Prolific musician D-Black has for some time now, been criticizing the Ghana a Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO) for failing to effectively allocate royalties to deserving musicians in the country.
Over the years, Ghanaian musicians have bemoaned over the unfair treatment by the musical body and Dblack is of no exception.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s Showbiz 360, D-Black stated that the musical body which is mandated to collect royalties on behalf of musicians in the country have not properly positioned itself over the years.
He reiterated that the musical body is not being professional in its executions, recounting a situation where he was called by a rep from GHAMRO a day after he spoke on radio about the royalty problems in the music body.
Dblack recounted that a rep from GHAMRO asked him to forward his mobile transfer number which he described as unprofessional.
“I was on radio talking about it and the next day someone texted me and told me mine is ready and I was told to send my mobile transfer number. I thought it was the most unprofessional thing ever.”
“I think we need to petition the Minister of Tourism to audit GHAMRO and I mentioned at the recent meeting with the IGP,” he added.
He added that musician do not receive payments of royalties and statements from GHAMRO unlike how other music royalty collection bodies of some other countries do.
“For the past 11 years that I have been in this industry, I have never received a statement and no musician that I know has received a statement. When it comes to payment, no musician I know have received payment from GHAMRO.”
The musician who doubles as an entrepreneur revealed that he receives statements from an American royalty collection music body and questioned why GHAMRO cannot follow suit.
“I am registered to a royalty collection body in America called ASKAP and they send me statements.”
Despite his call outs, Dblack reveals that he has no intentions of becoming a leader of any musical body because he is young.
“I cannot be president of. I think I am too young for that. Speaking on whether he has ambitions to be president of MUSIGA, GHAMRO or any Ghanaian musical body.”
By Benedicta Naa Lamiorkor Lawson
3news.com|Ghana
