Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Spotify Invests in the Future of Ghana's Rising Creators

28/03/2023

Ghanaian creators are having a moment on Spotify. For every stream in Ghana of a local artist, there are six more streams in markets around the world. Examples include singer, rapper, and Spotify RADAR artist Black Sherif, whose hip-hop and reggae blends are finding new listeners in Nigeria and the U.K.; and Atlanta-based singer-songwriter-engineeer-producer and EQUAL artist Amaarae, who has recently seen her music soar to new heights in Chile, India, and Mexico.

EQUAL artists Moliy and Gyakie and Fresh Finds artist Kofee Bean, among countless others, are seeing listeners in markets like the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and France. And there's even more on the podcast side, as Sincerely Accra, a Ghanaian podcast, was named one of 13 African podcasts to receive a share of Spotify's $100,000 African podcast investment last year.

This week, we increased our ongoing commitment to artists and creators across Africa through a donation to Vibrate Space from our Creator Equity Fund. Vibrate Space, operated by Surf Ghana in Accra, is a community recording studio and music business program that offers education and mentorship for young Ghanaian artists so they can create, connect, and collaborate. Over the past six months, Vibrate has registered more than 200 studio bookings and hosted many more creators for events and classes.

We first partnered with Vibrate in September 2022 with a donation that assisted in the launch of the studio. Now, to help Vibrate achieve its robust plans to further support the creative economy in Ghana, we're making an additional donation from the fund.

At an event at Surf Ghana, Spotify's Global Head of Artist and Audience Partnerships, Joe Hadley, shared the news. Spotify is proud to continue our efforts to support and uplift creatives with our Creator Equity Fund. I'm excited to share that from that fund, we're announcing a donation to the Vibrate Space in Accra, Ghana, he said to a room full of African artists as well as the Vibrate team. They have been incredible partners to us, continually pouring into the local community and creating a space where artists can come together to grow creatively. We're looking forward to hearing the music, stories, and success that will come out of Vibrate.

The donation will be administered over a two-year period, enabling the organization to collaborate with and support even more aspiring young artists who seek to kick-start their careers.

We are happy to be partnered with Spotify, said founder and director of Surf Ghana Sandy Alibo. They're really supportive of the alternative scene, and not every brand understands that. We work with young and emerging artists and creators who are looking to make a mark in the music industry, and Spotify is a brand that speaks to young people and has played a significant role in taking African and Ghanaian music to the world.

Vibrate's plans for the additional funding include a festival, a program to support artists as they put on their own events, and the establishment of a youth hostel where young people can find affordable, short-term accommodation while also experiencing the collaborative and community aspects of Vibrate.

Since Spotify's arrival in Africa five years ago, we have worked to identify opportunities to support artists in ways that speak directly to each of our markets, said Phiona Okumu, Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The partnership with Vibrate allows us to continue supporting emerging artists and cultural entrepreneurs in Ghana in addition to the on-platform work we are doing in the country.

Vibrate is also looking to establish an artist-in-residency and exchange program to fuel creativity, collaboration, and cultural exchange, as well as a women's program aimed at supporting women's growth in the industry. The studio also intends to expand their educational offerings by extending their highly successful monthly masterclasses for another two years and introducing a three-month instrument learning program, starting with piano.

Spotify is constantly seeking new and innovative ways to promote African music and celebrate and support its creators, said Managing Director for Spotify SSA Jocelyne Muhutu Remy. We see ourselves as a global platform with a local focus, and we really drill down to understand what is happening across the continent and how we can support both artists and users in those markets. Our partnership with Vibrate is one way that we are doing this in Ghana, but we have plans and projects in place to support artists both on and off platform across the region.

After announcing the donation, Joe and Phiona facilitated an artist discussion with Black Sherif, Baaba J, M3NSA, Moses Sumney, Ria Boss, TMSKDJ, Joey B, Poetra Asantewa, Amaarae, and more on Spotify's efforts in the region, the benefits of streaming, and the importance of artist-fan connections.

