Ghana’s music industry has a piracy problem; fixing ‘discovery’ might be part of the answer – Bright Dwomoh, CEO, Ghana Songs

Ghana’s music scene is valued at around $150 million, and it has been expanding at a steady rate of approximately 10% each year. The growth is largely driven by Afrobeats, Hiplife, Highlife, Amapiano, and gospel artists who have gained a global following. Despite this thriving industry, there is a growing concern that a viral song in Ghana does not always lead to substantial earnings for the artist behind it.

Part of the issue stems from the industry’s structure, with streaming revenues being extremely low, often around GH¢0.05 per stream. This means that artists require a large number of streams to recuperate the costs associated with creating a song, such as beats, studio time, and music videos. Additionally, there have been criticisms regarding the collection and distribution of royalties via the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), particularly in terms of delays and lack of transparency.

Some artists have voiced their doubts about GHAMRO's payout procedures. Despite these challenges, GHAMRO reported in July 2026 that they had paid out over GH¢1.4 million in royalties, which was one of their highest digital royalty distributions to date. They also introduced personalized royalty statements to increase transparency for their members.

However, one of the most significant obstacles continues to be piracy, which is estimated to cost the industry over GH¢10 million annually. Previous attempts to create a dedicated national streaming platform to tackle this issue have faced difficulties, including piracy concerns, expensive data packages, and limited access to local music compared to popular platforms like Boomplay and Audiomack.

This situation highlights two main problems: distribution and discovery. Fans often find unauthorized “download MP3” blogs rather than an artist’s official pages on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Audiomack, or YouTube when they hear about a new song. This not only leads to lost legitimate streams and royalties but also deprives artists of valuable audience data that streaming services use to boost visibility for artists and their songs.

Recognizing this gap, Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Dwomoh, founder of ghanasong.org, is addressing the discovery issue rather than focusing on enforcement. Ghanasong.org features new releases from more than 300 Ghanaian and Pan-African artists and ensures that users are directed to the artists' verified official streaming platforms and YouTube videos instead of unofficial download files.

Dwomoh explains that "piracy doesn’t usually start with someone trying to steal from an artist — it starts with someone just trying to find the song. If the first link a fan sees after hearing about a new release is a real Spotify or Apple Music link instead of a download blog, that’s one less stream the artist never gets credited for."

While this approach does not solve the broader issues of royalty collection or piracy, it offers a feasible solution to improve the transition from discovering a song to accessing its official version. For Ghana’s music industry, tackling piracy may require not only stopping illegal downloads but also making it easier for fans to discover and support artists through legitimate channels. More information on this approach can be found at ghanasong.org.