Philipa Baafi: Let's bring back CDs and pen drives, streaming isn't enough

Contrary to popular belief, the Go Go High singer is a huge fan of streaming music, even if she feels Ghana's music industry jumped too quickly into the digital age and underutilized the opportunity to sell more physical copies.

Philipa, who trained as a physician assistant after taking a three-year break from music, thinks both systems should run concurrently since they will provide stakeholders with a concrete way to monetize their products.

The 44-year-old, who debuted the video for her most recent piece, Eda Ho Pefee, yesterday, Wednesday, May 14, her birthday, stated in a sit-down interview with Graphic Showbiz monitored by Soireenews.com on Monday, May 13, 2024, that the introduction of digital stores and big streaming platforms resulted in declining sales, which caused a big change in the industry. In actuality, I think that streaming is just as valid as CDs and pen drives.

You see, when you compare us to the Western countries, we are not quite there yet, even though we are there. We have so many people who even don't know anything about social media in Ghana”, she said.  

The vocalist of I Go Dancing emphasized the financial difficulties that musicians encounter, pointing out the hefty price of recording, creating music videos, and marketing their work.

We need alternative revenue streams to sustain our careers effectively, and the best bet is to reintroduce music sales via pen drives and CDs.

With studio time costing approximately GHc6,000 per song, music video production averaging GHc50,000, and GHc100,000 to promote it very well using a blend of social media and traditional media. "And if you're not selling, how are you going to get all this money?" she questioned.

Dispelling the myth that there is no longer a market for CDs and pen drives, Philipa claims that consumers still want hard copies of music, especially in places where digital access may be restricted, such churches and cars. "People who perceive my statements as outdated may be mistaken.

Although my music are available digitally, I will sell them if I continue to attend churches and bring my CDs and pen drives.

People should listen to them in their automobiles in the morning as they go to work, etc. Therefore, it seems doable to me.

"There are still consumers out there. They purchase CDs, so we shouldn't limit our efforts to promoting and selling music on online platforms, she continued.