The Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) has responded to Fancy Gadam’s concerns over his recent royalty payment of GH¢123.82, explaining how royalties are calculated and distributed.
GHAMRO acknowledged the singer’s contribution to Ghanaian music but stressed that it only collects and distributes publishing, broadcast, performance, and synchronisation royalties. Sound recording (master) royalties from digital platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, and Audiomack are paid directly to the owner through distributors or record labels.
Publishing royalties, GHAMRO noted, make up only 15–20 percent of total streaming revenue, while the remaining 80–85 percent belongs to master recordings. The organisation said that any drop in reported digital usage affects only the publishing share.
On broadcast royalties, GHAMRO highlighted that over 90 percent of Ghanaian radio and TV stations are non-compliant, limiting payments despite the popularity of an artist’s work. Live performance and synchronisation royalties, it added, depend on valid licensing, accurate reporting, and proper registration.
The organisation stressed that royalty fluctuations do not reflect bias or undervaluing of artists, but the availability of verified data and payments. GHAMRO reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and urged Fancy Gadam and other members to contact its Distribution and Documentation teams for detailed statements.
Gordon Mensah, Head of Digital Service and Distribution, said the system ensures royalties are distributed accurately to the right holder at the right time, calling for stronger compliance to sustain Ghanaian music creators.
Read the full statement below
The Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO) acknowledges the concerns raised by our valued member, Ahmed Bello Mujahid, popularly known as Fancy Gadam, regarding the level of royalties recently received. We appreciate his long-standing contribution to Ghana’s music industry and the effort, creativity, and investment that go into producing his works.
It is however important to provide clarity on how royalties are generated and distributed, particularly in relation to digital, live performance, synchronization, and broadcast usage.
Firstly, GHAMRO’s mandate is limited to the collection and distribution of mechanical, performance, broadcast and synchronization (case by case) royalties, in accordance with Copyright Act 2005 (Act 690), Copyright Regulation, 2010 (L.I1962) as amended and international collective management standards under CISAC. GHAMRO does not collect or distribute sound recording (master) royalties from Digital Service Providers (DSPs).
Sound recording royalties often the larger portion of income from Digital Service Providers (DSPs) such as Spotify, Apple Music, Audiomack, Boomplay, and others are paid directly to the owner of the master recording, usually through the right holder’s digital distributor or record label. If Fancy Gadam owns the sound recordings he invested time, resources, and sleepless nights to create, those earnings are paid to him by his distributor, not by GHAMRO.
In the digital ecosystem specifically, publishing royalties represent approximately 15–20% of total streaming revenue. The remaining 80–85% relates to sound recording rights, which fall outside GHAMRO’s scope. As a result, a decline or absence of digital usage reports received from DSPs directly affects only the publishing portion payable by GHAMRO, not the master recording income paid by distributors.
Secondly, regarding broadcast royalties, GHAMRO continues to face a significant structural challenge where over 90% of broadcasting networks in Ghana remain non-compliant with royalty payments. Where broadcasters do not pay or do not submit valid usage reports, GHAMRO cannot lawfully distribute royalties for those uses, regardless of how popular an artist’s music may be on air.
Thirdly, for live performance and synchronization royalties, payments are strictly based on:
• Valid licensing of events or productions,
• Accurate programme returns and usage reports,
• Correct and up-to-date registration of works.
Where usage is not reported, licensed, or paid for by music users, royalties unfortunately cannot be generated for distribution.
GHAMRO wishes to emphasize that fluctuations in royalty amounts do not reflect bias, neglect, or diminished value of any artist, but rather the availability of verified usage data and payments received from music users locally and internationally.
We remain fully committed to transparency, fairness, and accuracy, as demonstrated by our adoption of the WIPO-Connect system, hybrid distribution methodologies, and CISAC-aligned best practices. These systems ensure that whenever royalties are received and reported, they are distributed to the right holder, for the right work, at the right time.
We respectfully encourage Fancy Gadam and all GHAMRO members to engage directly with our Distribution and Documentation teams for detailed, work-by-work statements and clarifications. GHAMRO remains open and available via +233 57 316 8111 or [email protected].
Together, by strengthening compliance, reporting, and understanding of the royalty ecosystem, we can build a sustainable future that truly rewards Ghanaian creators.
Thank you.
Gordon Mensah
Head, Digital Service and Distribution.
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