Music Streaming is the Biggest Con Ever — Ben Brako says Musicians are being Shortchanged

Veteran Ghanaian musician Ben Brako has described modern music streaming platforms as “the biggest con ever,” arguing that artistes receive only a tiny fraction of the revenue generated from their music.

Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey, Brako said the economics of streaming have shifted power away from musicians and into the hands of digital platforms.

“Streaming is the biggest con ever. The streamers get all the money, and you’re lucky to get six cents.”

According to the highlife legend, today’s musicians no longer earn what artistes once made from physical record sales.

He explained that in the past, musicians benefited from receiving a percentage of album sales, making it possible to build sustainable careers.

“It’s not like at first when they used to get a percentage of sales. People made good money.”

Brako said streaming payouts are so poor that many artistes now depend on concerts, endorsements and social media income instead of music sales.

“People are getting money from shows, from endorsements, from social media, from so many other avenues.”

He added that even artistes attracting hundreds of thousands of streams often complain about the low financial returns.

“You get like 500,000 hits and the money they give you… it’s nothing like before.”

Brako also argued that attempts by some musicians to return to vinyl or other alternative formats are unlikely to solve the problem.

“These people have conned the market already.”