COSON TO DISTRIBUTE N100M TO MUSICIANS THIS DECEMBER

The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has announced they will be distributing the sum of one hundred million Naira (N100m) this December as money gathered from unpaid copyright royalties.

The collective management organization says it has reached an understanding on the payment of copyright royalties for the music and sound recordings used in hotels and similar establishments across Nigeria.

The development was announced by Otunba Segun Runsewe, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) at a joint meeting between the leaders of the Nigerian hotel industry and COSON which took place at Protea Hotel, GRA Ikeja on Tuesday, December 3, 2012.

Those present at the meeting include Tony Okoroji; President, Hotel and Personal Services Employers Association of Nigeria (HOPESEA), S.A. Alabi; President, Hotel Owners Forum Abuja (HOFA), Onofiok Ekong and the representative of the Director General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Chris Nkwocha.

‘I wish to reaffirm that every Nigerian musician, investor in the music industry and all foreigners whose works are used in Nigeria will be beneficiaries of this development. I want to say it loudly and clearly that no one qualified to receive income from the use of music or sound recordings in Nigeria will be excluded from the income resulting from this agreement’ Tony Okoroji stated at the meeting.

Also present at the event were, Secretary General of HOPSEA, Adeniyi Ologun; members of the COSON Board, Adewale Ayuba, Efe Omorogbe, CEO of Now Muzik, Alhaji S. Agboola, Dare ‘Baba Dee‘ Fasasi, Azeezat Allen, Joel Ajayi, Audu Maikori represented by Aibee Abidoye and COSON General Manager, Chinedu Chukwuji.

It will be recalled that on December 13, 2011, COSON resolved to distribute the sum of more than N25m (Twenty Five Million Naira) to members across the country. Hundreds of Nigerian musicians reportedly benefited of that distribution.