In my anticipation to find out how beneficial are music reality shows held in Ghana, 18.com/THE PICTURE organized a documentary to find out “HOW REALISTIC ARE MUSIC REALITY SHOWS” .
In the quest to quench our curiosity, we spoke to the main parties involve in music reality shows, from organizers, to participants, observers and judges to find out what they really think about our theme for the documentary.
The first to be visited by our team, was Mr. Percy Adjettey an events executive and a stand up comedian, who works with Citifm organizers of Voice factory, the first music reality show held on radio in Ghana. We where well received by the FM station (including the interviewee) into their territory and asked to sit down while he prepares the room for the interview. Finally it was ready and we had to start, note this it was a structured interview and so all questions followed a pattern.
18.com: Mr. Percy, What is the purpose for organizing Music Reality Shows in the country?
Percy: the purpose is to basically unearth good talents in the country, it also the plat form for others who do not have the financial means of paying for a studio session or being picked up from the streets to be heard or seen by the general public. It is also a marketing strategy where the person has being well prepared and accepted by the mass and hence giving him the lime light acceptance easily.
18.com: Take us throw the selection/ screening process, because many have being made or false to believe that organizers of reality shows normally have their own people before the show?
Percy: the selection process is easily, pick up a form, submit it and come show your talent, In voice factory the judges do not even seen the participants the participants do not also see the judges but the judges select base on the quality of a participants voice and not face or any other thing as people think.
18.com: So here we where made to understand that the dubious selection process that people complain about are not necessary true, even though a judge may have a favorite it might be on that day and trust us there are not less than three judges for a reality show, before lobbying all three judges the sow will have ended because it will not work. This pushed us to ask our next question, leading to price Packages for the constants and winners especially. The aim was to know whether they are really beneficial to the participants or the organizers this is what Percy Had to say;
Percy: Yeah with packages it first step is to find a company who will be willing to sponsor a music show, when that company is secured price packages will be defined. The packages come in various sizes, you winners are normally given a vehicle to make transport easy, but for the other constants we have packages like:
• Voice Training, one important tool for the up coming, this is because you want to help them to be accepted world wide even if they don’t win the competition.
• Another package for them is networking, here before you are evicted, you get to meet people who call for shorts in the industry and that will be of great benefit to you after the competition.
• Thirdly the luxuries car, and other packages that are luxuries come into play.
The price packages are given to the winners at the end of the show, “come on” and in the case of a car the winner must keep the brand on the car for a year and half to some people depending on what you believe.
18.com: Can you spell out the packages for the show and tell us if you really give the price packages to the winners.
Percy: Yeah, first of let me answer your question from the bottom, we do give the prices to the winners, like I said earlier on the winner gets a car and some money, so with the Voice Factory winner, he is driving his car and enjoying the money. For the other runner ups Yes they also get their prices, which normally comes in Cash and souvenirs which are handed over to them at the end of the show. The price packages vary from show to show, if you at Mentor and Stars of the future the winners are still enjoying their cars and other benefit. Normally the highest price is a Car plus some money.
18.com: So do you (organizers ) give these newly born stars a record deal?
Percy: I cant talk for my other organizers like Mentor and , Stars of the Future but I can talk from voice factory angle, Its not like a record deal for the winner, normally with the money you are given it is expected of the winner to use the money to start some recording and what we do here is that we give the star free air time, playing all his songs for him any time he brings it to the station.
18.com: Is the Winner of Voice Factory or any other Constants under the musician union of Ghana.
Percy: This is how it works, it is like acting, the actor decides if he wants to join an umbrella or not, it is only wise for a musician to belong to a union, but nevertheless the artiste decides thereof. We as organizers do not give the artiste to MUSCIGA but creates a link between the artiste and MUSICGA, leaving the decision to the artiste in question.
18.com: Lets talk about the social responsibility of the winner, how far does it go?
Percy: Charity is from the heart and one decides to give or not, what am saying is that we (organizers) do not give you any social responsibility to carry, but after the show if you decide to take on charity, why not we will support him if we are called upon. With the Voice factory winner, every thing is going on well for now, if you visit his school (UG) every thing is fine for him, he just won the show last year lets see if he will love to take up a social responsibility.
18.com: Not to undermine the work of organizers in the country, but I think they should do well to touch on the issue of social responsibility to contestants before they win the competition. If the organizers able to spell out in details the benefits of taking up social responsibility, am sure when the winner is chosen by the mass and judges, he will love to give back to the people who selected him through votes. Or the organizers can add a social responsibility task to the price packages to get the winners working and changing society since they become icons among friends and hence what they speak against or give to will get a marvelous ripple effect in the future for the artiste. Is it the case that our organizers do not want to work after the show again or do not really understand how powerful the music icons are to our society. Finally we asked how clean and realistic does he think music reality shows are in the country.
Percy: I will encourage any body to take part in any music reality show, because it’s a big step to do many things like; 1. It’s a plat form to launch your career as a musician that is if you have that solid idea.
2. Its network marketing, getting to be known as a star who participated in a reality shows if managed well by the person can fetch him lots of deals example is Fritz on the Vodafone 30-30 advert . There are many other benefits attached to it, I stick my neck out and say that this events are clean and very realistic, you should take part in such reality shows, if you have a good strong Voice with passion for singing and wants to be a musician.
18.com: That last line was very powerful and true, if you ask me, for the latest edition of voice factory in which 18.com had the opportunity to witness the auditions, it was so clean that the judges did not meet the participants before, during and after the show because they where in the room all time. The selection process was done based on strong quality voice and not personality.
The journey still continued to the next visitation, keep on reading the BLOG for the up dates...
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