The maiden edition of Nigeria’s first Afrobeats reality show, Naija Star Search, will kick off on September 4 on StarTimes’ ST Nollywood channels.
Veteran reggae musician, Orits Williki popularly known as Koolman Revolutionaire, has been re-elected as the chairman of Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN).
Giving reasons why Williki was re-elected, MCSN’s CEO, Mayo Ayilaran, said, “It is a fact that Orits was the chairman when we were in the trenches but now we are out of it. What remains is the stability of the Society. So, the board members felt he should be re-elected to ensure stability of the Society going forward. As they say, you do not change a winning team.”
Speaking shortly after his re-election, Williki, who expressed gratitude to the board and members of the collecting society for their confidence in him, outlined the road map for his new 3-year tenure, urging all users of musical works and sound recordings to respect their copyright obligations to MCSN.
He also addressed the complaints of some broadcasters seeking clarification on the claim by Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) that a court has given judgment stopping City FM from broadcasting musical works without its (COSON) licence.
Pointing to the provisions of Section 39 of the Copyright Act 2004, Williki said, “COSON is not a collective management organization known to law as it does not hold the approval or licence of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), the regulatory agency charged with the responsibility of licensing and approving collective managements in Nigeria.”
The veteran reggae singer cited some legal authorities and warned music consumers to respect their copyright obligations to MCSN or risk litigation.
“Unlike in the past, MCSN is now ready to bark and bite. All users of music should respect their copyright obligations. Because, from now on, MCSN will deploy the instrumentality of the law to enforce its rights,” he noted.