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.
The biggest event on Ghana’s entertainment calendar is set for a night of honours, pomp, and pageantry.
It is a night where musicians who excelled during the year under review will be rewarded through the endorsement of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards Board, the Academy, and the general public.
The Grand Arena, the ideal venue for the 27th TGMA, will host a star-studded audience of musicians, media personalities, businessmen, politicians, actors, and footballers among others.
On this night, the most coveted prize is the Artiste of the Year (AOTY) category, which will see the crowning of a new king or queen of Ghana music.
Two heavyweights in the category, Stonebwoy and Sarkodie, have the opportunity to set an enviable record as the only artistes to win the coveted title for a third time.
Should they fall short, the opportunity shifts to Black Sherif and Diana Hamilton to equal the record of two wins, joining the elite ranks of past double-winners like VIP.
A win for Diana Hamilton, will set her up in a lonely journey at the top as the only gospel musician, to win the Artiste of the Year for the second time.
Alternatively, Wendy Shay could make her debut by winning the award for the first time. This would make her team up with Diana Hamilton as the only female artistes alive to hold the title. The late Ebony, won it posthumously in 2018.
If the title slips past them and falls to Medikal, he will also become a first-time winner, etching his name into the annals of Ghana music history.
Patrons can look forward to electrifying performances from a long list of confirmed artistes, including Black Sherif, Diana Hamilton, Piesie Esther, R2Bees, Medikal, Wendy Shay, Lasmid, Kofi Kinaata, Samini, and Fido, among others.
Beyond the ultimate prize, several other major categories are up for grabs, including Music Video of the Year, New Artiste of the Year, Gospel Artiste of the Year, Most Popular Song of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The fourth edition of International AmoFest lived up to its promise on Saturday, May 2, delivering a vibrant “three-in-one” experience that left the audience at Alliance Française in Accra buzzing.
The night was a masterful blend of sound and stagecraft. Berima Amo, the visionary behind the festival, led an impressive lineup of performers, including Pedro Kastelijns, Martha Apini, Rudy Ray, and Lamisi.
Together, they showcased a fusion of global music and authentic Ghanaian Highlife, staying true to the festival’s mission of preserving Ghana’s original rhythmic soul.
Adding a unique layer to the evening, Uncle Ebo Whyte’s Roverman Productions took to the stage, blending theater with the night’s musical energy.
The experience concluded with a high-energy after-party, fulfilling Berima Amo’s goal of creating a truly immersive and memorable night.
Reflecting on the event’s purpose, Amo emphasised the need for intentionality in protecting Highlife.
He called on every Ghanaian, as well as government institutions, to actively foster an environment where the genre can thrive on the global stage.
The main event followed a successful educational outreach on April 24, where over 250 high school students participated in a Highlife workshop at the Centre for National Culture.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
