GHAMRO Threatens Legal Action Over Unpaid Music Royalties

As part of efforts to ensure Ghanaian music rights owners receive the royalties they deserve when their works are used publicly, the CEO of Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Jackson Brefo, has threatened legal action against private networks, radio and TV stations, and brands that deliberately refuse to pay for using music. Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z on January 17, 2025, the GHAMRO boss disclosed that names of all radio and TV stations, private networks, and brands that use music without paying in the Ghanaian jurisdiction will be published by the end of the first quarter of 2026. “Private networks, radio and TV stations deliberately refuse to pay for the use of music. Because GHAMRO is a private entity, we are supposed to file a civil process at the High Court. We will “publish the names of all radio stations, non-essential users and brands that are using music and are not paying in the Ghanaian jurisdiction. We will make this public by the end of March,” he said. '90% of Ghana's broadcasting networks refuse to pay musician royalties' – GHAMRO claims Jackson Brefo added that once the names of these media organisations and private entities are made public and they still refuse to pay, GHAMRO will proceed with legal action. He explained that the organisation has been engaging the Copyright Office since it holds prosecutorial power. “We take legal action. We are speaking with the Copyright Office, because they hold prosecutorial powers. So while GHAMRO files the civil process, we are speaking with the Copyright Office to also file the criminal one, because infringement on copyright has both civil and criminal remedies,” he noted. The CEO also stated that GHAMRO is positioning itself to become one of the best-performing Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) in Africa. He added that the organisation will be following up more critically with international bodies such as the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the International Constitutional Society of Authors and Composers. Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) is the body that manages music copyright on behalf of musicians, composers, and music publishers in Ghana. In simple terms, they collect royalties when music is used publicly (radio, TV, events, brands, etc.) and distribute those royalties to the right owners. Watch the video below: Meanwhile, watch GhanaWeb's exclusive interview with Ghanaian musician/comedian David Oscar Dogbe AK/EB