Worldwide streaming service Spotify today announced a gift from its Creator Equity Fund to promote up-and-coming musicians in Ghana. Vibrate Space is a non-profit that provides young Ghanaian musicians with the resources and know-how they need to succeed in the business.
Young musicians in Ghana are given the opportunity to create, interact, and collaborate through Surf Ghana's Vibrate Space community recording studio and music business program in Accra.
In September 2022, Spotify made a grant to Vibrate that made it possible for the studio to open. Vibrate has hosted more than 200 creators for events and seminars over the last six months, and it has registered over 200 studio bookings.
Spotify is making a sizable investment from its Creator Equity Fund, which will be managed over several years, to assist Vibrate in achieving its ambitious objectives to develop and promote the creative economy in Ghana.
Speaking about the partnership, Phiona Okumu, Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), said, “Since Spotify’s arrival in Africa five years ago, we have worked to identify opportunities to support artists in ways that speak directly to each of our markets. The partnership with Vibrate allows us to continue supporting emerging artists and cultural entrepreneurs in Ghana in addition to the on-platform work we are doing in the country.”
The most recent donation was announced today at an event at Surf Ghana by Spotify’s Global Head of Artist and Audience Partners Joe Hadley. “Spotify is proud to continue our efforts to support and uplift creatives with our Creator Equity Fund. I’m excited to share that from that fund we’re announcing a donation to the Vibrate Space in Accra, Ghana. They have been incredible partners to us; continually pouring into the local community and creating a space where artists can come together to grow creatively. We’re looking forward to hearing the music, stories, and success that will come out of Vibrate.”
The gift will be disbursed over several years, allowing the organization to work with and assist even more aspiring young artists who want to launch their careers.
With the additional money, Vibrate wants to stage a festival there at the end of the year, help artists organize their own events, and open a youth hostel where young people can find affordable, short-term housing while simultaneously engaging with Vibrate's collaborative and communal features. The organization also plans to launch a women's program with the goal of promoting the advancement of women in the industry, as well as an artist in residence and exchange program to foster innovation, collaboration, and cross-cultural interchange. Also, they want to broaden their educational offerings by adding a three-month instrument learning program that will start with piano lessons and eventually include other instruments, as well as another two years of their incredibly popular monthly masterclasses.
Founder and director of Surf Ghana, Sandy Alibo, said, “We are happy to be partnered with Spotify. They’re really supportive of the alternative scene, and not every brand understands that. We work with young, and emerging artists and creators who are looking to make a mark in the music industry, and Spotify is a brand that speaks to young people, and has played a significant role in taking African and Ghanaian music to the world.”
