In what was an enlightening conversation between hosts and a panel of 3Music Tv and the head of Youtube Music Sub Saharan Africa, Addy Awo, I congratulate the production team for their efforts in elevating industry conversations and changing the status quo by asking valid and thought-provoking questions which only promises an industry yet to be relieved of one of its biggest drawbacks.
Not to take anything away from the equipped hosts and pundits who deliberated on issues I wished that for an issue that has been a major topic in our entertainment industry for years, its leading orchestrators in this case Kelly Nii Lartey Mensah, Jonilar, and co were invited to the studios or even put on the phone to create a two-sided conversation. This will I believe will not make such conversations intricate as it was described as “mythical” by the Youtube Music rep.
As stated earlier I congratulate the host and panel that questioned Addy Awo to receive answers, however, I was less intrigued as the answering of such questions were addressed with tactfulness. The answering to questions was done more in a way not to reveal some things or better still one could allude that the lady probably doesn’t know much about the algorithm and how some A. I settings work as she confirmed at some point that it’s not everything she knows and at times falls on the resources available to provide certain answers.
Why am I saying this?
Speaking as an MD whom we’re about to introduce one of the finest locally develop Digital Streaming Platform with a lot of insight on how algorithms are set to work and how A.I’s are set, I feel she was trying to protect some information not to make it look like their work as head of music for Sub-Saharan YouTube Africa is not credible due to their motive as a result of conflicting interest or her patriotism or even debunk some claims just to ensure a lot of questions won’t go on her.
When the likes of Kelly and co preach and echo for our own local executives to take charge of our space it’s a threat to them and their position and so she will say everything to make it look like it’s a myth that local executives don’t have influence in such things or understand the technical know-how in pushing content into a certain Demography or Space.
Baba Sadiq asked a solid question and referred to his Tanzania feed when he logged in to TZ, but she smartly said the algorithm suggests some Content based on listenership individually and if you click on it it will recommend more, that’s so true but the question is what leads to the I.P identifying your location to recommend those Content, why do the A. I think you might love such content. Who or what’s making the A. I feed us with such Content in the first place? That’s because when one is creating an account the requirements asks for your country and some details which help them understand where you are watching or streaming from (Locality) . At times some platforms even ask you to allow the system to locate your location.. who are those controlling those data? She Said the Algorithm automatically does that. Well what I know is the algorithm can be controlled or tempered since it’s created and is managed by humans.
Ask yourself how do people enter Apple top 10 charts and stuff after they’ve paid for activations? Are those songs indeed listened nationwide or by their biggest audience based on their data as she was trying to make it look as a reason songs automatically climb to the top of the charts?
No, that’s because they are pushing it on their audience and helping the song get into their face by force. There are manipulations in music business and it’s more a disadvantage to you when that turf us dictated by executives who are not locals.
If I’m to write everything here it might look so long but please when such conversations are going to be discussed try get people raising such conversations that knows exactly what they’ve been championing to actually explain or tell why they think it’s not a myth but rather a political way of suppressing us by feeding us by force with their Content. For someone who admitted that Nigerians love to empower or support their own, why can’t she and her team ensure they are deliberately pushing their Content more on us?
In all she did extremely well with most of the questions and the answers she gave and also some of the detailed information she shared out per my experience and what I have read over the years and practice on YouTube are absortly true but progress can only be made when our local executives are in these places.
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