The Federal Government has taken a major step toward addressing long-standing concerns around royalty distribution and collective management in Nigeria’s music industry, following a high-level meeting with key industry stakeholders in Abuja.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, January 27, was convened amid growing backlash over the handling of royalties by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and increasing calls for reform within the country’s collective management framework.
For many stakeholders, the engagement marked the first serious attempt by government to confront what they describe as a broken system that has failed to prioritise creators and rightsholders.
The session was jointly led by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, alongside the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN. Also present were the Director-General of the NCC, Dr John Assien, and the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Obi Asika.
Industry representation came from major music sector bodies, including the Record Label Proprietors’ Initiative Ltd/Gte (ReLPI), represented by Mr Kizito Ahams, Senior Licensing and Publishing Manager at Mavin Records, and the Music Publishers Association of Nigeria (MPAN), led by its chairman and Premier Records CEO, Mr Michael Odiong.
The discussions centred on deep-seated concerns about Nigeria’s collective management architecture, particularly its impact on musicians, publishers, and other rights holders.
Participants raised issues around opaque governance structures, weak accountability, poor reporting standards, and a lack of transparency in how royalties are collected and distributed.
The meeting followed heightened public scrutiny of the NCC’s recent attempt to disburse private copying levies through a Collective Management Organisation (CMO), a move that previously drew criticism from ReLPI over questions of representation and beneficiary legitimacy.
Attention during the discussions inevitably turned to the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), currently the only NCC-approved music CMO in the country.
According to those present, urgent questions were raised around custodianship of funds, distribution processes, and clarity over who ultimately benefits from collected royalties.
Sources familiar with the meeting said the core objective was to review and interrogate Nigeria’s entire collective management framework, with the possibility of restructuring it to restore confidence in the system.
The emphasis, they noted, was on building a transparent, credible model that places creators and rightsholders at the centre, while ensuring proper oversight and accountability.
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