Manager of Celestine Donkor demands unpaid royalties from Boomplay amid rumored Ghana office closure

Kofi Donkor, manager of renowned gospel singer Celestine Donkor, has voiced his frustration with streaming platform Boomplay over unpaid royalties to his artist, alleging the platform is planning to close its Ghana office soon. In a Facebook post, Donkor urged, “Boomplay pay us our royalties before you close down the Ghana office on Friday!!” He later told MyJoyOnline.com that Celestine Donkor has not received royalties for over a year, despite the artist’s popularity and streams on the platform. “They haven’t paid us for over a year. Now we hear they’re planning to shut down operations here, and we need to recover our dues immediately,” he emphasized.

MyJoyOnline.com’s investigation reveals that Boomplay does not have direct royalty agreements with artists. Instead, Boomplay works with music distribution platforms, which hold contracts with artists and are responsible for royalty payments. Royalties paid by Boomplay go to distributors, who are then expected to disburse them to artists per their agreements. However, it appears that challenges within some distribution platforms have led to delays or failures in paying artists their dues.

Additionally, the investigation found that certain licensing agreements between Boomplay and distribution platforms have expired, leading to delays in new agreements and complications in royalty payments. Celestine Donkor is not alone in this situation; artists including Kofi Sarpong, Okyeame Kwame, Sista Afia, Tinny, King Paluta, and Epixode have reportedly faced similar issues with unpaid royalties on Boomplay. The situation has ignited concerns among Ghanaian artists over transparency in royalty payments from streaming platforms, especially as digital streaming continues to shape the music industry.