Rapper Sarkodie has disclosed that he has received royalty payments from the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GAMRO), although he could not remember the amount he had received.
The rapper made the disclosure during an interview with Serwaa Amihere on her When We Sit platform, where he discussed the need for stronger systems to ensure Ghanaian musicians earn fairly from their work.
Asked whether he received royalties from GAMRO, Sarkodie said he was not actively involved with the organisation but had been informed that some payments had been made.
“I’m not active there, so I think, yeah, we’ve… they told me about some times that we received some,” he said.
When Serwaa asked how much he had received, the rapper replied that he could not remember the figure.
The exchange led Sarkodie to return to his broader concern about the structures governing royalty collection and payment in Ghana.
He argued that the existing system limits the returns musicians can receive from their work and called for improvements that would allow artistes to earn more from music consumption within the country.
“I think with them, because of the structure they have built, it limits them to get the maximum returns that they have to get. They don’t have the structure that can do that,” he said.
Sarkodie also called for measures to protect veteran musicians, arguing that established artistes should not reach old age struggling to meet basic financial needs.
“Put in structures where old artists shouldn’t die looking for thousand Ghana cedis,” he said.
He said Ghana must strengthen its local music economy instead of relying heavily on income generated from audiences in the diaspora.
According to the rapper, the diaspora has become an important source of music revenue, but the Ghanaian market should also provide a reliable way for musicians to monetise their work.
“The money we’re making for music, funny enough, is coming from a diaspora, which is good and sad, because the sad part is whether I like it or not, your biggest base is always back home,” he said.
Sarkodie added that a more effective system would allow Ghanaian artistes to earn better returns from the people who consume their music locally.
He maintained that improving royalty collection and payment structures was one of the areas where government could make a meaningful contribution to the creative industry.
