Underground artistes don’t need studios – Edem responds to Gov’t

Hiplife musician Edem says underground artistes do not need studios.

His comment comes in the wake of a campaign promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to build studios for underground artistes to maximize their potentials.

Speaking on the Star Zone segment on the 3FM morning show, Sunrise, on Wednesday, the musician was emphatic that in the modern era one can start even a radio with just a laptop.

So underground artistes and painters can start something without nothing, he stressed.

The NPP manifesto as outlined by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, promised to “set up a large recording studios in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi, as part of the entrepreneurial hub's strategy, in partnership with the private sector, for recording artists to rent space for their recordings in these studios; build a digital platform for artists to make their products available to the global market; set up the Creative Arts Fund to support artists; complete the theatres in Kumasi, and construct new theatres in Takoradi and Tamale”.

But Edem, reacting to the “good news”, said what underground artistes need are systems and structures in place for them to benefit from their talents and intellectual properties.

“Because if you have a studio in your region and you still put out the material even at an affordable cost but you cannot make money out of it to sustain yourself, then I am sorry, we are on ground zero.

“Anybody who is listening we have studios everywhere. People can play beats on their i-phones, Androids, Laptops you can record anywhere. Studio is nothing too difficult for underground artistes to access in the times we are in.”

The ‘ToTo’ hit maker said he actually recorded in his home studio.

“There are songs that I have that were recorded in a hotel lobby and so what the artistes need is if the songs become big, do they have the systems and structures for them to benefit off their talents?

“Actually a state-of-the-art studio underground artistes cannot afford because if you look at the overhead cost of these equipment in the studio, if anybody sets it up, no matter how low it is, I don’t think anybody would say an underground artiste should pay GH¢50 for a studio time.

“When you book a studio you are supposed to be in the studio working averagely 8 hours now even if it is GH¢ 50 it means the studio owner is going to make averagely GH¢100 every 16 hours which is not enough to sustain the business.”

According to Edem, what they need is for the systems to work.

“We need our systems to be in place so that the whole value chain is in business.”

Edem has released an EP titled ‘Mood Swings’ comprising of six tracks.