The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Jackson Brefo, has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) over its failure to settle an eight-year-old judgment debt owed to the organisation.
Speaking during GhanaWeb’s X Space on May 23, 2025, Brefo revealed that despite a court ruling requiring GBC to pay royalties for the broadcast of copyrighted music, the state broadcaster has yet to comply.
He explained that the legal battle with GBC ended in a ruling in favour of GHAMRO, but the corporation has refused to honour the court’s directive.
“To get GBC to pay the money was a challenge, and the matter had to end up in court, as you mentioned. We were in court with GBC for eight years. And now that we are in 2025, GBC has still not paid the money awarded by the court,” he said.
Brefo noted that GBC’s failure to pay the judgment debt, valued at GH¢150,000, has contributed to widespread misconceptions about GHAMRO’s operations and the low royalty payments received by some musicians.
“This has been part of the reason there are so many misconceptions about GHAMRO. I admit GHAMRO is not doing enough communication, but the lack of understanding around collective management organisations is a big issue, not just for artists, but even for radio presenters, journalists, and others within the ecosystem,” he added.
He also urged musicians to hold media houses accountable when questioning GHAMRO about royalty payments.
“If an artiste says on the radio that GHAMRO paid them only GH¢300, my question is: has that radio station paid its royalties? You’ll often find that they owe GHAMRO over GH¢500,000. And these same outlets are the ones fuelling negative perceptions against us,” he said.
GHAMRO’s legal action against GBC dates back to 2017, when the organisation sued the state broadcaster for failing to obtain the required user license for musical works aired on its TV and radio platforms.
Listen to the full X Space below:
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— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) GhanaWeb/status/1925941842345853225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 23, 2025
JHM/MA
Meanwhile watch as Robert Klah given reasons why Charterhouse delayed TGMAs red carpet:
