Augustina Addison
The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has marked the 2023 edition of World Day with a call on government to give back operating licence to the Ghana Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) for collection of music royalties.
The Ashanti Regional Chairperson for Musicians Union of Ghana, Augustina Addison, who made the call, explained that due to the licence withholding, the agency would be unable to distribute any collections. Consequently, GHAMRO will be unable to fulfil its mandate of collecting royalties until the licence is renewed.
The seasoned musician in an interview with OTEC FM said that the operating licence has been withheld by the regulator through the copyright office for years, preventing musicians in the country from enjoying the fruit of their labour.
“We are passionately pleading with the government to as a matter of urgency restore the operating licence of GHAMRO, because they are unable to collect royalties and distribute them to its members without the licence,” she said.
Although GHAMRO is barred from distributing royalties, it can still collect royalties and wait till their licence is renewed before they can give them out to the right owners.
Meanwhile, Rex Omar, Chairman of GHAMRO’s interim management committee, has strongly refuted the allegations made by Akosua Agyapong, describing them as a “smear campaign to malign the management and directors of the organisation with misleading information to further their personal agenda.”
Akosua Agyapong has accused GHAMRO of various improprieties, including non-compliance with several recommendations outlined in the organisation’s 2021 report.
He also emphasised that GHAMRO is against a campaign by some notable persons, including Madam Akosua Agyapong, to stop payments for the use of protected music.
Omar revealed that GHAMRO submitted all the requisite documentation for the renewal of its licence in June 2022.
