
The Future of Ghana Music Live
In the coming months, Ghanaian musicians will live hassle-free as Ghana Music Live creates a seamless avenue for their growth.
Cognizant of the struggles of the Ghanaian Musician, Ghana Music Live remains poised to deliver ease regarding promotion and sales for Ghanaian Musicians across the globe.
The current situation in Ghana adds a lot more hassle to the disadvantaged musician who has to pursue highly commercialized mediums to promote and sell their products. So, Ghana Music Live will rely on all available technology to ensure the business of music by Ghanaians thrive and grow.
Ghana Music Live uses all the technological tools available now, from a mobile APP on Android and IOS to a multi-functional Website and 24/7 social media presence to ensure relevance never wanes. Ghana Music Live is made possible by visionaries whose passion transcends immediate gain. You can call Ghana Music Live a project with a lifespan of eternity, and you won’t be faulted.
Entertainment
Stonebwoy joins American recording artiste Mashanda Faust and Atlanta-based musical group
Ghanaian dancehall and Afrobeats artiste Stonebwoy has joined American recording artiste Mashanda Faust and Atlanta-based musical group Hero The Band on “Wrong Toes”, a song featured on the official soundtrack of the upcoming action comedy film Boyz Trip.
The collaboration brings together musical talents from Ghana and the United States, offering another opportunity to showcase Ghanaian music to international audiences through cinema.
The film, scheduled for worldwide theatrical release in 2027, is set in Cape Town, South Africa, and combines action, comedy and African cultural influences.
According to information released by KeyScott Entertainment, the production company behind the project, the official music video for “Wrong Toes” was filmed at Cape Town Film Studios in South Africa, under the creative direction of Warren Gray, an award-winning creative director.
The song was written by Alan Key and Faten El Sayed, with Key originating the concept and Kyle Scott overseeing its creative development and execution alongside Faust.
Stonebwoy, known for his blend of Afrobeats, reggae and dancehall, contributes his distinctive sound to the international production, which seeks to connect audiences across Africa, North America, Europe and Australia.
The song forms part of a collection of original music being developed for the film’s soundtrack through KeyScott Entertainment’s music division, which focuses on original film music, music publishing, artist development and international collaborations.
Boyz Trip stars Desi Banks, Rome Flynn, Algee Smith and South African actor Siv Ngesi.
The story follows four longtime college friends who reunite for an international vacation in Cape Town, only for their getaway to descend into a chaotic adventure after they become entangled in the dangerous world of a notorious criminal known as Le Serpent.
The film is executive produced by Alan Key and Kyle Scott, co-founders of KeyScott Entertainment, an international film, and television and music Production Company headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.
Scott also directs the film, with Autumn Bailey-Ford as lead producer and Sarsha Venord and Jamez T. serving as co-producers. Ama K. Abebrese, Lya Castillo and Shayla Hill are associate producers.
The production is planning international premiere events in Cape Town, Atlanta, London, Los Angeles and Brisbane, with further details on its theatrical distribution, soundtrack releases and promotional activities expected ahead of its 2027 launch.
Stonebwoy’s involvement in the project adds a Ghanaian musical dimension to the production’s international appeal, placing his sound alongside American performers in a film that draws on African locations and cultural influences.
By spectator reporter
The National Film Authority (NFA) on Saturday launched the Cinema Train Initiative to improve access to cinema, strengthen film exhibition and rebuild the culture of cinema-going in Ghana.
The initiative, expected to provide a common platform for film producers, distributors, exhibitors and audiences to connect and create a sustainable market for Ghanaian films.
The Executive Secretary of the NFA, Kafui Danku Pitcher who announced the initiative at the launch, said limited access to cinema facilities and exhibition opportunities remained a major challenge confronting the country’s film industry.
She noted that while filmmakers invested considerable time and resources in producing films, many of their works struggled to reach audiences because of the limited platforms available for exhibition.
” We cannot build a sustainable film industry if we produce films without creating pathways for people to watch them,” she said.
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She explained that the initiative went beyond screening films, describing it as an effort to build an ecosystem where producers could showcase their works, distributors could connect content to markets and exhibitors could attract audiences.
She further urged Ghanaians to support the initiative by purchasing tickets, watching local films and encouraging others to patronise Ghanaian cinema.
The Executive Secretary called on corporate organisations and potential sponsors to invest in the initiative, saying their support would help expand cinema access, strengthen the creative economy and connect brands with audiences across the country.
He stressed that the success of the initiative required a collective commitment from all stakeholders, adding that the NFA was prepared to facilitate the partnerships necessary to advance the vision.
NFA board board Chairman, Mr Ivan Quashigah further demonstrated the Authority’s commitment by announcing plans to purchase tickets through the platform to support films currently available for screening.
He added that the platform seeks to bring key groups in the film industry onto one track:producers, distributors exhibitors and audiences.
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