AFRIMAs, others announce adoption of Nigerian Music Industry Collective

The virtual summit, chaired by Chaired by Efe Omorogbe, ran under the theme, Identification of Internal and External Regulatory Mechanisms to Smoothen the Working Relationship among Various Stakeholders and Subgroups in the Music Industry.

It was held in conjunction with key organisations such as the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), the Record Label Proprietors Initiative (RELPI), the Association of Music Artist Managers of Nigeria (AMAMN) and the Music Publishers Association of Nigeria (MPAN)

Gathering representatives from independent organisations overseeing artistic, corporate, legal, and policy regulations within the Nigerian music industry, it sought to build upon the recommendations of the four-man legal advisory committee at the first emergency summit held in October 2023. There, the committee outlined action plans, including defining legal, diplomatic, and regulatory synergy, streamlining participation for industry practitioners, and establishing operational standards to reduce government involvement, as well as the proposed establishment of a collective of representatives and related matters.

The Nigerian Music Industry Collective will now replace AFRIMA as the secretariat, commencing as a loose association before finalising legal and operational mechanisms for the establishment of the Academy for the Music Industry. An agreement was reached to, among other things, establish a working committee to delve into discussions concerning funding, operational modalities, and membership eligibility.

The participants agreed that the working committee will at inception, be made up of leaders of the constituent associations/organisations or their designated representatives.

Omorogbe acknowledged the efforts of Isioma Idigbe and Punuka Partners in developing the draft roadmap for minimum standard agreement templates within the music industry. A monitoring committee, drawn from participating associations and entities, will oversee the six-and-a-half-month project, aiming to establish a self-regulatory system. Deliverables include a project report, deal memos, a contract template, and a review framework.

Elsewhere, debates arose over the involvement of COSON in the industry-wide contract standardisation drive due to its lack of an operating license. PMAN President Pretty Okafor and Olisa Adibua raised concerns about engaging with a collective management organisation declared unlicensed by the Nigeria Copyright Commission. While the recommendations were generally accepted, the decision to include COSON would be subject to a vote in the next meeting.