NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY SET TO HOLD ANNUAL ‘NO MUSIC DAY’ CELEBRATION ON SEPTEMBER 1

NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY SET TO HOLD ANNUAL ‘NO MUSIC DAY’ CELEBRATION ON SEPTEMBER 1

 

The Nigerian music industry has set plans in motion to mark the annual ‘No Music Day’ across Nigeria on September 1. “No Music Day” is a day the music industry has dedicated to bringing the attention of the Nigerian nation to the widespread infringement of the rights of song writers, composers, performers, music publishers, record labels and other stakeholders in the music industry.

 

With the theme, ‘‘Music for National Stability’’, The “No Music Day” 2017 celebration is aimed at building significant public awareness and support for the new national fight against piracy of music, movies, literature, broadcast content, software, etc, which is undermining investments in the Nigerian creative industry.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s event, renowned Intellectual Property activist and Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji said “Every year, in marking ‘No Music Day’, our objective has been to engage the Nigerian people and the various governments on the potential contributions of Nigerian music to the socio-economic development of the Nigerian nation and the necessity to fully deploy the substantial comparative advantage which our nation possesses in this area, so as to provide hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs to the teeming masses of Nigerian youth who parade the streets of our country with little hope. I have no doubt that if the right environment is created in Nigeria, the enormous creative energy exhibited by our young people will be released to the amazement of the world”

 

On the COSON ‘Music for National Stability’ project, Chief Okoroji said, ‘‘The project will among other vital things, activate a forceful campaign against hate speech in Nigeria, which is threatening ethnic harmony and peace in the country, and also enhance the vigorous promotion of the Nigerian Music Industry, so as to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s GDP.’’

 

Speaking also on “No Music Day” 2017, Ace singer and Queen of love, Azeezat Allen said “We are planning seriously to make “No Music Day” 2017 a memorable event. COSON and the Nigerian Music Industry Coalition are counting on the support of Nigerians to make this the biggest “No Music Day” event ever held. It is time we took the music business seriously in Nigeria, to enable us unleash the creative ingenuity of our people and create a better environment for creative minds to thrive.”

 

In commemoration of “No Music Day”, as has become the practice, broadcast stations across Nigeria have been requested not to broadcast music between the hours of 8am and 10am on Friday, September 1, 2017 as a mark of solidarity with the nation’s creative industry whose potential has been limited by massive copyright infringement. Rather than broadcast music, the stations have been asked to dedicate the 8 am to 10 am time belt to the broadcast of interviews, documentaries, debates and discussions that focus on the rights of creative people and the potential contributions of creative activities to the national economy. Newspapers and magazines across the country are also requested to publish special features on these issues in the coming days.

The Nigerian public is requested to tune in to different domestic radio and television stations on September 1 to engage members and affiliates of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) and other music industry experts who will spread out to different broadcast stations to discuss “Music for National Stability” as the Nigerian nation seeks alternative sources of income to replace the dwindling oil revenue.

COSON DEMANDS ON ‘NO MUSIC DAY’

To create a new environment for the music industry to thrive in Nigeria, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) made the following specific demands on “No Music Day”, September 1, 2016:

1. President Buhari should order the Hon Minister of Finance and the Attorney-General of the Federation to ensure the full implementation of the Private Copy Levy scheme without any further delay.

  2. The Nigerian Communications Commission should make it very clear to all telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria that henceforth, there will be zero tolerance for the infringement of the Intellectual Property rights of Nigerian citizens whose works are deployed by these companies.

 3. The Minister of Information & Culture and the different state Governors should make it clear to all Federal Government and State owned broadcasting stations respectively, and other government institutions that there is no provision of the law that exempts them from the payment of royalties for the musical content broadcast or deployed by them.

 4.  The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) should, as a matter of urgency, be ordered to take necessary steps to begin the take down of the several pirate websites bastardizing Nigerian Intellectual Property on the Internet.

 5.  President Buhari should instruct the Ministers of Industry, Trade & Investment, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to act swiftly to ensure that the brazen and massive piracy of Nigerian music, movies and literature across our continent are no longer tolerated.

 6.  The Nigerian Copyright Commission should be empowered to pivot towards the effective implementation of anti-piracy measures in the digital environment. 

 7. The National Assembly should act with despatch to ensure the promulgation into law of the new Copyright Bill which contains several provisions to properly deal with the infringement of copyright in the digital era.

