Ghanaian event curator Ruddy Kwakye has revealed that many of the concerts organised by Ghanaian artistes in December were held for free, despite claims that they were sold out. 

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM, Ruddy Kwakye stated that although there was significant hype surrounding these “sold-out” events, the reality is that many shows gave out tickets for free just to fill venues and create the impression of success. 

“Half of your December shows by your favourite artistes were all free. They just gave tickets to people to fill it up. It’s an ego trip,” he said. 

According to Ruddy, it's a common tactic among event organisers and artistes to claim their events are sold out, even when the majority of attendees didn’t pay for tickets. 

He explained that this is often done to project an image of success, even though the organisers typically end up making losses. 

He cited pricing as an example, noting that while many artistes demand high fees to perform or host shows, the revenue from ticket sales rarely covers the cost. 

“You charge 100,000 cedis to do a show in Ghana, but the reality is you can’t sell 100,000 dollars’ worth of tickets,” he pointed out. 

Ruddy emphasized that a successful event requires a well-structured marketing system. 

He said if artistes and organisers invest in proper promotion, they will have a better chance of recovering their costs. He, however, warned that there are no shortcuts to making profits. 

“There’s a system, you market in a certain way, and you’ll get your money back. But there’s no shortcut. Just because tickets are ‘sold out’ doesn’t mean you’ll make a profit,” he added.

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