Group steps up fight against musical rights abuse

Omorogbe

A group, acting under the aegis of the Nigerian Music Industry Coalition, has called for total resistance against what it describes as the “massive abuse” of the rights of Nigerian musicians and other stakeholders in the music industry.

In a statement signed by its secretary, Chinedu Chukwuji, after a meeting with journalists in Lagos on Monday, the group said it would leave no stone unturned in its quest to check the widespread infringement on the rights of composers, song writers, performers and music publishers in the country.

The coalition made the decision while unveiling the activities scheduled to mark this year’s edition of the No Music Day event on September 1, 2013.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, one of the leaders of the Coalition, Mr. Efe Omorogbe, said, “Music is our business, we will protect it with everything we have. We will not let anyone or any organisation destroy all that we have laboured so hard to build.

This is the focus of the No Music Day event. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Keep the Music Alive’ and this is a call to the government, as well as to all lovers of good music, to join the Nigerian music industry in solidarity to put an end to the blatant abuse of our right,s which in itself is a threat to creativity.”

As part of the activities lined up for the 2013 No Music Day event, the group requested all broadcast stations across the country not to broadcast music between 8.am and 10.am on Sunday, September 1, 2013 as a mark of solidarity with the nation’s creative industry.

Also, it urged all radio and television stations sympathetic to the plight of the music industry to dedicate the time belts to interviews, documentaries, debates and discussions that focus on the rights of creative people and the state of intellectual property rights in the country.