Emmanuel Kantam Duut Esq. is an Intellectual property lawyer
Intellectual property and entertainment lawyer, Emmanuel Kakam Duut Esq, has explained how record labels can legally own and benefit from all royalties generated from songs recorded by artistes under their contracts.
He made the clarification during a GhanaWeb X Space discussion, while responding to questions surrounding allegations that Kwesi Arthur’s former record label still owns and benefits from all songs he recorded while signed to the label.
According to Duut, a typical artiste–label agreement is built around two key components: ownership of intellectual property and revenue or royalty sharing.
“In most recording contracts, the label owns the copyright and the master recordings of the song. That ownership gives the label the right to determine distribution, translation, licensing and any commercial use of the sound recording,” he explained.
Kwesi Arthur-Ground Up Dispute: What we know so far from both sides
He noted that in many cases, labels insist on owning the master recordings in perpetuity, arguing that they invested huge financial resources into building the artiste’s brand, including production, recording, marketing, promotion and even living expenses.
“Where the label owns the masters, the artiste may still be entitled to a percentage of the revenue. What is usually split is the royalty income from the commercialisation of the songs, not the ownership itself,” Duut said.
However, he noted that labels often retain a larger share of the revenue, citing their financial investment and risk.
“Most labels believe that because they invested heavily in the artiste’s production, distribution, promotion and upkeep, they are entitled to a greater portion of any revenue that flows from the songs,” he added.
Duut further explained that revenue sharing does not usually happen immediately.
“The split between the artiste and the label is typically effected only after the label has fully recouped what it spent on the artiste. It is not an automatic distribution. The label will first recover its investment before any revenue is shared,” he said.
Background
Kwesi Arthur rose to prominence under ‘Ground Up Chale’, releasing hit songs and award-winning projects that cemented his place as one of Ghana’s leading rap and hip-hop artistes.
Despite parting ways with the label, the aritiste in an X post on January 2026 alleged that he had been contantly harrassed by it.
He accused its CEO, Glen Boateng, of extortion, threats, and blocking his independent releases.
He specifically claimed the label demanded $150,000 for him to use his own images and still claimed ownership of his music and brand.
The label’s lawyer, Jonathan Amable, presented a different side in a separate X Space with Joy News.
He revealed Kwesi Arthur signed a four-year contract in 2017 with a 60-40 revenue split in the label’s favour, renewable for two more years. After its expiry, a one-year deal on a 50-50 basis was agreed.
He further noted that the blocking of Kwesi Arthur from using his images applies to images taken under the label and not any taken after his split.
Meanwhile, Duut’s explanation has since provided legal context to the debate, highlighting that such arrangements, though controversial, are often rooted in the contractual agreements artistes sign early in their careers.
Listen to the X Spaces below:
We will be live with @DJMENSAH1 @tillyakuanipaa and Emmanuel Duut as we delve into what artistes and labels should know before signing that juicy contract.
Time: Today, January 23, 2026 at 6pm.
Join here: https://t.co/nIE4Rljm0G#GhanaWeb pic.twitter.com/IdDaAaVGZM
— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) January 23, 2026
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