Ghanaian Musicians Are Broke – Rex Omar

Board Chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Rex Omar, has said that most Ghanaian musicians are not earning a living from their music because the country is not ready to support the industry.

In an interview with George Quaye on Joy Prime on Friday, February 6, 2026, the highlife legend revealed that the current music ecosystem in Ghana leaves most artistes struggling.

“Ghana is not ready to support music. I can tell you that 97% of Ghanaian musicians are not making money. The very few that are making money attracts young people to go into music,” Rex Omar said.

He explained that while a few successful musicians inspire young people to pursue music, the majority of upcoming artistes go into the industry purely out of passion.

“They go into music out of passion. But the business aspect of it that will sustain them is zero,” he added.

Rex Omar also announced that he plans to step down as GHAMRO board chairman later this month due to delays in electing a new board.

“Technically, I’m still there as chairman, waiting for them to do elections so that I can hand over and leave. I’m thinking of leaving this month (February) because what I went there to do is finished. We went to digitise GHAMRO, and I’m going to launch it and I’ll leave,” he said.

Beyond GHAMRO, Rex Omar criticised Ghana’s creative economy and the intellectual property (IP) system. He said the state has not taken its responsibilities seriously, leaving collective management organisations (CMOs) struggling.

“Ghana is still not ready. Look at our IP industry. Now go to the corporate office. The reason why all our CMOs are suffering is that the role that the state must play and take it seriously is still not being done,” he said.

According to Rex Omar, this failure affects the entire music and creative arts industry, making it difficult for musicians to earn sustainable income from their work.

The highlife legend’s comments highlight the struggles Ghanaian musicians face despite the growth of the music industry. While a few top artistes make money and inspire young people to enter the industry, most others cannot survive financially because the business side of music in Ghana is weak.

Rex Omar’s efforts at GHAMRO included digitising the organisation to improve royalty payments and rights management. With his tenure ending, he hopes that the launch of the digitised GHAMRO will make it easier for musicians to be paid for their work.