Sarkodie blames weak royalty collection structure for low GHAMRO payments
Popular Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has attributed the low royalties Ghanaian musicians receive from the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) to what he describes as a weak royalty collection structure.
Speaking in an interview on Akoma FM on October 20, 2026, the rapper compared the royalties musicians receive in Ghana to those earned in the United Kingdom and the United States, arguing that the difference is significant.
According to Sarkodie, Ghana has not yet developed a strong enough system to collect royalties effectively and ensure musicians receive payments that reflect their earnings.
“Comparing what we make from the UK or the state, it’s not significant. They haven’t built a structure that can collect the royalties, so when they collect, they have to give the other artistes and me what we deserve,” he said.
Sarkodie explained that distributing a limited amount of royalty revenue among musicians across the country is challenging, especially when artistes have different levels of airplay, streams, and music usage.
Using a hypothetical GH¢500,000 royalty pool as an example, he noted that the amount would have to be shared among established acts such as Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Black Sherif and himself, as well as lesser-known musicians in rural communities.
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“Imagine someone is given 500,000 to share among all Ghanaian artistes, including an artiste in a village somewhere. If they should share the money to Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Black Sherif and I before getting to the one in the village, how much will he get?” he questioned.
The rapper shared that musicians whose streaming figures suggest they should earn more may feel dissatisfied when the royalties they receive do not meet their expectations.
“Maybe looking at his streams, he would feel like he deserves more,” he stated.
He maintained that the challenge goes beyond individual payments, pointing to the need for a stronger system that can accurately track music usage, collect royalties and distribute the funds fairly among rights holders.
Despite his concerns, Sarkodie expressed optimism that Ghana could improve its royalty collection and distribution system in the future.
“It’s the structure that we’ve not made it that strong, but hopefully, we will get there,” he added.
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