NEXT
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-03-28/spotify-invests-in-the-future-...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

13/02/2026

OBS Accelerates Shift to Cloud

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has provided an update on its adoption of the cloud as it continues on its journey to fully migrate to IT-based systems by 2...

13/02/2026

France Tlvisions Launches France 2 UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to Max out AC-4 Experiences for Winter Olympics Fans

France T l visions has successfully launched France 2 UHD featuring Dolby Vision...

13/02/2026

OBS Expands Athlete Moment,' Family Reunions to Capture Human Side of Winter Games

Partnering with Worldwide Olympic Partner TCL, OBS deploys connected Athlete Mom...

13/02/2026

Men's Figure Skating Photo Gallery

The men's figure skating long-form program is tonight, and it promises to be an exciting night for fans in the stands, fans at home, and even the production...

13/02/2026

Entertainment Takes the NBA Court in a Big Way

With new partnership between the league and NBC, workflows distinguish more between live, broadcast sound There'll be a lot new for the 75th NBA All-Star W...

13/02/2026

SVG GameDay, Episode 3: Sean Tabler - Producing Hockey in the City of Angels

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...

13/02/2026

Teradek Introduces RF-X, Revolutionizing Mission-Critical Signal Redundancy

Teradek announces the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deliver flawless, uncompromised signal integrity for the world's m...

13/02/2026

Synamedia & Globecast Selected for FA Cup Cloud Distribution

Globecast and Synamedia announces that Pitch International (Pitch), the leading London-based sports marketing agency, has gone live with cloud-based distributi...

13/02/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBC Sports' Legendary February Hits Record Viewership Levels

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

13/02/2026

NBC Olympics' Amy Rosenfeld on the Drone Craze, Friends & Family Moments, Stamford's Role for Milano Cortina

Far from the action in the snow and on the ice, the team controls the production...

13/02/2026

2026 Daytona 500: FOX Sports' Mike Davies, George Grill on Working Within an IP-Based Compound, Solving the Ops Puzzle of the Super Bowl of Racing

The Daytona 500 is called The Super Bowl of Racing for a reason. Whether it's the culmination to five days of action on the track, the sheer size and scop...

13/02/2026

OBS Expands AI-Powered Content Workflows

For the Milano Cortina Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is delivering more than 6,500 hours of content, with more than 900 hours of live action, sprea...

13/02/2026

NBC Sports Director Pierre Moossa Previews NBC's First NBA All-Star Production in 24 Years

After a 24-year absence, NBC Sports returns to NBA All-Star Weekend with a full ...

13/02/2026

Film Festival Watch: 18 Sundance Institute-Supported Projects To Watch at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival

By Jessica Herndon We may have just wrapped an unforgettable 2026 Sundance Film...

13/02/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Amanda Kramer, the Writer-Director Behind By Design

By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...

13/02/2026

Women in Podcasting Craft New Connections at Spotify's Galentine's Day Celebration in LA

This Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify brought together a group of podcast creat...

13/02/2026

Spotify and LoveShackFancy Bring Galentine's Glam to NYC, Featuring Special Performance by Joshua Basset

Yesterday, Spotify and LoveShackFancy hosted a Galentine's and Gents Lunch a...

13/02/2026

L3Harris Successfully Completes First Phase of P25 Transition for Florida SLERS

The upgrade to a Project 25 network provides state agencies communicating on the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System flexibility to tailor the network to the...

13/02/2026

Riedel Opens Kuala Lumpur Office to Strengthen Global 24...

Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marking a strategic expansion of its global Customer Success and IT software...

13/02/2026

ES Broadcast Hire duo celebrate 10-year anniversary with...

Two of ES Broadcast Hire's longest-serving employees recently celebrated a decade working for the company. Annie Breislin, Operations Manager, and Charles ...

