Sometimes, consumers of music don’t really care to know what goes into the creation of the products they enjoy.
They want to be notified of a new song, and hit various streaming platforms to listen and comment accordingly; they are certainly not bound or obliged to care, even though they are more often than not appreciative of the various crafts these creatives exude.
Some of us have, in one or the other, had the opportunity to witness productions, promotion and distribution of Artistes’ works, and to a large extent, management of the Artistes.
It isn’t an easy task !!! It requires an unflinching dedication and selflessness to build a human brand for the market.
It is in this vein that I would like to seize this opportunity to appreciate one of the most productive and successful record labels the Ghana Music Industry is ever blessed with Lynx Entertainment.
It’s been 15 years already; Wow!!!
I am sure heaven will nod its assent to me saying ” there can’t be Ghana Music History without mentioning Richie Mensah and his Lynx Entertainment.
I can boldly say I watched Lynx grow; as an ardent fan of music, Lynx Entertainment’s trajectory is something I can be proud of. The Music hub has over the years not only blessed this Industry with great Artistes but collaborated and worked with various Artistes and labels in churning out hits upon hits.
Each time I remember the days of Asem, nostalgia just can’t let go of me; that dude’s “pen game” was top-notch; he is still one of my all-time best Ghanaian songwriters; talk of Irene Logan, OJ Black, Eazzy baby, Zigi, Mzvee, Dope Nation Kuami Eugene KiDi, on and on it goes.
Even though some of the aforementioned Artistes couldn’t stand the test of time, it is refreshing to note that each of them at a point in time got the country chanting and dancing to their music. Richie Mensah, now the C.E.O /creative director of Lynx Entertainment, who hitherto was a full-blown artiste cum engineer/producer gave us a memorable playlist; each time you heard “You know the name right”, you knew Richie had either recorded a hit song or has blessed us with one himself.
There were times when foreign Artistes needed to associate with the Lynx brand to be fully and widely welcomed in the country; they were great by all standards. They pick raw materials and add value to them, they have the Midas touch which grants golden opportunities to every music resource.
Per statistics, Lynx entertainment can boast of 12 artistes, 17 albums, over 100 hits, 250 million audio streams, over 100 awards, and over 300+accumulated YouTube views. That’s simply success!!!
As a characteristic of every organisation, the label has had some down moments; It has been berated a couple of times for certain reasons; allegations have been levelled against the brand on multiple occasions but has remained resolute in its pursuit.
One major thing I find intriguing and rather unfortunate is how signees part ways with the record label; not only has it been very unpleasant, but further deepened suspicions regarding the operations of the Label.
Almost always, Artistes reportedly leave the record label on a bitter note, and worst of all, these Artistes either don’t get to release any major hits or can’t even sustain the aura and fame garnered from their association with the label in the aftermath.
As creative and talented as he was, Asem continued and gave us one of the greatest hits in annals of the Music Industry: Bye Bye featuring the legendary Kwabena Kwabena even after his exit, but the rest was a deglorifying history.
I keep wondering why controversies always accompany signees’ exit from the Label; has it got to do with being good managers but sore losers? Is it because Lynx spoon-feed these Artistes insomuch that when they let go of them, the craft ceases? Or the Artistes are not serious enough?
Listening to Richie Mensah on Adom TV, he attributed that myth to undue pressure mounted on former Lynx entertainment signees to more or less keep up with the joneses. He further indicated that the Lynx entertainment label has a vigorous, well-resourced and sophisticated structure which makes the work easier for the Artistes than it would have been without It; so that probably could be the reason.
I was not entirely convinced by his answer; there are other labels across the world which graciously bade farewell to certain Artistes who continued churning out great songs and maintained their stature in the Music Industry. Tiwa Savage is a typical example; I think you fail as a leader if your protégé is unable to succeed without you; maybe some modifications ought to come to the fore to help that menace.
Nonetheless, Lynx Entertainment deserves a pat on the back. The label has contributed enormously to the growth of the Music Industry; I say kudos to Richie Mensah and his Team. The journey has been fruitful and worthy, and Ghana respects you for a great job!!! Keep it up…
Ayeekoo!!!
Happy Anniversary!!!
