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| Okoroji |
This is definitely a cheering news for lovers and followers of the nation's music industry.
Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief
Tony Okoroji has said that the end appears to be near with respect to the
crisis that engulfed the music and broadcasting industries in Nigeria over the
payment of copyright royalties in the last quarter of 2013.
SHOWBIZPLUSng learnt that Okoroji made the disclosure
while addressing some musicians at COSON Headquarters in Lagos, today.
Okoroji said
that a lot of progress has been made in the negotiations to break the deadlock
between COSON and the broadcasting industry and that the negotiations which
have gone on for several months may be nearing conclusion.
According to Chief Okoroji who has led the COSON team
to the negotiations moderated by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
with the support of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), ‘Not for one
minute have we forgotten that we represent the music industry and that we must
represent the industry forcefully. What we say or do will have far reaching
impact on the music industry in Nigeria for years to come. On the other hand,
we are citizens of Nigeria and must search for that which is best for our
country over the long run. We do not want to kill the broadcast industry but to
work with it. We have therefore kept searching for areas of compromise without
hurting the music industry which we represent’
Speaking further, Chief Okoroji said, “What erupted as
a major crisis may indeed turn out to be the proverbial blessing in disguise
for our country. For many years, Nigeria has run away from addressing this
problem which has frustrated many and driven important investment out of our
nation. There are many who had given up believing that this problem will never
be solved. Finally, we are sitting on the same table with the broadcast
industry and important issues that affect both our music and broadcast
industries are being ironed out. It appears like a miracle but it is happening.
I give kudos to the leaderships of both the NBC and NCC for what we have
achieved so far’.
On the status of the progress made in the on-going
negotiations, the COSON Chief said, “Contrary to the propaganda in some
quarters, COSON is and has always been open to negotiations. Anybody who deals
with us will tell you that we are not that hydra-headed monster we have been
painted to be. We are very responsible and sensitive to the challenges faced by
users of music. We put all of that into considerations when negotiating
copyright royalty fees. The case is not different with the broadcast industry. We
are still involved in a series of negotiations and I am certain that at the end
of the day, all parties involved will be satisfied that we have solved a huge
problem that has bedevilled our country.
Chief Okoroji commended members of COSON around the country
for their unflinching support to the society and assured them of the dedication
of the Board to achieving the society’s mandate. He said, “I am particularly
thankful to all those in the music industry who lent their voices in support of
the stand of COSON when the COSON/BON/IBAN crisis became public. I am grateful
to those who took part in this fight to bring sanity to our industry and to
ensure return on the investment made in the music industry. There are those who
believed that this crisis would break COSON. It has not. We are responsible for
the future of creativity in Nigeria and we cannot afford to fail ourselves and
generations to come”.
It will be recalled that in 2013, COSON instituted
back to back multi-million naira law suits against some of Nigeria’s biggest
broadcast stations including AIT, Ray Power, STV, Rhythm FM, Beat FM, Classic
FM, Naija FM, Smooth FM, Brila FM, etc., with a threat to sue many more
broadcast stations. In response, Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON)
and Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) announced the
suspension of the broadcast of the music of nearly all the topmost musicians in
Nigeria, all of them members of COSON on radio and TV stations across Nigeria.
This resulted in massive public outrage across the country followed by an
all-out media war between the music and broadcast industries. It took a major
public pronouncement made by the NBC at the beginning of 2014, which
pronouncement set up the COSON/BON/IBAN/NBC/NCC Joint Committee for tempers to
cool and the on-going negotiations to commence.
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