By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Accra, May 13, GNA – MTN Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to building a resilient and inclusive digital economy by convening a refreshed edition of its Digital Music Conference bringing together over 100 stakeholders from across the country’s music and creative ecosystem.
The high-level forum, held in Accra, brought together artists, music executives, publishers, rights administrators and digital platform managers to collectively examine how the country’s rapidly growing digital music landscape could be better structured to translate creativity, reach and cultural relevance into sustainable livelihoods.
The conference underscored MTN Ghana’s strategic role as an ecosystem convenor and enabler using its digital infrastructure, platforms and partnerships to help address structural gaps in monetisation, rights management and value distribution within the music industry.
Bless Sefenu Agordjo, the Senior Manager for Digital Services and Verticals at MTN Ghana, speaking during the opening of the conference, highlighted the urgency of moving beyond visibility as the primary measure of success in the digital era.
He observed that while digital streaming had expanded exposure for Ghanaian artists, meaningful income from streaming alone often required consumption volumes that remained out of reach for many emerging and mid-tier artists.
This reality, he explained, made it critical to build complementary monetisation pathways that were accessible, predictable and sustainable, such as caller ring-back tones (CRBT).
Mr Agordjo said: “At MTN, we do not see artists merely as content suppliers; we see them as partners. Our goal is to grow Ghanaian music and artists on our digital platforms while helping artists to deepen fan connections, monetise engagement and build viable long-term careers.”
Within this broader framework, he referenced CRBT as one of the several monetisation tools within MTN’s evolving digital music ecosystem alongside platforms such as MTN Radio, PlayUP, and Boomplay designed to support recurring income.
He said MTN intended to strengthen this ecosystem through deeper collaboration with industry institutions including the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Ghana Music Rights Organization, producers, managers and rights holders with a shared focus on enhancing fairness, transparency and trust across the value chain.
In his contribution, Music Executive and Founder of Black Avenue Music, D-Black, described CRBT as “a very overlooked revenue stream.”
He encouraged artists to fully integrate it into their monetisation strategies.
Diana Hopeson, Founder of GH Music Publishing, acknowledged the MTN’s role in enabling music distribution through CRBT and pointed to future opportunities for innovation that would allow artists to sell music directly through digital platforms.
She emphasised the importance of stronger copyright administration and improved royalty structures to ensure artists captured fair value from consumption.
She said “It’s time MTN is not only seen as a communications company. I’m looking forward to a future where we can enable direct digital music sales where listeners can buy songs with a click, not just ringtones.”
Bessa Simons, the President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, called for stronger unity and formal participation within industry institutions emphasising that organised representation remained essential for improving musicians’ welfare and negotiating equitable outcomes.
Baba Sadiq, Media and Entertainment Executive, touching on a data-driven perspective, said the greatest long-term value of digital platforms lay not only in reach but in the insights they generated on audience behaviour, geography and engagement.
He said: “Today, music is not just about expression. It’s about understanding your audience, aligning with trends and using data to guide your decisions. It works the same way as marketing.”
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter Albert Futukpor
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