Rex Omar, the Chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), has been under some form of attack from certain quqrters on social media after he spoke of GTV morninf show on Friday, December 15, 2023.
In the interview he granted Kafui Dey, Rex Omar spoke about the upcoming singathon by Asantewaa O Aduonum as she attempts to break the Guinness World Record set by Sunil Waghmare from India, when she made history by singing continuously for an impressive 105 hours, a feat accomplished from the 3rd to the 7th of March in 2012.
Rex mentioned that GHAMRO has the right to stop Asantewaa when she starts her singathon on December 24, 2023, if she does not provide GHAMRO with the list of over 3000 Ghanaian songs she intends to sing.
The comments made by the “Abiba” hitmaker appeared to have struck the nerve of some people who think he is trying to pull the young lady down when she is only doing her part to project Ghana Music to the music world globally.
Well, in a Facebook post on Saturday, December 16, 2023, Rex Omar clarified his position and highlighted his initial statement was not intended to target or undermine Afua Asantewaa’s project, acknowledging that he was among the first to support and promote her on his platform.
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The GHAMRO Chairman went further to underscore the need for artists like Afua Asantewaa to take proactive measures to avoid complications in the aftermath of their achievements.
He also argued that the request for the complete list of songs is because it would assist GHAMRO in efficiently managing the collection of royalties for the rightful owners of the compositions.
Rex also emphasized that the exposure of Afua’s performances globally would likely lead to increased airplay, streaming, and other usages of the featured songs. As GHAMRO is the sole Collective Management Organization (CMO) for music in Ghana, it becomes their responsibility to track and allocate revenues to the rightful owners.
The Facebook post also addressed a critical question: How will GHAMRO follow the money after the Singathon? Omar explained that Afua and her team possess the necessary information – the names of the songs and the respective artists. All they need to do is provide GHAMRO with this list, enabling the organization to carry out its duties effectively.
In his conclusion, Rex Omar reiterated his support for Afua Asantewaa’s Guinness World Record Singathon but emphasized the importance of doing the right thing.
