Captivated by the need to live its values and drive the vision for which it was set up as Nigeria’s premier Collecting Society in 1984, the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) recently engaged Stakeholders including clients, Professional Associates, the Media, Agencies, Advertisers, ICT, Internet and Brand Marketing practitioners as well as users of its Works in the Telcoms, Broadband, eCommerce, Broadcast, Banking, Sports, Hospitality, Betting, Lottery and Gaming industries within the digital divide with notice of its operational Instrument to ensure collaboration, cooperation and debt redemption on outstanding payments due to its Members over the last seven (7) years as it discharges its commitments to the Repertoire.
As part of its professional responsibilities to ensure stakeholders alignment and for purpose of clarity, the Director General and CEO, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, and the Chairman, Pupa OritsWiliki, were recently on a popular News Television Station, Channels TV, to express optimism and positivism about the prospectsfor a dawn of growth in the Nigeria Music and Entertainment Industry following the directives issued by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Minister of Justice, Mr. AbubakarMalami, SAN, sequel to which the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) granted the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (MCSN) with the Licence to operate as Collecting Society for purpose of Nigerian Copyright Act.
Not wanting to be enthralled in the euphoria of the License, the MCSN extended the olive branch to the Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, in the interest of their constituencies, their respective Repertoires, the Music and Entertainment industry and for the mutual benefits of their individual members, clients and affiliates.
The MCSN Chairman further confirmed that in the new spirit for progressive development, positive professional growth and peaceful co-existence as operates in advanced clime like Europe, the USA, and Asia, thenotice was presented to COSON on behalf of its members, affiliates and licensors demanding payments of royalties that were due to MCSN Repertoires from the collections made by COSON for following exploitation of their works by Broadcast Organizations, Financial sectors, including Banks, Insurance, PFAs, HMOs, Capital & Money Markets, Mobile Money Infrastructure Providers, as well as global Devices &Telecommunications Companies, Members of MAN in the Food, Drugs, Beverages & Drinks multinationals, Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes, Bars,and the Allied places and platforms in the past seven (7) years.
The MCSN Director General offered to share details of some of the Members for which these demands were necessitated as a matter of urgency, including, but not limited to OritsWilliki, Dr. Sunday AdeniyiAdegeye (King Sunny Ade), EedrisAbdukareem, Ama Ochefu, General Prince Adekunle, the Estate of Late Sir I. K. Dairo, MBE, the Estate of OladipupoOwomoyela (Dr. Orlando Owoh), Mr. Charles E. Oputa (Charly Boy), Mr. Michael Okri, the Performing Right Society Limited, the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society Limited, Kennis Music, the Estate of the Late Benedict Odiase, Stingomania Records, the Estate of the Late FataiOlagunju (Fatai Rolling Dollar), Igwe Friday Godwin (Baba Fryo), UdezieLotana Onyeka (Big Lo), Duke Darlington Okon; while the affiliates and exclusive licensors includes, but not limited to the Broadcast Music Inc., SGAE, IMRO, MACP, SACM, ZAMCOPS.
The MCSN Director of Strategy and Communications alsoconfirmed that the Society had sent notifications for further road trips to associated groups and other users of the works of its Members like Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Association of Advertising Agenciesof Nigeria (AAAN), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, among others. He was quick to add that the respective Organizations were as a matter of expediency advised to counsel their members to project the integrity and guiding principles of their respective operations by ensuring speedy remittance of all outstanding debtsin royaltiesand due sum without any delayfor mutual interest and for avoidanceof embarrassing trends.
Mayo hinted that Collecting Societies became indispensable intermediaries in the copyright system of the 20th century. Their core task was the collection of high-volume, low-value royalties stemming from secondary uses (e.g., broadcasting, public performance, lending) of creative works. He posited that Collecting societies have remained the solution to the problems that the individual creator is confronted with, such as a weak bargaining position vis-à-vis broadcasters or online music platforms, and the fact that transaction costs for collecting small royalties from many users of her/his work too high. He promised that further public enlightenment on the role of Copyright and the Collecting Society in a virile economy like Nigeria will be shared sooner at strategic thought leadership forum.
