Ghanaian rapper launches music sync service

The service, which is powered by payment platform Flutterwave, affords artists, producers, songwriters and music representatives to access sync deals for their music while earning revenue from their catalogues through sync fees and backend royalties.

Named Apple Music’s New Favorite Artist in September 2017, Bryan the Mensah enjoys a growing reputation in Africa’s alternative scene and is behind three albums: Friends With the Sun (2017), Wildlife (2018) and Not Going Outside (2020).

Music sync, or synchronisation, allows for the incorporation of songs in visual mediums such as film, TV series, trailers, adverts and video games.

Bryan the Mensah told Music In Africa that apart from providing alternative funding for artists, Blync was created to raise awareness about the sync aspect of the music industry in Ghana.

“I realised that a lot of people didn’t know much about that part of the industry, which differs from the distribution and live industries,” he said. “Especially in our part of the world, a key challenge for artists is funding for their sustenance and career development.

“Once an artist or songwriter applies for sync opportunities through us, their music is considered and hopefully gets a placement. Once that placement is done, the money is then paid to the artist.”

To qualify for Blync, music professionals must have access to a catalogue of music, which they may also have bought from another artist or songwriter, or have access to as a result of a partnership.

Placement opportunities are announced on the platform as briefs containing the requirements a catalogue must satisfy for a new sync project. They include topic, genre, tempo and mood, among others.

If an artist or music professional’s catalogue meets the requirements of the brief, they can submit it for consideration and subsequently, placement. Sync fees will then be paid out to the music professional, who may in turn split them with the artist or songwriter based on the agreed-upon terms.