Stakeholders discuss digital music licensing

For music, a lot of action is going on online. From the negative end, it has more or less, become the graveyard of many artistes as the piracy perpetuated through the Internet is unimaginable. But, while stakeholders continue to find answers to the challenge, many of them are also aware that online and digital channels offer opportunities to market music globally.

Between the Youtube and itune, for instance, even other more general platforms like Facebook and Twitter, probably millions of musical notes or transactions take place daily, especially in climes where the social media first took root. It is the realisation of the these factors that prompted several major players in the Nigerian music industry to come together on Monday, to explore structured ways they too can explore to get the best from the platforms.

The event was the First Nigerian Digital Music Licensing Summit held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. Organised under the auspices of the Nigerian Music Industry Coalition, it was coordinated by the Copyright Society of Nigeria, which is steadily becoming  a catalyst for change in the sector. While the COSON team was led by its Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, some notable intellectual property lawyers were also present to provide legal perspectives to the discussion.

Among them were the Managing Partner, Stillwaters Law Firm, Mr. Afam Nwokedi; Managing Partner, Chief G. O. Sodipo & Co, Mr. Femi Faloju;  Managing Partner, Abraham & Co, Mr. Mena Ajakpovi  and Ms. Olufimilola Banjo of Olajide Oyewole & Co.

But it was primarily the business of artistes and heads of key music labels and music publishing companies, whose representatives presented some of the issues involved. Among were Mr. Audu Maikori of Chocolatecity Group; Mr. Efe Omorogbe of Nowmuzik and Mr. Toju Ejueyitchie of Premier Records and Premier Music Publishing.

Also present were representatives of major telephone networks and value-added service providers and aggregators such as the Head of VAS, Airtel, Mr. Victor Bannerman; Head of VAS, GLO, Mr. Godwin Oriazowanlan; and Managing Director, Greenbee Communications,  Mr. Nnamdi Agwunobi.

Some of the issues discussed bordered on who owns the rights involved, the right organisations to do digital business with and how to monitor what goes on globally. Among other points, the  summit reached a resolve to urgently align the music industry in Nigeria with developments in other parts of the world in the digital space.