The Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr John O. Asein, has said that the NCC is committed to ensure that right owners benefit more from the global exploitation of their works.
In a statement to mark the World Music Day with the theme “Music at Intersections” on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Asein noted that part of the NCC’s strategy is to overhaul the copyright side of the music industry and work with national and international stakeholder groups to strengthen its regulatory and enforcement mandates.
He explained that at no time has the borderless spirit of music being so pronounced as in today’s online music distribution and streaming networks with their capacity for instant content delivery.
According to him, with these possibilities offered by digital manipulation, music has also become susceptible to all forms of exploitation and raw material for other creative works and commended the recent passage of a new Copyright Bill by the Nigerian Senate which “should help troubleshoot some of the problems identified at the intersections, such as the new technologies, digital manipulations, unconventional business models, regulatory issues and the imperatives for better collective management of rights, effective sanctions against infringements and appropriate support structures”.
He stated that for music to play seamlessly and adequately reward investors at every intersection, it is important to have a functional, responsive and supportive copyright system that does not only protect rights but also promotes licensing and the secondary exploitation of rights in a fair and equitable manner.
“Music is created by individuals or groups of individuals, while its management and transmission must necessarily involve numerous other players; but the recompense for its commercial exploitation must always return to the creator.
“It is also important for society to bear in mind that music is not simply a work of art or an object of entertainment or an expression of our collective cultural identity. It is also an economic commodity that should benefit the right owners as much as it gives pleasure to its listeners.
“It therefore behooves us to ensure that music is exploited in a responsible manner that guarantees the sustainable growth of the industry and benefits the musician.” he said.
GIK/APA