COSON, LICENSING CONSULTANTS MEET FOR ‘OPERATION NO HIDING PLACE’

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – The new COSON House in Lagos on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 played host to COSON copyright licensing consultants from every nook and cranny of the country.

For several hours, the consultants were engaged in intensive deliberations at the Board room located within the recently unveiled and sparkling COSON House owned by the musicians of Nigeria and commissioned by the nation’s gliterrati on May 20.

At the meeting, it was resolved that the COSON no-nonsense licensing initiative known as ‘Operation No Hiding Place’ should enter a new phase with a vigorous campaign and muscular litigation against music copyright royalty defaulters anywhere they may show their face within the country.

Welcoming the COSON consultants, celebrated COSON Chairman and Intellectual Property expert, Chief Tony Okoroji, expressed profound joy that the meeting was holding for the first time in a state of the art building wholly owned by the music industry in Nigeria. He said that the commissioning of COSON House built without borrowing a penny from anyone should be evidence that the industry has immense capacity which should be deployed for significantly increased income for Nigerian musicians and other industry stakeholders and make substantial contribution to the national economy.

He called on government to be extremely careful and consult widely before making policies that affect the music industry as wrong policies coming from the government can wreck havoc on the industry and bring the growth in the music industry to an abrupt halt.

Addressing the criticism that COSON is trying to foist a monopoly on the collective management of copyright in Nigeria, Chief Okoroji said “What they call monopoly, we call unity within the music industry. COSON is not a business enterprise. It is not owned by any individual or a group of individuals. It is a non-profit organization owned by musicians across Nigeria and other stakeholders in the music industry who want to be united and act with one voice because that is where our strength lies. The lawyers are united in NBA, the doctors are united in NMA, the journalists are united in NUJ, the music industry is united in COSON”.

Said Chief Okoroji, ‘People tend to forget that it was in the year 2000 that it was agreed between the existing collective management structures that those structures be collapsed into COSON to bring to an end the schism and undue rivalry in the collective management of rights in the music industry. The decision to set up COSON was as a result of a broad based agreement between the owners of musical works and sound recordings, the users of the works and the statutory regulators on the need for the industry to close ranks and have one formidable national collective management organization to promote and protect the copyright of practitioners in the Nigerian music industry. The incredible success of COSON shows the wisdom in that decision. COSON is standing today, based majorly on unity, to the benefits of thousands of creative minds who had in times past collected nothing from the usage of their works.’

Speaking on the society’s growth, COSON’s General Manager, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji noted that the over 140 reciprocal agreements the society has with other CMO’s around the world, the COSON Network of consultants spread across the country, its control of a massive repertoire unmatched in the continent, its membership of thousands of artistes including many of Nigeria’s biggest stars, its superbly trained work force and the world class technology available at COSON House should give confidence to everyone that COSON is indeed working and working superbly.

Present at the meeting were COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, COSON Directors, Mr. Joel Ajayi, Hon. John Udegbunam, Mrs Azeezat Allen, COSON General Manager, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji, COSON Consultants, Prince Abiodun Egwakhide of Preaby House Limited, Mr. Dele Oguntebi of CMCL Limited, Mr. Segun Awosanya of Visdav Consulting, Mr. Abeh Paul of Yad Consult Limited, Mr. Uchenna Stanley Anowo of Urchemet Global Limited, Mr. Edwin Akwaeze of Assumpta Global Resource Limited, Pastor Nsebong Ekpenyong of Jonerol Ventures Limited, Mr Kazie Uko of Skkot Plus, Mr. Ernest Chukwuemeka Azubuike of Azum Mekus Enterprise Limited, Mr. Ken Ogbue of Ike Odionu and Associates, Mr. Richard Agena of Kastwe Ventures, COSON legal consultant Tochukwu Tagbo of Commercial Practise Solicitors, COSON Head of Finance and Administration, Ms. Bernice Eriemeghe, COSON Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Chibueze Okereke, COSON Head of New Media, Mr. Tolulope Balogun, COSON Head of Licensing, Ms. Anne Okomi, COSON Licensing Executives, Ms. Pat Adudu, Mr. Olawale Oyesanya and COSON legal officer, Ms. Simi Wash-Pam.