Churches are not exempt from paying music royalties – GHAMRO CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Jackson Brefo, says churches are required to pay royalties for songs they use during church services.
Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) CEO Jackson Brefo has stated that churches are obligated to pay royalties for music during their services. On Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Mr. Brefo emphasized that the law does not exempt any entity from royalty obligations, regardless of the entity type. He clarified that the law does not specifically mention churches in the Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690), but it does require anyone who intends to use or cause the performance of a copyrighted work in public to pay royalties.
While Mr. Brefo noted that orthodox denominations are more compliant with the payment of royalties, he pointed out that some difficulty arises with newer charismatic and Pentecostal churches. The organisation is actively working towards ensuring that all churches fulfill their obligation to pay for the use of music. GHAMRO has previously urged gospel musicians to encourage churches to fulfill this obligation.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
