Ghanas Caller Ring Back Tones: A Legal Victory That Has Yet to Translate into Payments

Caller Ring Back Tones (CRBTs) entered Ghana in the mid‑2000s, replacing the standard “tring‑tring” with music that ranged from high‑life classics to Afrobeats hits. MTN Ghana’s CallerTunez service, launched in 2008, popularised the idea and turned the waiting period of a phone call into a listening experience.

The service created a new revenue stream for telecom operators and a visibility platform for local artists, but the money that flows through the system is unevenly divided. Telecom companies keep roughly 70 % of the income generated by CRBTs. The remaining 30 % is paid to intermediaries or aggregators, who then split it further. Artists and record labels typically receive about 15 % of the gross before taxes, and the net take‑home figure is around 12 %. Musicians have repeatedly complained that the share is too low.

A more serious problem is that the creators of the music – songwriters, composers and publishers – receive no mechanical royalties. Since CRBTs became widespread in 2012, Ghana has not triggered the payment of mechanical royalties for this service. The Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) first highlighted the issue in that year and began lobbying for compliance.

When negotiations stalled, GHAMRO pursued legal action. On 10 March 2021, the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, ruled in favour of GHAMRO. The court confirmed that MTN, Vodafone and AirtelTigo were obligated to pay the appropriate royalties and awarded GHAMRO GHS 60 000 to cover legal costs.

The ruling was expected to bring a swift change, but payments remain inconsistent or absent. The court decision has not been fully implemented, and the industry still lacks a reliable mechanism to collect mechanical royalties from CRBT usage.

The situation is puzzling because the same telecom operators comply with royalty structures in other countries. In markets outside Ghana, they pay both master and mechanical royalties for CRBTs and similar services. The discrepancy suggests that regulatory enforcement in Ghana is weak or that corporate priorities differ.

The exclusion of songwriters and composers has broader implications. Mechanical royalties are a standard source of income for creators worldwide. Their absence in Ghana’s CRBT ecosystem discourages songwriting as a viable profession and weakens the foundation of the local music industry.

Telecom companies frequently publicise their support for Ghanaian music through sponsorships and event partnerships. Yet these initiatives do not compensate for the lack of fairness in core business practices. The gap between public support and actual royalty payments undermines confidence in the industry’s integrity.

Enforcement is now the critical next step. Regulators must ensure that the court’s ruling is respected and that telecom operators comply with the legal obligations. GHAMRO continues to advocate for creators, while the industry seeks a transparent system that guarantees payments to all rights holders.

The legal framework exists, the court has delivered its judgment, and the industry has endured a decade of frustration. The only remaining barrier is the implementation of the ruling. Until telecom operators pay the owed mechanical royalties, the system risks collapsing under its own imbalance.

In summary, Ghana’s CRBTs have transformed ordinary phone calls into a cultural platform, but the benefits have not been shared equitably. The 2021 court ruling is a milestone, yet the lack of enforcement means that songwriters and composers remain unpaid. The industry must now move from legal victory to practical compliance to sustain the growth of Ghanaian music.