BANNED MUSICIANS THREATEN TO BOYCOT, HEADIES, RHYTHM UNPLUGED

Banned musicians, operating under the umbrella of Copyright Society of Nigeria(COSON) have threatened to boycott Headies and Rhythm Unplugged unless organisers of the events show some signs of solidarity with the cause of musicians who have been banned by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria(BON) in conjunction with Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria(IBAN) for demanding payment of royalties on use of music.

The musicians who rose from a meeting on Tuesday also threatened to put radio and television stations under close surveillance for implementation of the 80 percent local content requirement stipulated by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and thereafter begin the process of crusading for revocation of licenses against affected stations.

The musicians also called on all broadcast stations to hence forth maintain a log of all music played. Below is the full text of the resolution.

IBAN nor BON will break our Bond of Unity – Nigerian Artistes Declare
Frontline Nigerian Artistes met again at Rumours Nightclub in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, December 11, 2013 and rose from their discussion with the declaration that neither IBAN or BON will break their bond of unity.
The forum was made up of Banky W, 2 Face Idibia, 9ice, Sound Sultan, MI, Azeezat, Ill Bliss, Wunmi Obe, Obiwon, 2Shotz, Audu Maikori, Bayo Omisore and representatives of Burna Boy, Sound Sultan, Dammy Krane, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Ice Prince, Sunny Neji, Solid Star, Eva Alordiah, etc.

The music industry stakeholders rose from the meeting with the following 10 point resolution:-
i. That no true Nigerian artiste or right owner should sell his/her birth right to IBAN or BON or any other recalcitrant broadcasting organization or be made to be subservient to any such organization and that IBAN/BON must be made to understand that their attempt to cow Nigerian musicians will not work.

ii. That the whole world must be made to know that in their historic battle with IBAN and BON what Nigerian artistes are seeking is justice, respect for their intellectual property and fair compensation for their
creativity.

iii. That the Nigerian nation must be made to understand that the extraordinary steps taken by BON/IBAN to ban Nigeria’s best music stars from the airwaves owned by all Nigerians is not just a threat to a few individuals in the music industry but a threat to the Nigerian nation itself.

iv. That Nigerian music industry stakeholders should closely monitor every IBAN/BON station and if any of them fails to comply with the broadcast of 80% Nigerian music as every station is bound under Nigeria’s Broadcast Code, Nigerian music industry stakeholders will rally the government and its appropriate agencies to withdraw or cancel the broadcast licence of any such station.

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v. That key music industry stakeholders should be present at the meeting between COSON and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at the Lagos office of NBC at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos by 10.00am.

vi. That the great disappointment of the music industry stakeholders be expressed with respect to the IBAN press release signed by Mr. Sunny Osa Adun and Mr. Guy Murray Bruce of Silverbird Communications banning the broadcast of the music of Nigeria’s best cultural assets despite the continued contribution of the Nigerian music industry to the success of Rhythm Unplugged and other events organized by Silverbird Communication, over the years.

vii. That if the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fails to make any visible progress in resolving the music copyright royalty problem created by IBAN and BON at its meeting with COSON on Thursday, December 12, 2013, no self-respecting Nigerian artiste should henceforth perform at the events of Rhythm Unplugged and the music industry will hereafter withdraw its support for Rhythm Unplugged and similar events organized by those that continue to show disrespect for the music industry and its right owners.

viii. That henceforth as a condition for the broadcast of music on radio and television stations, every broadcasting station operating in Nigeria must maintain adequate logs and records of all music played by the stations as is the practice everywhere in the world.

ix. That the organizers of Headies Awards, if they are truly interested in the progress of the music industry, which their show seeks to promote, must show clear public solidarity for artistes and stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry at this time when the rights of the music industry in Nigeria is facing historic threat, or the industry would be left with no choice but to call for a mass boycott of the events of the Headies.

x. That all music industry stakeholders with Twitter and similar accounts should create and send out informative messages that would help educate the right owners and the general public on the issues at stake.
Azeezat Allen