Ghanaian music duo Lali X Lola has appealed to the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, to help address the issue of unpaid streaming revenue by Boomplay, a digital music streaming platform.
According to Lali X Lola, their distributors have not received any reliable accounting or payments from Boomplay since April 2023, despite repeated attempts to engage the platform.
The duo expressed concerns about transparency, accountability, and fair compensation for Ghanaian artistes.
“When such platforms fail to meet basic obligations to rights holders timely, especially by withholding payments, it borders on exploitation of Ghanaian creative talent,” they wrote in a statement.
Lali X Lola emphasized the importance of platforms like Boomplay in providing opportunities for artistes to reach fans and grow digitally.
“Making and promoting music is neither easy nor inexpensive. It takes time, effort, and significant financial investment—often from the artistes themselves. It is therefore unjust and disheartening when musicians are denied revenue for their work,” they noted.
The duo respectfully urged the Minister to investigate the issue and establish better regulatory oversight over digital service providers operating in Ghana’s digital and creative economy.
“We are confident that with your leadership and commitment to digital fairness and innovation, measures can be introduced to ensure that Ghanaian creatives are protected and justly compensated by digital platforms,” Lali X Lola stated.
Lali X Lola Removes Music from Boomplay Over Non-Payment
The duo also revealed their decision to remove their music from Boomplay due to non-payment of streaming revenue. In a phone interview on Daybreak Hitz with DJ Slim, they explained that they instructed their distributor to take down their songs from the platform after realizing they hadn’t been paid for some time.
“We gave an instruction to our distributor to remove our songs from Boomplay because we realized Boomplay has not been paying us for some time now, and we decided to make a statement because artistes deserve to be paid for their work. Making music is an investment,” Lali X Lola explained.
Their manager, Kimathi, also spoke on Daybreak Hitz about the issue.
“We look at the streaming numbers; for Boomplay, we have almost a million streams. But when we check with our distributor, we are not getting that information or payments,” he said.
He added that their distributor was not receiving reliable information or payments from Boomplay, questioning why their music should remain on the platform.
“We wrote to Boomplay and they replied that they don’t seem to be getting reliable information themselves. That’s their problem. They are neither paying nor accounting for streams. So why should we continue to put our music there?” he asked.
Kimathi revealed that they have instructed their distributor to remove their music from Boomplay in 2025 and focus instead on Audiomark, where their streaming numbers are increasing.
Although they have taken their catalogue off Boomplay, Kimathi urged relevant authorities to intervene so that other Ghanaian artistes are not affected by similar issues.
He also mentioned that they had reached out to Hon. Sam George in hopes he would address the problem.
“We sent an email on Friday and also contacted them via Instagram. We are now sending a hard copy. Honestly, ministries don’t respond quickly, so I’m sure this is the first time he’s hearing about it,” the manager said.
Lali X Lola’s appeal highlights the urgent need for better protection and fair compensation for Ghanaian artistes in the digital music industry.