Ghanaian hip hop star, Desmond Kwesi Blackmore is better known by his stage name D-Black has shared his view concerning the Entertainment Industry in Ghana.

The C.E.O. of Black Avenue Music told Berla Mundi on GHOne TV’s Rythmz Live One on One show the Showbiz Industry that applies to every aspect of entertainment including cinema, television, radio, theatre, and music at the moment doesn’t focus on the talents of players but on marketing and promotion.

D-Black indicated that though scouting for good talents in the industry is very important, industry players and owners of Showbiz companies now focus on the business of promoting and selling the products.

“It’s not just about talent anymore in the industry, it’s about marketing and pushing. You can have beautiful product… You can be the most incredible rapper but if you’re not marketed and promoted well, you will just be a good rapper and might not be a successful rapper,” D-Black said. According to him, if one has a good product and if not marketed well one will fade out so easily.

When asked about the problem of companies not wanting to invest in the arts sector, D-Black opined that the individual should invest in themselves.

Recounting how he struggled to get investors, D-Black said when he started his event company it wasn’t easy to get sponsors but invested his personal money which opened the opportunity for investors.

“When you believe in something, work hard and go get it, don’t sit down waiting for somebody to help you,” he added. According to him, when he started music, he used to sell his sneakers to get money to record his songs.

“One of the things my dad always used to do for me was anytime he traveled he buys us brand new sneakers and I take the sneakers to Circle in Accra to sell them. If for instance, I sell the sneakers for like Ghc400.00, I’ll buy two second-hand sneakers for GHc200.00 and go record two or three songs with the GHc200.00 left. So it’s about making sacrifices, pushing and believing in yourself. I’ve sold my cars to support my music projects so it’s about risk taking,” D-Black narrated. D-black is a music business entrepreneur, executive producer and multiple award-winning Anglophone hip hop/afrobeat artist from Ghana.

Outside of making music, he is the C.E.O of multimedia firm “Black Avenue Works” that specializes in product/brand marketing, celebrity advertising, entertainment consultancy, corporate & social events.

There are subsidiary companies of Black Avenue Works that D-Black is director of namely “Black Avenue Muzik”, an independent Record Label and Distribution outlet, “Black Avenue Clothing” an independent clothing line, “Livewire Events” co-owned by himself and his road and business managers.

He is also the creative director of “Black Avenue TV” and “Black Avenue Films”, two new television and film production companies with a movie and television show under their belt in their past year.