Zapp Mallet reveals failed attempt to introduce split sheet system when he was GHAMRO board member

Veteran music producer, Zapp Mallet, has disclosed that during his tenure as a Board Member of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), a planned introduction to set up a system that will aim at outlining the earning percentages of each contributor involved in a music project in terms of royalties failed to materialise.

In a myjoyonline.com report, Zapp Mallet expressed his disappointment in the Ghanaian music industry's poor royalty system, stating that many issues needed to be addressed to improve the industry.

Zapp Mallet revealed that the GHAMRO Board and Abraham Adjatey, the CEO, attempted to introduce the split sheet system, but it was shot down and failed to gain traction.

“I was on the GHAMRO Board for two years and we tried instituting the split sheet from the office with Abraham Adjatey, the CEO. But that thing was shot down. I don’t know why. We shot it down,” he is quoted to have said on Showbiz A-Z hosted by Kwame Dadzie.

Despite meeting with some stakeholders to discuss the matter, the plan was unsuccessful, and Zapp Mallet cites the lack of participation from producers and engineers as a contributing factor.

“We asked the Accra Producers and Engineers to meet us at GHAMRO, they didn’t show up. Just about five of them showed up,” he added.

While the producers in Kumasi were more receptive to the idea, those in Accra did not follow through with its implementation.

A split sheet is a written agreement that legally identifies all contributors to a song and their respective ownership percentages.

It determines how publishing royalties are split between creators, and when signed, it becomes legally binding.

During a press conference held on August 31, 2021, Abraham Adjatey announced that GHAMRO had partnered with CAPASSO and Global Music Monitoring to track airplay of musicians’ songs and introduced the split sheet system.

Zapp Mallet stressed the importance of signing split sheets and urged lyricists, composers, arrangers, and publishers to sign their rights with GHAMRO to enjoy the benefits.

GHAMRO will also provide copies of the split sheets to recording studios to ensure that the correct details are entered.

ADA/BB