Pay media to promote your songs – Magic Rocker to musicians

US-based-Ghanaian musician Magic Rocker is making a clarion call for his colleague artistes to budget for media promotion of their works.

In his view, musicians relying solely on the goodwill of media outlets for free promotion is unsustainable and also very unfair.

He is advocating that musicians should treat their craft as a business venture and allocate a budget to cater for radio and television airplay, social media advertising and press coverage instead of payola to individuals in media outlets.

On why he thought this move had become necessary, he told Graphic Showbiz in a recent interview that there was a growing sense of entitlement on the part of some musicians when it came to the promotion of their works; they assumed that the media was obliged to give them that spotlight.

According to him, if musicians rethought their business models and prioritised structured budgetary allocation, it would effectively amplify their brand visibility, increase their fanbase, drive sales and streaming numbers and establish a sustainable music career.

“Musicians should not feel they are entitled to free media promotion for their songs. The music industry, like any other business, is about making money, and the media operates on the same principle.

“If an artiste wants media outlets to project his music, they need to recognise that this service comes at a cost. Media platforms require significant resources to run, from personnel to equipment and infrastructure, all of which come with financial obligations. The media has a responsibility to sustain its business and recover its investments too,” he added.

“Promotion of songs is a service, and like any other, it should be paid for. Media platforms exist to offer a service, not a charity, and musicians must be willing to invest in their own visibility if they seek media attention. The days of expecting your songs to be advertised freely just because you’re talented are long gone. You have to put in the works, and that includes financially supporting your own promotional efforts,” he told Graphic Showbiz.