MCSN SUES COSON FOR ACCOUNTING FOR ROYALTIES COLLECTED? Some Bloggers and Newspapers have contacted me privately for my comments on this latest lawsuit between the warring musical collecting societies in Nigeria because of my very loud involvement in the unfolding saga.
Some of the bloggers claimed they wanted to know my comments since i have been on record as saying lets put the COPYRIGHT ROYALTY COLLECTION WARS behind us and work towards putting money in our artistes pockets.
Apart form the fact that I am a Director at the Musical Copyright Society, I am also a stakeholder with millions of Naira invested in the music industry over many years. So I can confirm that I stand by my comment that now that both COSON AND MSCN have now been licensed, both collecting societies need to move on and compete in the market place, and stop needless fightS......unless there is a reasonable cause.
However i also agree that COSON MUST GIVE ACCOUNT for ALL THE ROYALTIES COLLECTED ON THE SONGS OF MCSN ARTSITES in the last 7 years, which has not been paid to the individual artistes.
Accountability must start somewhere in this Music industry.
So this lawsuit demanding ACCOUNTING OF ARTISTES MONEY is also 100% on point and most needed. I was part of the Board Meeting that authorized the lawsuit to begin with, so i stand behind it 110% complete with my lawyers too helping out.
Its only in NIgeria that we even need to force anyone to account for 3rd parties money collected on trust. In sane societies, it would not even an issue anyone needs to drag before you comply. NOBODY HAS ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT YET. WE ONLY WANT A PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FOR THE SAKE OF THE AFFECTED ARTISTES.
Frankly, I have no more personal beef with Chief Tony Okoroji beyond the issues I have filed lawsuits on as a matter of principle, and I hope he would give the required accounting now that MCSN has been forced to go to court on behalf of its artistes and we can all put this behind us and move beyond slogans to the business of actually making the music pay the artistes for real...
I am for PROGRESS; COMPETITION AN WHAT IS BEST FOR THE MUSICIANS, but we cant usher in a new era without accounting for millions of Naira collected on behalf of artistes who were not part of Coson and never gave any legal authority for Coson to collect their due ROYALTIES from Radio Stations and TV Stations as appears to be the case here
So, oya, Chief Okoroji.. Its time to cough it up!
THATS MY GLOBAL COMMENT TO ALL BLOGGERS SEEKING MY RESPONSE SO WE DONT HAVE TO OD IT PIECEMEAL.
Dr Ope Banwo.