Media personality and entertainment critic Austin Woode has called for Ghana Music Awards schemes to move beyond annual award ceremonies and introduce programmes that deliver sustained benefits to the country’s music industry.
Speaking on Starr Showbiz with Feeling Daddy on Starr FM on Saturday, August 15, 2026, Mr Woode said awards schemes should have clearly defined objectives beyond recognising musicians who have excelled in a particular year.
He said organisers should determine what they intend to achieve for the music industry and design activities that can contribute meaningfully to its development.
“After, right, we should be able to at the start of it say, what do we want to achieve with this aside awarding Ghanaians who have impacted on the music industry their year and their review?” he said.
Mr Woode, who has served as an academy member of the Ghana Music Awards for about 20 years, cited the evolution of the awards scheme as an example of how such events can create broader industry impact.
According to him, the Ghana Music Awards initially faced challenges around how the awards could contribute beyond the main ceremony. He said this led to the introduction of activities including workshops, training for young musicians, legal advice and seminars addressing issues affecting society and the music industry.
READ: Austin Woode calls for government to bring Ghana Music Awards organisers abroad under one umbrella
He also highlighted the introduction of nominees’ jams in different parts of the country, including Tamale, Sunyani, Kumasi and Takoradi.
Mr Woode said taking such activities outside the Greater Accra Region could generate economic benefits for host communities while providing opportunities for emerging musicians to showcase their talents.
“Imagine what happens or the impact taking a Ghana Music Awards nominees jam to Kumasi, how it will impact the economy there,” he said.
He explained that such programmes could generate sales and attract attention to young talents from parts of the country who may otherwise struggle to gain visibility.
Mr Woode contrasted this approach with what he described as the current model of some diaspora-based awards schemes, particularly Ghana Music Awards UK and Ghana Music Awards US.
He said some of these events appeared to focus primarily on holding a one-day ceremony to honour musicians before disappearing until the following edition.
“With the Ghana Music Awards UK, I think the focus is all about a one day event where musicians who have excelled in a particular year and the reason you come, we award them and we hear nothing about it again until the next event,” he said.
He added that there had been instances where an awards event did not take place the following year without an official explanation to patrons.
Mr Woode argued that awards schemes should instead have a clear long-term vision and use their platforms to provide practical support to the music industry.
He maintained that awards should serve as part of a broader strategy to develop talent, create opportunities for creative professionals and promote Ghanaian music beyond the country.
According to him, the impact of an awards scheme should therefore be assessed not only by the popularity of its ceremony or the artists it honours, but also by what it does for the industry between editions.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
