The Impact Crew: “A Critical Look At Why Music Groups In Ghana Split & The Way Forward"

All other things being equal, two creative heads combined is better than one in every business especially in the music industry. Ghanaian music industry from the era of Nana Kwame Ampadu till now has witness countless number of music duo or group who started so well, but due to disagreement on pertinent issues, ruined all their hard-earned fame. Notable among the great musical talents who once took the music industry by surprise includes Nananom, Akyeame, Nkasɛɛ, Jane & Irene, Praye, VIP, Wutah, Double, and many others.

Nonetheless, these splitted groups consisted of individual talents who agreed to come together and fight for a common goal. Fast forward and unexpectedly, they came to announce their split to pursue their individual agenda. Therefore, I'm about to analyse two major factors that accounts for the splits among music groups in our industry and suggest a remedy for up an coming artistes who yearn to form groups to pursue their careers.

THE PROBLEM OF MONEY SHARING
They say, money is the root of all evil, but I wonder if those who believes in this cliché have ever asked the root of all money before! Well, the issue of money can't be ignored when it comes to the cause of group split. Basically, the reason for all our hustles in life is to get money, therefore, the moment a person in a group will feel cheated, problem will definitely arise.

PERSONAL EGO & CHARACTER
Like I said earlier, these musical groups consist of individual talents who agreed to come together and fight for a common goal. Even twins do not think alike, how much more about people with different background coming together. While a group member will like to party all day, one will like to be indoor if not for a performance. Therefore, it's likely for the members to disagree to agree on pertinent issues before coming into consensus.

THE WAY FORWARD
As the saying goes, money is the best detector of a man's true character. Indeed, money sharing is a prime cause of disagreement among musical groups for the past years. Therefore, to solve this issue, there must be a mutually agreed contract that will spell out the percentage amount each member is entitled to per their personal contributions. I believe, when everyone understand the clauses before signing the contract, these splits will minimise. For when it comes to financial issues, trusting your biological mother will even be difficult!

Also, personal ego must be delt with. It's an undeniable fact that there'll definitely be disagreement because of personal preferences, however, such issues must be catered for by the management team. Therefore, there must be a strong management team to take care of pertinent issues that arouse between the group members before they get out of hands. Simply, majority of the of the splitted music groups in Ghana wouldn't have happened if they had a good management team.

More importantly, we need music groups in our industry, for that will help and protect those who can't stand alone. That's why most of the artistes who choose to go “solo" after their split can't succeed. Simply, not all people can build their careers all by themselves. Some people need the creativity of others before they can make it in life like a broom. Most solo artistes are struggling to penetrate, because they have not realised the importance of joining hands with other colleagues to move forward.

Adu Sarpeah
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