The fact that Shatta Wale is the artiste with the biggest fan base in Ghana is no gainsaying.
This has been evident in shows he has organized in the past and the responsiveness to his call by his fans even on social media.
Last year, Shatta Wale made a big statement in the history of music in Ghana; he filled the auditorium of the biggest Dome in Ghana at the moment (15,000 capacity), the Fantasy to the gills.
Aside from that, there were scores of people outside the auditorium who had either not had access to the Dome or just passed through to enjoy the ambience.
This year, however, the numbers were lower; the auditorium was half empty (you can say “half-full”) and the people outside were not as many as last year’s.
I had not expected to see such an attendance.
While at it, I decided to do some brainstorming to find out what could have contributed to the low patronage.
1. Low Publicity: The publicity for the event was not as intense as last year’s. The ‘Reign Album’ came with a lot of promotional strategies including the logos and paraphernalia. Up till now, these regalia are selling on the market. ‘Wonder Boy’ did not enjoy that.
2. The Maiden Edition: Last year’s Reign Concert was not the first time Shatta Wale had organized a show for his audience but it was the first time he put together a paid-for show in such a huge auditorium. It was also the launch of his ‘Reign Album’, an album that has been giving so much hype as ‘unprecedented’ in the history of Ghanaian music.
3. The Shatta-Stone Rivalry: It appears the peace between Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy has quenched the razzmatazz that comes with activities involving the two acts. Last year, there was a euphoria with whether Shatta could fill the Fantasy Dome, just to prove a point to Stonebwoy. Since the beef was squashed there seems to have been no motivation for events organized by the two acts. There was no suspense for this year’s Reign Concert.
4. The Rate: Last year, the tickets for Regular attendees was GHc 20 and VIP, GHc 50. This enabled most of Shatta Wale’s core fans to get access to the show. This year, the rate was pegged at 50gh regular and 100gh VIP.
5. The NAM 1 Factor: Shatta Wale was blessed while with Zylofon Music record label, a company that is owned by Nana Appiah Mensah aka NAM1. Obviously, he had financial support from the record label last year. This year, however, Zylofon Music which is owned by NAM1 whose gold dealership company had been closed by the Securities and Exchange Commission for not having the right documents has been inactive. Aside from that, it had been announced that Shatta’s contract with the company had expired. This means he may not have had enough financial resources to promote this year’s Reign Concert.
(Source: Ghana Weekend)
