The Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) has confirmed receipt of the music copyright levy from the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), a development that has drawn criticism from the Record Labels Proprietors Initiative (ReLPI).
The payment relates to the music copyright levy provided for under Nigerian copyright law and recently implemented by the commission.
Reacting to concerns raised by ReLPI, MCSN said, “We are not unaware of the grumblings of certain interests fronting some Nigerian entities to continue with the unprofitable actions of more than 30 years to hold down the progress of the Nigerian music industry…”
The organisation added that sound recordings involve more than one category of rights holders, stating, “For a start, sound recordings are a shared interest between record producers and performers…”
MCSN further said many performers whose works are commercially exploited through recordings are members of the society. According to it, “In Nigeria, most performers (performing musicians) whose performances were recorded in albums are direct members and assignors of MCSN…”
It also maintained that its operations align with international practice, saying, “In line with international norm and best practices, MCSN will administer the rights of ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, SACEM, SAMRO, etc in Nigeria…”
MCSN added that the eventual disbursement of the fund would reach grassroots creators across the country and help improve the welfare of Nigerian musicians.
ReLPI, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the payment, arguing that record labels and sound recording owners were not adequately represented in the process and questioning MCSN’s authority to administer the levy on their behalf.
The music copyright levy covers musical works and sound recordings and is intended as compensation for rights holders for private copying of copyrighted materials. The levy has existed in Nigerian copyright law since 1988 but has only recently begun implementation following regulatory steps by the NCC.
Under the Copyright Act 2022, the NCC is empowered to collect and distribute such levies to approved collective management organisations or other representatives of rights owners. The disagreement between MCSN and ReLPI reflects ongoing debates within the Nigerian music industry over royalty collection, representation and distribution among composers, performers and record producers.