 8. Necessary action should be taken to get the National Endowment Fund for the Arts up and running so that there are resources to take care of funding for creative projects and the welfare of creative people who have fallen into hard times.

No Music Day 2016 may have come and gone but the reverberations will be heard for a long-long time.

                                

COSON BLANKETS THE AIRWAVES ON “NO MUSIC DAY” ASKS BUHARI TO KICK START A CREATIVE & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ECONOMY IN NIGERIA

Chief Tony Okoroji

In an unprecedented communication master class, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) on September 1 took over the broadcast airwaves across Nigeria as it mobilized public opinion in a professionally co-ordinated demand for a new national economy anchored on creativity and respect for intellectual property rights. Since 2009, September 1 every year has been marked as ‘No Music Day’ by COSON, Nigeria’s unapologetic copyright collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings.

On “No Music Day” 2016 many radio and TV stations across the country stopped the broadcast of music between the hours of 8am and 10am and instead dedicated the time belt to the broadcast of interviews, documentaries, debates and discussions on the rights of creative people and the impact that Nigeria’s creative industries can make to the revival of the dwindling national economy. Several leading newspapers, magazines and social media blogs also published special features on issues dealing with creativity and innovation in the national economy. COSON members across the country observed a one day hunger strike as flags at COSON Headquarters in Lagos flew at half-mast.

There was also a big “open house’ event at COSON Headquarters which event was attended by many artistes and assorted representatives of a wide spectrum of Nigeria’s print, broadcast and social media.

Across the country, top artistes, intellectual property lawyers, music industry stakeholders and copyright experts were spread out by COSON in an intricately planned and co-ordinated media assault and they simultaneously took to the air waves on different radio and television stations all over Nigeria. At COSON Headquarters, a ‘No Music Day” Command Center was set up from which the unprecedented communication activity which also involved several internet bloggers was co-ordinated.

Among the many representatives of COSON who concurrently went on air on diverse broadcast stations in different parts of the country were Prof. (Sir) Victor Uwaifo and COSON Coordinator in Edo and Delta States, Prince Biodun Eguakhide. They took over the airwaves in Benin City and environs and masterfully spoke on the issues of the creative economy on ITV, STV, Vibes FM, Channels TV, Delta Broadcasting Service, NTA, etc.

Meanwhile, Rub a Dub master, Ras Kimono was live on TVC as Sir Shina Peters enchanted them live on Galaxy TV. Nowmuzik CEO and celebrated Manager of 2 Face Idibia, Efe Omorogbe was coaching listeners of Beat FM on how the respect for copyright is critical to the progress of the music industry as Dancehall exponent, Baba Dee gave an Intellectual Property lecture on nearby Classic FM and Zdon Paporrella re-affirmed the issues on Naija FM.   

As well-known Gospel singer, Kenny Saint Best spread the message on City FM, Founder Cabal Entertainment, Obi Asika was singing a similar song on Cool FM while Chocolate City Co-Founder, Paul Okeugo eloquently spoke about the creative economy on Rhythm FM.

At the same moment, Queen of love, Azeezat was live on LTV while Fuji music maestro, Sikiru Agboola spread the message on Radio Lagos.

In Abuja, COSON FCT Coordinator, Segun Awosanya anchored the massive communication undertaking and spoke live from Aso Radio.

Meanwhile, COSON had also unleashed some of Nigeria’s most active intellectual property lawyers on the broadcast media. Justin Ige was live on Eko FM Lagos, Tochukwu Tagbo advocated on Nigeria Info, Mr. Ikhane Akhigbe was taking command on Smooth FM while Akinyemi Ayinoluwa addressed the court of public opinion from the studios of Soundcity FM.

In Onitsha and elsewhere around the South East, Hon. John Ewelukwa Udegbunam held sway while the Chairman of Music Label Owners Association of Nigeria (MULOAN), Joel Ajayi was heard loud and clear on Wazobia FM. As frontline Artiste Manager, Godwin Tom delivered an Intellectual property masterpiece on STV, the very cerebral AVRS General Manager, Victor Nwokocha was talking to Nigerians on Metro FM.

Top executives of COSON were also on active duty on several stations. General Manager Chinedu Chukwuji held many spell bound on Traffic Radio with his grasp of the issues of the intellectual property economy.

Live on MITV was COSON Head of Finance & Administration, the vivacious Bernice Eriemeghe. Chibueze Okereke, the COSON Head of Public Affairs who was at the epicenter of the arrangements for “No Music Day” was breaking down the issues live on Lagos Talk. Vincent Adawaisi, the COSON Head of Membership and Isa Aruna in charge of Datatech formed a tag team that spread the word on Radio Continental while the licensing tag team of Anne Ikomi and Keji Odumbaku operated from Urban FM.

