Telcos music downloading platforms are illegal – Kojo Antwi

The Chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Kojo Antwi, has said the collective society will soon face out all Telcos in the business of music digital downloads.

According to Kojo Antwi, GHAMRO shall soon implement the digital business platform for music downloads to enable GHAMRO control and monitor revenue generated by the downloads so as to be accountable to the music right owners.

He was reacting to concerns made by music right owners in Kumasi on Tuesday 23rd February, 2016, at a one-day seminar for music right owners and users in and around the Ashanti Region attended by over 300 right owners.

The ‘music maestro’ intimated that currently the situation in practice where agents are licensed by Telcos is not only inappropriate but illegal, since GHAMRO is the only organization mandated under the copyright law to license anybody or organization to use music commercially.

He stressed with concern that, these Telcos and their respective agents who source for the music content and act as middlemen, take majority of the money, leaving only a meagre amount for the right owners .

Kojo Antwi indicated that if GHAMRO owns the music downloading platform, any person who wants to do business with respect to downloads will have to come to GHAMRO and finalize the deal.

The Chief Officer, Abraham Adjetey during his speech on the proposed digital platform said, 27 music downloading platforms have been identified so far, but in the mean time, GHAMRO will license these platforms till modalities for the GHAMRO owned music downloading business platform is ready.

Jonathan Cudjoe, General Manager and also Director in- charge of Licensing and Legal Affairs, disclosed a proposed constitutional amendment that will align GHAMRO with other international Collective Management Organizations (C. M. O) worldwide. Mr. Cudjoe said the proposed constitutional amendment will be put before the right owners for adoption during the Annual General Meeting in April this year.

The next seminar will be held in the Greater Accra Region very soon and right owners in the Volta and Eastern Regions will be conveyed to Accra to participate.