Flowking Stone explained that in earlier times, it was the producers who bore the financial burden of promoting music. They managed all aspects of promotion, including paying for radio slots and engaging DJs. However, with the rise of the internet, CD sales plummeted, severely impacting the music industry. Consequently, many music producers shifted their focus to producing movies, especially as Kumawood was thriving at that time.
This shift left many artists to fend for themselves, forcing them to self-promote. According to Flowking Stone, these independent artists were often labeled as “Indie artists.”
During an interview on 3FM Drive with Giovani Caleb, Flowking Stone highlighted the financial strain this change has placed on artists. “Those days when we used to come to radio, there were the producers who used to drop our songs and fund it. Take the songs to the DJs and pay them. Now, it got to a time when the producers left to go do movies when Kumawood was at the top and music was not working like that.”
He further elaborated, “There was a change. They were not able to sell CDs, the internet was coming, and the artistes were fighting with producers and a lot of stuff. There was a very long period when artistes were funding themselves; it is just recently that record labels are coming in.”
Flowking Stone observed that even with the emergence of platforms like TikTok, the promotional landscape has become more demanding and expensive. “Now TikTok came and people started blowing, and we were like okay. Even before TikTok, there was Facebook. There was a time even when you post a video on Facebook, they will open up to all your fans and reduce the number of people who will see it. They will allow only 5% of your fans to see it unless you buy an advert, so we started buying adverts and tipping the club DJs and radio DJs. Then TV stations came, and you had to tip all the people.”
He pointed out the financial burden artists now face, especially as TikTok influencers charge more than traditional media channels. “The funny thing is that TikTok is the last hope, and they started charging more than all the others. So now the job is difficult; you can blow on TikTok, and if you don’t have good friends on the radio, it will not go.”
Flowking Stone is currently promoting his ‘Decision’ album, which was released last year while he was in the UK. The album features collaborations with artists such as King Paluta, Mr. Drew, and Morphty.
