Building Sustainable Brand Is Key To Success – D-Black To Musicians

Musician and business mogul, Desmond Kwesi Blackmore, better known by his stage name D-Black, has stated that entertainers must prioritize their branding.

In an interview on 3Music TV’s Culture Daily, the VERA hitmaker explained that musicians must heavily invest in themselves and establish their brands as household names in order to be able to make money from their careers. 

“I think that there’s something that has become even more important than the actual music. I think it’s the brand. I don’t have to have a hit song right now to be booked for shows and appearances. I don’t think Sarkodie has to as well. There are a few brands like that. I think the fans have to emulate the artiste, want to be like the artiste and even sound like the artiste. So your brand has to exude that superstar power for you to leverage off it.”

He emphasizes that because the industry provides less profit in terms of royalties, leveraging the brand and establishing new lucrative career paths are the best options.

“In Ghana, we know royalties, majorities of the revenue that you make of being an artiste is off performing and streaming. And most of the streaming revenue doesn’t come from Ghana. So then what’s next? You have to leverage off your brand and create other avenues of revenues that you are passionate about then it makes business sense especially when you have grand ideas about your future, where you want to see yourself in the next couple of years.”

According to D-Black, focusing on creating music only would not allow one to reach the pinnacle of success he or she intends to have.