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01.02.2017 General News

Breaking The VGMA Mystery

By Daily Guide
Theresa Ayoade, Executive Director, CharterhouseTheresa Ayoade, Executive Director, Charterhouse
01.02.2017 LISTEN


Entries for the 2017 edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) festival officially closed yesterday, January 31, meaning musicians who did not submit their songs cannot be part of this year's event.

Almost every year, the VGMA sparks some controversy within Ghana's music fraternity and this is mostly because many stakeholders do not understand how the scheme works and how winners are announced. NEWS-ONE has decided to take an insight into the VGMA, looking at the facts and demystifying the supposed mysteries.

What is Vodafone Ghana Music Awards?
It is the biggest and most significant annual entertainment event in Ghana.  For over a decade and a half, it has grown into a festival of music and entertainment that has gained recognition across Africa and beyond.

Who organises the VGMA?
Charterhouse Productions Limited are the organisers and producers of the VGMA, but it is organised under the auspices of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

VGMA is produced in collaboration with leading telecommunications network, Vodafone and other partners.

What are the objectives of the VGMA?
Three main things: Firstly, to appreciate those working in the music industry who have released work(s) that have generated the most public excitement within a definite period of contention.

Secondly, to provide an international platform through which the Ghanaian music industry can be accessed.

And thirdly, to reward veteran musicians who have blazed the trail in the music industry.

The VGMA seeks to foster the development of the Ghanaian music industry by rewarding and celebrating musicians who have excelled in the seven main music genres of Ghana – gospel, hip-life, hip-hop, highlife, Afro-pop, reggae and traditional music. Their music must have been released and received prominence in the year under review.

How are the songs selected?
Because the organisers of the VGMA aim to present an award scheme that is representative of the opinion of the general public as well as industry professionals, a selection process has been structured over the years to take all these into account. The process includes the collection of entries, categorisation and nomination.

A blank list of categories along with definitions is sent out to industry practitioners across the country through radio station DJs, night club DJs, etc, for nominations in the various categories.

When the entries are announced, the board starts work immediately to receive entries through nomination forms submitted by record companies and entries submitted online. Nominations are then subjected to shortlisting by members of the board.

What happens to the entries received?
The VGMA board compiles all entries received into the appropriate categories and provides a final nominations list. It is a very stern and thorough exercise which requires a number of sittings to generate the final list of nominees.

The final list is then is published for public voting.

How many categories does the award have?
29 categories in total: 17 public voting categories, eight industry voting categories and four honorary categories.

How is the voting done?
The VGMA uses a three-tier voting system i.e. the public, the VGMA academy and the VGMA board.

For the honorary categories, the VGMA board has 100 percent voting decision.

For the public categories, the general public have 40 percent votes, the VGMA academy has 30 percent votes and the VGMA board has 30 percent votes.

The most popular song category is, however, decided by a 100 percent public vote.

Who counts the votes?
All votes are supervised and tabulated by world renowned business advisory firm – KPMG and presented on the night of the event.

How does a song or an artiste win?
The most popular song of the year and all the four honorary categories are determined solely by the general public and the VGMA board respectively.

The only way an artiste or a song can win in any other category is by winning any of the two out of the three groups of voters.

All these votes are collated and supervised by KPMG and artistes are encouraged to contact them for verification of figures where they have doubts.

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