Stonebwoy
Award-winning dancehall artiste, Livingstone Etse Satekla, known in the music scene as Stonebwoy, has advised the management of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) to find lasting solutions to the problems facing the organisation.
The dancehall artiste, who could not hide his feelings about the lapses at GHAMRO, urged its management to put in place structures to aid Ghanaian musicians who only make money out of their intellectual properties through performances.
The organisation which is responsible for monitoring, collecting and distributing royalties to musicians have in the past complained about lack of funds with which to carry out their duties.
But Stonebwoy who believes the time has come to move on from the old structure and way of doing things, said it is high time GHAMRO put in place proper structures to protect the interest of the musicians.
In a post on his Twitter page, Stonebwoy wrote: “GHAMRO this year 2022! The royalty system must work properly, I promise to push until it’s fixed, No fights, No disrespect intended, Let’s face the issues Now! The sudden increase in royalty is pure PR, I have congratulated you on that anyway.”
It is on record that a large number of Ghanaian musicians and music producers have lost total interest in the current Interim GHAMRO board after they expressed concerns about the way and manner the organisation is being managed by certain personalities.
They stated that the entire leadership of GHAMRO has failed to live up to expectation and doing little to support the growth of the music industry.
Describing GHAMRO as “a tragic disaster”, the musicians mentioned that the actions of the board have turned the fortunes of the industry upside down.
“GHAMRO needs to put in place personalities who have the skills and credibility to run the affairs of the organisation,” they lamented.
They expressed concern about GHAMRO’s failure to collaborate with the stakeholders to put in place measures to facilitate a smooth running of the day to day activities of the organisation.
The musicians however, stressed that the royalty collection system in Ghana had not witnessed massive enhancement due to the absence of competent leadership to manage GHAMRO.
GHAMRO is a royalty collection organisation within Ghana that represents the rights of music copyright holders.
The organisation which was created under section 49 of the Copyright Law, Act 690 of 2005, collects royalties for all rights owners in Ghana.
By George Clifford Owusu