Bank Teller Better Than Musician?

Veteran Ghanaian music producer and sound engineer Hammer of The Last Two has stirred debate in the creative industry after declaring that only a handful of Ghanaian musicians are genuinely successful.

Speaking on the Konnected Minds podcast, Hammer, born Edward Nana Poku Osei, said most artistes in Ghana are struggling financially because the country lacks a properly organised music industry to protect them.

He attributed the challenges confronting many musicians to the absence of structure, which leaves artistes without the financial security needed to plan for their future.

His comments followed discussions about data indicating that 85.4% of surveyed musicians were not enrolled in any registered pension scheme.

Reacting to the figures, Hammer said many artistes simply lack the income to make regular retirement contributions, stressing that the problem is not laziness but lack of stable earnings.

“They don’t have the money for the pension scheme. You’re better off as a teller at a bank,” he said.

“You will be more consistent with your pension scheme payments than a musician.”

He explained that a bank teller has better retirement security than most local artistes because banks have a structured system that ensures regular salaries and pension contributions.

According to Hammer, successful musicians in Ghana are very few, and those who manage to survive financially largely depend on public goodwill and patronage rather than a well-established industry structure.

“A successful musician, how many are there in Ghana? Successful musicians in Ghana are a handful,” he stated.

The legendary producer, who groomed and produced hitmakers including Obrafour, Tinny, Kwaw Kese, Sarkodie and Ayigbe Edem, said the absence of an industry forces musicians to become businessmen on their own, a role they were not originally trained for.

He noted that unlike in Nigeria, where artistes like Davido can live large because the industry protects them through structured royalties, brand deals and corporate systems, Ghanaian artistes survive largely on personal relationships and individual efforts.

Hammer also revealed that producers in Ghana often wait several years before receiving returns from publishing royalties, making it difficult to plan financially.

He cited his own experience, saying he built financial stability not only from music but from other business ventures, including selling bread.

The comments have reignited calls for a proper pension and welfare scheme for creatives in Ghana, with many industry players arguing that musicians, producers, sound engineers and other creatives deserve retirement security after years of serving the nation through entertainment.

Hammer’s statement has since sparked mixed reactions online, with some fans agreeing that the industry is disorganised, while others argue that top artistes like Sarkodie, Black Sherif and Stonebwoy have proven that success is possible.

https://x.com/PulseGhana/status/2119774505778458977/photo/1?a=jFUwx7CQWJ3ys3nQkPE&s=19

TaiwoCruzy feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com