Kofi Donkor, manager of Ghanaian gospel singer Celestine Donkor, has called on the streaming service Boomplay to release unpaid royalties reportedly owed to his artist for over a year. Posting on Facebook, Donkor claimed, “Boomplay, pay us our royalties before you shut down the Ghana office on Friday!” He further expressed concerns over a potential closure of Boomplay’s Ghanaian operations and urged immediate withdrawal of outstanding funds.
In an interview with myjoyonline, Donkor reiterated his frustration, emphasizing that payments had been delayed for over 12 months.
A closer look at Boomplay’s licensing policies reveals that the platform relies on third-party distributors to handle artist payments. Rather than directly issuing royalties, Boomplay requires artists to connect through preferred distribution partners, who then manage licensing, distribution, and royalty payouts.
Boomplay’s website clarifies: “Boomplay artists receive streaming royalties from distributors that are preferred by Boomplay.” The process allows artists to withdraw their royalties monthly through bank transfer, PayPal, or Payoneer.
3News reports that issues with distributors may be behind some delays in payments. Licensing agreements with certain distributors are under review, contributing to royalty payout delays for some artists. As discussions continue, affected artists may see further delays before payments are resolved.