At the head of the “No Music Day” command center set up at COSON Headquarters from which the intricate web of activities were being coordinated was the Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, the never-say-die advocate for Intellectual Property rights across the African continent. The brilliant mind who in 2009 conceived ‘No Music Day’ and in 2016 executed the extensive communication master stroke to force the Nigerian nation to kick start a new Knowledge and Intellectual Property revolution had at his beck and call such leading bloggers as Seyi Allen, Esther Olanrewaju, and Debbie Salawu while the massive internet activities were co-ordinated by COSON’s fresh New Media Executive, Tolu Balogun.

From the ‘No Music Day’ Command Center, Chief Okoroji himself did several live radio and television interviews on the telephone, speaking with Ambrose Somide live on Raypower, Theophilus Elamah on Rainbow FM, Temitayo Balogun on WFM, etc. He was also live on Naija FM, ITV and FRCN.

Across many broadcast channels, there were extensive broadcasts of different “No Music Day” documentaries produced and syndicated by COSON.

Asked how he felt at the end of what must have been an amazing exercise, a visibly exhausted Chief Okoroji said, “Our key objective has been to engage the Nigerian people and the various governments on the potential contributions of Nigerian creativity to the development of the Nigerian nation and the necessity to fully deploy the substantial comparative advantage which our nation possesses in this area so as to provide hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs to the teeming masses of Nigerian youth who parade the streets of our country almost hopelessly and which hopelessness invariably attracts them to become laborers in the devil’s workshop. If at the end we achieve this, it would have been worth the sacrifice”.

COSON CALLS FOR DAY-LONG HUNGER STRIKE BY NIGERIAN MUSICIANS ON “NO MUSIC DAY”

COSON CALLS FOR DAY-LONG HUNGER STRIKE BY NIGERIAN MUSICIANS ON “NO MUSIC DAY”

Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s sole approved collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings has called on its thousands of members across the country, other stakeholders in the music industry and lovers of music in Nigeria who are sympathetic to the plight of creative people ravaged by piracy and other forms of copyright infringement in Nigeria, to observe a one day Hunger Strike on Thursday, September 1, 2016 as Nigeria marks “No Music Day”

Making the call, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said, “Creative people in Nigeria cannot afford to forget that historic week in 2009 when Nigerian artistes of different shades embarked on a weeklong hunger strike staged in front of the National Theatre in Lagos. The hunger strike which was a result of frustration caused by the devastating level of intellectual property theft in our country was the prelude to what has become known as “No Music Day” the day on September 1, 2009 that practitioners in the Nigerian music industry asked all the 400 licensed broadcast stations in the country not to broadcast music for a significant period of the day”.

Continuing, Chief Okoroji said, “In 2016, it has become imperative that we take appropriate action to remind the different governments in Nigeria that the disease which necessitated the hunger strike of 2009 has not quite been cured and that at this time of dwindling oil revenue, Nigeria must take important steps to protect its creative industries to ensure the socio-economic progress of our nation”.

As internet websites, telecommunication operators, telephone manufacturers, offline download speculators, etc. take hold as key channels for the distribution of music, COSON has decided that the theme of this year’s event would be “The Monetization of Musical Content in the Digital Space”.

Broadcast stations across Nigeria have been requested not to broadcast music between the hours of 8am and 10am on Thursday, September 1, 2016 as a mark of solidarity with the nation’s creative industries which have suffered immensely from the debilitating infringement of copyright. Rather than broadcast music, the stations have been asked to dedicate the 8 am to 10 am time belt to the broadcast of interviews, documentaries, debates and discussions that focus on the rights of creative people and the potential contributions of creative activities to the national economy. Newspapers and magazines across the country have also been requested to publish special features on these issues in the coming days.

The Nigerian public is requested to tune in to different domestic radio and television stations on September 1 to engage top COSON members, Intellectual Property lawyers, investors in the music industry and other music industry experts who will spread out to diverse broadcast stations to discuss “The Monetization of Musical Content in the Digital Space”.

On No Music day, flags at the COSON office in Lagos will fly at half-mast, the organization will issue an important statement on the state of the music industry while there will be an ‘open day’ for artistes, journalists and members of the public interested in the subject of Monetization of Musical Content in the Digital Space.