‘The royalty system is bad here’ – Mr Drew raises concerns

Ghanaian musician and dancer Mr Drew has raised concerns about the state of the royalty system in Ghana, arguing that musicians struggle to earn significant income from their work locally despite the availability of funds within the system.

Speaking in an interview on Onua FM on September 24, 2026, Mr Drew said musicians can invest heavily in promoting their projects after release but still struggle to benefit financially because of what he described as weaknesses in the country's royalty system.

“There’s no money in the system. You can do a lot of promos after releasing a project, but the royalty system is bad here,” he said.

According to the musician, artistes can even track the income generated from their work locally, yet they often rely on international systems to receive meaningful payments.

“You can even track your income locally. We all depend on the foreign system to get our money,” he stated.

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Mr Drew questioned the effectiveness of the system, particularly for musicians who have been registered for several years but may not be receiving substantial royalties.

“When you ask, they will tell you that you’ve registered, but the person who registered for years, how much are they paying them?” he asked.

He further claimed that a significant portion of the money earned by Ghanaian musicians comes from outside the country, despite funds being available locally.

“The most money comes from outside the country, but meanwhile, funds are here,” Mr Drew added.

The royalty system here is not working well, so we cannot even properly track our income locally. The fans are here, but the system needs to be shut down and started over. - @mrdrewofficial #OnuaFM #EfieNeFie pic.twitter.com/dnxt91X7lo

— Onua FM (@onua951fm) September 24, 2026

FG/EB

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