Diana Hopeson (L), Bessa Simons (M), and Nsroma
President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, has commended MTN Ghana for the Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) initiative which has helped artistes earn revenue in the digital era.
Speaking at the MTN Digital Music Conference, Mr. Simons said CRBT is a strategic intervention aimed at addressing one of the most pressing issues facing Ghanaian institutions today: sustainable income generation in the digital age.
“As we all know, the music industry has undergone a rapid transformation. While digital streaming platforms have opened up global audiences for our artistes, they have also introduced new challenges, particularly around revenue. Many artistes are creating great music and gaining visibility but are struggling to translate that visibility into meaningful and consistent income,” he said.
He indicated that earning significant income from streaming alone often requires millions of streams. For many, especially the young ones, this can be a difficult threshold to reach.
“However, alternative platforms like CRBT present an opportunity — one that offers recurring, passive income driven by fan engagement and local consumption patterns. They complement streaming and create a more balanced income ecosystem for artistes,” he pointed out.
Mr. Simons added that the collaboration with MTN is not just as a partnership but a shared responsibility, stressing, “We must work together to educate our artistes on how digital platforms truly work. Let me commend MTN for this initiative.”
CRBT replaces the normal ringing tone callers hear with a song or sound. When an MTN user sets a song as their Caller Tune, they pay a monthly subscription fee. A portion of that fee goes to the artiste/rights holder.
With streaming platforms needing millions of streams to earn decent money ($0.003 – $0.005 per stream), MTN CRBT earns from each subscriber monthly, even with few plays. Additionally, compared to other streaming platforms where income fluctuation is based on play counts, MTN CRBT is a recurring, passive income as long as the subscriber keeps the tune. CRBT leverages local fan loyalty and high mobile penetration in Ghana.
Gospel recording artiste, Nsroma Delanyo Amoateng, disclosed that with CRBT, one doesn’t need 1 million streams, saying, “Every caller hears the song. It’s free promo for the artiste while generating revenue. New releases get instant exposure to callers.”
The conference witnessed massive representation by music stakeholders, with the likes of gospel singer and former president of MUSIGA, Diana Hopeson, Rap artiste D-Black, Camidoh, and Baba Sadiq among others in attendance.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke
