GHAMRO, GAPI & Apprise Music Forge Metadata Alliance to Transform Ghana’s Music Rights Landscape

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In a landmark strategic meeting dubbed “Sharing Music Identifiers,” three leading institutions in Ghana’s music ecosystem—GHAMRO, GAPI, and Apprise Music—gathered to formalize metadata alignment, identifier sharing, and long-term governance reform. The session brought together Michael Bamfo, CEO of Apprise Music; Jackson Brefo, CEO of GHAMRO; and Richmond Adu‑Poku, General Secretary of GAPI, uniting distribution, rights administration, and catalog preservation under a common mission: equitable, transparent, data‑driven music governance.

Leaders Shaping Ghana’s Creative Ecosystem

Michael Bamfo — Visionary Behind Apprise Music

As founder and CEO of Apprise Music, Michael Bamfo oversees one of Ghana’s most dynamic music distribution and rights‑management platforms. With over a decade of experience in A&R, digital marketing, artist engagement, and brand strategy, Bamfo has led Apprise to represent thousands of Ghanaian creators—such as Joyce Blessing, Amakye Dede, Eno Barony, and Stella Seal—and to partner with global platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Believe Digital, and Songtrust. A frequent speaker at international forums including MUSIC IMBIZO, ACCES by MUSIC IN AFRICA, and WOMEX, Bamfo has long championed digital transformation across Africa’s music sector.

Jackson Brefo — Rights Advocate at GHAMRO

Since February 2024, Jackson Brefo has led the Ghana Music Rights Organization. Known for his advocacy, he revealed that nearly 90% of Ghana’s broadcasting networks evade royalty payments, highlighting systemic challenges in rights enforcement and transparency. Under his leadership, GHAMRO has achieved legal victories, pursuing litigations to reclaim unpaid royalties, even taking action against the national broadcaster GBC for longstanding debts.

Richmond Adu‑Poku — Industry Architect at GAPI

As General Secretary of GAPI and CEO of Ghana Music Live, Richmond Adu‑Poku provides thought leadership on industry digitization and policy reform. He regularly critiques unequal structures threatening Ghana’s creative economy, especially how digitization often marginalizes artists through piracy, poor monetization, and inadequate infrastructure alignment. Adu‑Poku also supports strategic initiatives like the Unsung Artist Incubation programme, partnering with Ghana Music Awards and Apprise Music to amplify emerging talent).

The Strategic Framework: From Dialogue to Data Infrastructure

The meeting outlined a multi-faceted Draft Action Plan:

1. Metadata Standardization Taskforce: A joint technical body to harmonize metadata and international IDs—ISRC, ISWC, IPI—across all platforms.

2. Centralized Identifier Exchange Protocol: Secure channels enabling GHAMRO, GAPI, and Apprise to share identifier data under robust governance and privacy standards.

3. Capacity Building & Education: Quarterly workshops and a co-branded metadata manual to equip artists, producers, and rights holders with knowledge on catalog registration and digital rights.

4. Data Cleansing & Synchronization: A reconciliation initiative to correct legacy metadata and align active records across systems, reducing royalty leakages and disputes.

5. Pilot Integration Project: A live metadata syncing trial with a selection of artists to validate identifier sharing mechanisms and guide scale-up.

A New Blueprint for Collective Governance

Plans for a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are underway. Key details include:

● Purpose: Joint management and exchange of metadata to ensure transparent, accurate royalty distribution.

● Scope: Sharing protocols, standard setting, capacity development, and compliance.

● Roles:

○ GHAMRO validates rights claims and oversees registered works.

○ Apprise provides ISRCs and enriched digital metadata.

○ GAPI coordinates legacy catalog support and member compliance.

● Governance: A tri-partite liaison committee to monitor progress and resolve disputes.

● Term: An initial two-year pilot, renewable by mutual agreement.

This model represents a breakthrough in Ghana’s collective industry infrastructure—prioritizing both data integrity and institutional coordination.

This strategic collaboration marks a pivotal moment in Ghana’s music industry—where data transparency, rights management, and cross-organizational synergy offer a template for other African markets. Under the leadership of Michael Bamfo, Jackson Brefo, and Richmond Adu‑Poku, Ghana is advancing toward a future where artists’ creativity is matched by systems that protect, value, and empower.