Ghanaian musician J Derobie has shed light on the financial realities of the local music industry, stating that consistent income is hard to come by unless an artiste reaches a certain level of prominence.
The ‘Poverty’ hitmaker, formerly signed to Mr. Eazi’s Empawa music label, emphasized that the general belief that musicians earn steady money is often misleading. According to him, only top-tier artistes enjoy regular financial rewards, while many others struggle to maintain a stable income.
“The music business can be very lucrative, but it doesn’t guarantee daily income. You need to keep working and pushing yourself,” he said in an interview with Headless YouTuber.
According to Derobie, there is a specific threshold that artistes need to cross in order to fully benefit from the industry’s financial potential.
“There’s a specific line to cross, and once you do, that’s when you start to reap the rewards. Many A-list artists, like Mr. Eazi, have crossed that line, and I believe I’m close to doing the same,” he added.
He further emphasised the importance of consistency and hard work as the key factors that will help him reach that point.
J Derobie also recalled a time when the financial rewards from his music career were not coming in.
According to him, he wished he had returned to his office job in Madina, where it was guaranteed that his salary would be paid at the end of each month.
“There was a time the money wasn’t coming in from music, and I honestly wished I had stayed at my office job in Madina. At least there, I knew I’d be paid at the end of the month,” J Derobie added.
