HAMMER SUGGESTS ELECTRONIC LOGGING SYSTEM TO GHAMRO INTERIM BOARD

Legendary beat producer, Hammer of the Last Two Records, has called on the interim Receivers and Managers team of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) to adopt an electronic logging system to make the distribution of royalties among musicians accurate.

The present GHAMRO currently uses a fixed price quote system to collect royalties on behalf of right owners.

But Edward Nana Poku Osei, as Hammer is known in private life, says it is better to monitor separately and allocate royalties on behalf of music right owners based on airplay.

“I agree with the logging system that is done internationally, where the individual works are monitored separately. Maybe one artiste performed better in terms of airplay than the other. With that, you can’t give them the same amount of money," he said.

The Chief Executive of Last Two Music Group further told NEWS-ONE, "We need to fix the logging system that will determine who exactly got that much airplay and who didn’t. The information has to be accurate. So I think they should change the fixed price system to the electronic logging system."

It would be recalled that Carlos Sakyi, the ousted Chairman of GHAMRO, had been invited by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service over some huge cash withdrawals made from the organisation’s accounts by the Carlos Sakyi-led Board which could not be accounted for.

However, Hammer stated that if the allegations turnout to be true then it is criminal, and the culprits must be dealt with.

“If that is true, I won’t blame the system; I will blame the individuals who are in charge because the system at that time, even though it wasn’t the best internationally, was working for them," he indicated.

Adding, "But when it comes to acquiring things for themselves using funds from the organisation, then I think it is a crime, and I will blame the individuals.”