Sarkodie has stated that it is unacceptable for veteran artistes to ask for money when their music could have sustained them.
Speaking at the Kumasi Rising Music, Media, and Tourism Dialogue on September 25, 2025, the rapper argued that with the right structures in place, no artiste should grow old and be left seeking financial assistance.
He explained that the revenue generated from music, even on a monthly basis, can be sufficient to support artistes throughout their lives if the industry is properly regulated.
According to him, the financial struggles many veteran musicians face stem from poor deals signed in the past.
He noted that most were paid small amounts in exchange for their entire catalogs, resulting in a loss of ownership and the ability to earn from their work.
Sarkodie mentioned that if Ghana had a stronger system to protect artistes, such situations would not have occurred.
He also emphasized investment and monetization as the two key areas requiring urgent attention.
Strengthening these aspects, he believes, would transform the music sector.
“All these old-age artistes, what music can make for you monthly, there’s no old-age artiste who should be asking for any money from anyone. But if you listen to their stories, somebody gave them some small change and then took the music, so now they have nothing to live off. If the system was right, nobody would have been able to get them to sell their catalogue. So it’s a lot.
“But these two, the investment part and the monetization of the industry, if we get that right, Ghana wouldn’t need to go anywhere. We’d just go out there for the looks, but we’d still make money even if we stay local,” Sarkodie said.
During the event, moderator Serwaa Amihere asked Sarkodie about rumours that he had sold his music catalogue.
The rapper dismissed the speculation, clarifying that he has not sold his catalogue but only switched distribution partners.
He explained that as an independent artiste, he has the freedom to decide which companies distribute his music at any given time.
“No, so we have partnerships. That’s what I’ve been doing. I do distribution with Ditto, and now with a new company. So that’s the luxury I have as an independent artiste. You are able to pick and choose who distributes my music,” he added.
Source: Ghanaweb.com
