‘Many artistes don't understand the intricacies of collecting royalties’ - Rex Omar fires Stonebwoy

According to Rex Omar, Stonebwoy and a lot of artistes don’t understand the music royalty system and that he received what he had because he failed to give his split sheet to GHAMRO.

“A lot of artistes, including Europe, don't understand the intricacies of collecting royalties. So if Stonebwoy says he has only received GHC2,000, it is true,” Rex Omar told Joy TV on Monday. “This is the fact. This is the only money he has received. Stonebwoy became a member of GHAMRO two years ago.”

“How many people know that Stonebwoy is called Livingstone Etse Satekla? People don't know. But GHAMRO deals with Stonebwoy, GHAMRO deals with the real name. We don't know if the song he is singing belongs to him or somebody. You remember he recently had an issue with ‘Sobolo’? So if he had done a split sheet when he did the song and submitted it to GHAMRO, GHAMRO would know that this portion of the song belongs to that man.”

He insisted that Stonebwoy’s detail is incomplete, and that is why he isn’t getting enough money from royalties.

“For example, Paa Bobo is a member of GHAMRO, and he is dead but has children that we have to split his royalties to. So, if you don't give us this information, how do we distribute it? Even though the song is sung by Stonebwoy, the split sheet and actual royalties have to go not only to Stonebwoy but to other people. If we don't have this information, what do we do?”

Rex Omar called on up and coming musicians to get involved in building GHAMRO instead of going on radio stations to lambaste the organisation.

“We are pleading with up and coming musicians that the ASCAP, ISRC and all the companies that you see there working have been there for 100 years and over, and their members don't behave the way we behave. The members get involve and build. I'm also a musician, and whatever I'm doing is voluntary. You can sit on a radio station to lambaste, but at the end of the day, ask the radio station that is granting you the interview that has it paid GHAMRO to be paying you?”