The Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) has announced with much regret that its license has been withheld adding that musicians signed to GHAMRO will not receive any royalties this month until further notice.

This follows calls by singer and dancer Akosua Agyapong asking for the organisation’s office to be closed.

The Chairman of the organisation, who is a singer and a songwriter, Rex Omar,  gave a detail account of the situation at the Teachers Hall Complex in Accra on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

“GHAMRO’s operating license is being withheld by the regulator through the copyright office,” he announced.

He continued by saying, “As a result, GHAMRO would not be able to distribute any collection as it is unable to follow the collection mandate until the license is renewed.”

Read also: GHAMRO should be closed down —Akosua Adjepong

Rex Omar bemoaned that, “it is rather unfortunate that after the Attorney General’s Office Roadmap has almost been completed with the exception of an appealed case yet to be declared, GHAMRO is being asked to go back to start the recommendation of the Efua Sutherland Committee’s report.”

He stressed that GHAMRO has already fulfilled all the renewal conditions under Section 24 of the Copyright Legislative Instrument.

According to him,  “GHAMRO submitted all the requisite documentation for the renewal of its license in June, 2022. This is against a campaign from notable persons like Madam Akosua Adjapong that the organisation’s certificate has not been renewed and that users should stop payments for the use of protected music which is regulated under law.”

The songwriter also revealed that some GHAMRO officials have suffered physical attacks as a result of Ms Agyapong’s campaign.

“Over a period of one year that our license has been withheld by the regulator, these same disgruntled members, led by Akosua Agyepong, have been jumping from radio station to radio station, media house to media house, TV station to TV station, asking people, users, not to pay to GHAMRO. To the extent that some of our staff would go out and would be beaten – the regulator is aware of this and nothing has been done,“ he noted.

He also revealed that, “under normal circumstances, GHAMRO distributes twice a year. So, this month, June, GHAMRO is supposed to distribute,” however, the challenge is, the organisation has “not been able to collect so we cannot distribute”.