“Pay Us Our Royalties” – Celestine Donkor’s Manager Demands Payment from Boomplay

Kofi Donkor, the manager of popular gospel musician Celestine Donkor, has publicly called out the online streaming service Boomplay for failing to pay his artiste’s royalties. In a post on Facebook, Donkor expressed frustration and urgency, urging the platform to settle the overdue payments before closing its Ghana office. He wrote, “Boomplay, pay us our royalties before you close down the Ghana office on Friday!!”

In an interview with myjoyonline.com, Kofi Donkor revealed that Celestine Donkor has not received any royalties from Boomplay for over a year. “They have not paid for more than a year. And I hear they are even planning on shutting down their office in Ghana. We need to take our money now,” he said, emphasizing the significant delay in payments to his artiste.

The situation appears to be part of a broader issue, with multiple Ghanaian artists facing similar challenges. Myjoyonline.com has learned that Boomplay does not engage in direct agreements with individual artistes. Instead, the streaming platform works with various distribution platforms and distributors, who are responsible for submitting songs to Boomplay and managing the royalties for the artists. This means that royalty payments are made to the distributors, who then pay the artistes based on their individual contractual agreements.

Further investigations have revealed that some of the distribution platforms working with Boomplay have encountered difficulties in processing payments to artists. This is partly due to expired licensing agreements with some distributors and ongoing negotiations over new contracts. As a result, many artists, including Celestine Donkor, have found themselves in a position where their royalties remain unpaid.

Kofi Donkor’s concerns are not unique to Celestine Donkor. Other high-profile Ghanaian artists such as Kofi Sarpong, Okyeame Kwame, Sista Afia, Tinny, King Paluta, and Epixode, who also have their music on Boomplay, have reported similar issues with unpaid royalties. The delay in payments has sparked frustration among musicians, with many questioning the transparency and accountability of the streaming service.

While Boomplay has yet to officially comment on the matter, the situation is shedding light on the complexities of the music distribution model and the challenges artists face in ensuring they receive fair compensation for their work. The uncertainty surrounding the closure of Boomplay’s Ghana office has only added to the growing concern among local musicians.

As the discussion continues, it remains to be seen how Boomplay will address the royalty payments issue, and whether there will be a resolution for the affected artists who are waiting to be compensated for their music