Well, it seems IBAN and BON have had enough. Two days ago, they announced the ban of all Nigerian artists registered with COSON. Meaning that they ordered the immediate stop to the airing of songs of artists who are COSON members.
The artists include 2face Idibia, D'banj, Onyeka Onwenu, Iyanya, Banky W, Flavour, Ice Prince, Dr Sid, Olamide, 9ice, M.I, eLDee, Ruggedman, Wizkid, Asa, Waje, Omawumi and several others.
In a statement released and signed jointly by the President and Secretary of IBAN, Sonny Adun and Guy Murray Bruce, the need for such a drastic step was due to "the antagonism and harassment under the leadership of Tony Okoroji (COSON Chairman)”. Continue...
The statement in part reads "No person or organisation, particularly a collection society such as COSON has a monopoly of authority over any other…IBAN and BON have the utmost respect for Nigerian artistes in their individual and collective capacities and have indeed contributed more than any known institution to the promotion of Nigerian music and the development of the entertainment industry as a whole."
They are accusing COSON of arbitrarily imposing and concocting fees which are not based on any agreeable and verifiable tariff and standards.
However Mr Okoroji while reacting to the decision of the broadcasting bodies says the issue here is the strict stand COSON has on the royalties of artist works used on any of the broadcast stations. He says some stations have this attitude of "we can handle COSON" and goes on airing the works of the artist without paying them their due royalty which COSON is strongly against.
Meanwhile the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria interim president has released a statement on the ban on airplay of Nigerian artists by BON. The statement below...
PMAN Speaks on the current ban of airplay of Nigerian artists by BON
& IBAN
The Performing Musicians Association of
Nigeria is appalled by the recent development spearheaded by the Broadcasting Organisation
of Nigeria (BON) and Independent
Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (IBAN)
via an official press release yesterday, calling for the immediate airplay ban on all media platforms
on content from Nigerian artistes, the association which was created with the
sole mission to PROTECT, PRESERVE, and PROMOTE Nigerian musicianshas decided to
react on the ban and on-going feud between the Broadcasting Organisation of
Nigeria(BON), Independent
Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (IBAN)
and Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)
calling for an immediate reversal of the ban in the interest of these artistes
whom we know that all the above mentioned organisations have their best
interests at heart.
The ban on airplay of these Nigerian
artistes and their music on various Nigerian media platforms is from our
standpointvery unfair, demeaning and discouraging. Weall knowwithout a doubt that
these same artistes who have persevered and assisted us to build, today what is
known as the Nigerian music industry, Africa’s biggest entertainment export to
the world are the same people that are now being victimised. With this action,
the association foresees a situation
where this ban will, rather than encourage well meaning members of the society,
with musical talent to hone their craft and join the success story of the
entertainment industry, reverse will be the case. We also foresee a situation
where the bulk of the material that will be circulated on nigerian airwaves
will be foreign materials, celebrating alien artistes instead of embracing,
home grown talent and ourcultural heritage.
COSONin it’s own right by a mandate
given to the organisation acts as a collecting society for these artistes,
helping to monitor and collect royalties entitled to them. As a collecting
society, they have since inception acted as a shield to these artistes
protecting their intellectual rights. BON& IBAN are arguing that the tariffs and
standards presented to them by COSON
should be defended and agreeable with them, but we know that the ban is not the
best invitation to the negotiating table.
Article
3.13.2.2 of the Broadcast code issued by NBC
says: ‘For the purpose of free-to-air broadcast, Nigerian music shall
constitute 80 per cent of all music broadcast’. If this ban is sustained, and 80% of the
music played on the various media platforms are foreign material, we should ask
ourselves as guardians of the music industry, if these media houses are paying
the royalties owed to these foreign artistes, and thereby sidelining Nigerian
music by Nigerian artistes, are we supporting them or failing them?We should
also ask ourselves, ifthis ban which will invariably affect the rising profile
of the Nigerian music industry in the world, economically and in relevance is
good for us.
With these ongoing conflicts, lets not
forget the owners of this intellectual properties, the music owners, record
label owners, recording artistes, the instrumentalists, composers, who have
spent time and money producing and packaging, what we know, enjoy and call
music, their interests should be siginifcant in these agreements.
In light of all that has been mentioned above
we ask again that the ban be reversed and that all the affected parties and
major stakeholders in the entertainment industry sit down for a dialogue and
reach a favourable agreement, beneficial to everyone involved.
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