13/02/2026

Disguise Opens Experience Center and Office in Atlanta

Disguise, the award-winning technology company powering global experiences, today unveils a new 8,000-square-foot office and Experience Center in Atlanta, creat...

13/02/2026

Mavis Expands External Camera Support with Accsoon SeeMo...

At BSC Expo 2026, Mavis announced full support for the Accsoon SeeMo series of iOS camera adapters across Mavis Camera and Mavis Monitor apps. This new integrat...

13/02/2026

Butcher Bird Studios Keeps Signals Flowing Seamlessly Acr...

Executing technically ambitious live streams, virtual productions, and immersive media today requires talent, creativity, and the right supporting technology. L...

13/02/2026

LTN makes key appointments and introduces new Technology...

Michal Miskin-Amir, Jonathan Stanton and Bobby Bond to lead technical advances amid surge in demand for LTN's IP video transport services as satellite capac...

13/02/2026

NATO Upgrades Broadcast Studio with Grass Valley Cameras

Grass Valley, the pioneering media and entertainment technology innovator, has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO'...

13/02/2026

Digital Azul strengthens remote production strategy with...

Wireless IP intercom underpins agile, multi-location live production workflows Digital Azul, the independent production powerhouse specialising in complex liv...

13/02/2026

Actus Digital Sets a New Standard for QA Monitoring and C...

Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil major new enhancements to its Actus X Intelligent Monitoring Platform at NAB Show (LiveU booth N1740), reinforcing i...

13/02/2026

FA Cup goes IP with Pitch International plus Synamedia an...

Globecast, a worldwide leader in broadcast services, and leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Pitch International (Pitch), the leadi...

13/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

CIMM Details Research Plans for 2026 and New Board Appointments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Teradek Unveils RF-A Auto Switcher

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Spectrum Launches 'Invincible Wifi'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Actus Digital to Introduce Actus X Platform Enhancements At NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Sennheiser Wireless Spectera Solution Tackles Super Bowl LX With Ease

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Nate Bargatze to Receive 2026 NAB Television Chairman's Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

UKTV Highlights Saturday February 14th - Friday February 20th 2026

What can I watch on UKTV this week?What can I stream on U this week? This guide highlights romantic dramas for Valentine's Day, alternative relationship t...

13/02/2026

New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists

New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists Swindlers airs Wednesday 18 February, 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player Swindlers, a...

12/02/2026

Chyron Merges Live Web Content and CG Graphics with PRIME 5.3

Chyron unveils PRIME 5.3, the latest software release of the company's powerful engine for live production graphics. PRIME 5.3 delivers the first official i...

12/02/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Interra Systems' Anupama Anantharaman on Protecting Live Sports Quality Across IP and OTT Workflows

The vendor's VP of Product Management explains how quality assurance, monito...

12/02/2026

LTN Makes Key Appointments and Introduces New Technology Organization

LTN announces the appointment of three experienced executives to lead its new Technology organization: Michal Miskin-Amir as EVP and Head of Technology, Jonatha...

12/02/2026

Riedel Opens Kuala Lumpur Office to Strengthen Global 24/7 Software and IT Support

Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malays...

12/02/2026

NATO Upgrades Brussels HQ Broadcast Studio with Grass Valley LDX 135 Cameras

Grass Valley has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO's main broadcast studio at its Brussels headquarters. The proj...

12/02/2026

Canon Announces Big Game Broadcast Lens Use Data

Canon U.S.A announces that the vast majority of broadcast lenses utilized on the NBC live broadcast for the Big Game between New England and Seattle on Sunday w...

12/02/2026

Three-Time Grammy-Winner Ludacris to Headline Performances at NBA All-Star 2026 in LA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBC Sports announce the entertainm...

12/02/2026

IOC Awards Broadcast Rights in Middle East and North Africa to beIN MEDIA GROUP

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announces that beIN MEDIA GROUP ( beIN ), the leading global sports, entertainment and media organisation, has secured...