The Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (MCSN) have agreed to work together to enhance the living standards of Nigerian musicians and other creative people.
To this end, the Society and the Musicians’ union have signed an agreement to ensure that they work hand in hand to achieve set goals for the music industry and the entertainment industry at large.
At the agreement signing ceremony which took place at the MCSN’s head office in Lagos last week, the President of PMAN, Mr. Pretty Okafor, said that the union decided to give its full support to MCSN because PMAN and the Society have identical goals, which border on the welfare and wellbeing of the musicians.
“So it makes a lot of sense for the two of us to work together because the welfare of the musician is paramount to both”, he said.
He further stated that with MCSN as the only approved Collective Management Organization (CMO) in the country today, musicians should be behind it (MCSN) 100 per cent to ensure that it succeeds in its functions of collecting and distributing royalties on behalf of musicians without any hindrance.
The CEO of MCSN, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, in corroborating what Mr. Okafor said added that the agreement between MCSN and PMAN becomes a mile stone, which underscores the fact that the musicians’ union has fully thrown its weight behind the society in its function of collecting royalties and creating a clear road-map for the creation of wealth and prosperity for the Nigerian musician and the creative industry at large.
“With this collaborative effort, collections of royalties from users of music will be a lot easier because the musicians who benefit from the royalty collections are now a part of it. And as a Society the only thing we owe the musicians is transparency, which will ultimately lead to prosperity.”
Those present at the brief but impressive ceremony were Mr. Zeb Ejiro, OON, Pastor Kola Olulana and Mr. Victor Okhai (the newly elected President of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria – DGN) all who are Board members of MCSN on the one hand and Mr. Sunny Neji, 1st Vice President of PMAN; Mr. Zaaki Azzay, the 2nd Vice-President of PMAN; Mr. Asha Gangali, the National Treasurer of PMAN; Rugged Man, Chairman Media of PMAN and Aita Bony Itodo, the General Secretary of PMAN on the other hand.
In a brief comment, Mr. Zeb Ejiro stated that this is a proof that every sector of the creative and entertainment industries needs each other and should henceforth speak with one voice as “what affects one affects all”.
Mr. Sunny Neji in his own words states that he feels “so excited that this is happening at last in the music industry and musicians can look forward to start to reap the fruits of their hard labour, without rancor”.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Ayilaran on behalf of MCSN and Mr. Okafor on behalf of PMAN.
Picture shows Mr. Okafor (left) and Mr. Ayilaran exchange the signed agreement while the National Working Committee (NWC) members of PMAN and directors of MCSN look on.
