Okoroji Storms South Africa For The Nigerian Music Industry

Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) is back to Lagos after a weeklong working visit to South Africa which he says was “very productive and very revealing” According to Chief Okoroji, he was in South Africa “to connect the pipes between the Nigerian and South African music industries, the continent’s two biggest drivers of entertainment, so that there is a free flow of ideas, resources, projects and economic benefits to the stakeholders” During the visit, Chief Okoroji who is a foremost promoter of intellectual property rights in the continent was at the Johannesburg Headquarters of the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of South Africa (CAPASSO) where he signed a contract of Reciprocal Representation for mechanical rights in music between CAPASSO and COSON. At the event, the CAPASSO CEO, Mrs. Nothando Migogo, said that the she was overjoyed that finally Nigeria and South Africa have established the platform to work together to ensure that composers and publishers of music get the full benefit of the significant reproduction of their works in Africa’s two biggest economies. In Johannesburg, Chief Okoroji also met with Mr. Sipho Dlamini, Chief Executive Officer of Southern African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO) with which COSON has an existing reciprocal representation agreement. At the meeting, significant discussions were held on the need to quicken the project to create an interactive system that links the databases of the major collective management organizations in Africa so as to have seamless access to their works globally and to ensure appropriate compensation for the owners of the works wherever they are used. Also discussed was compensation for Nigerian musicians whose works are broadcast by South African broadcast systems. http://perfectbrandsng.com/okoroji-storms-south-africa-for-the-nigerian-music-industry/