By Osagie Alonge
Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), has written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan demanding that the licenses of popular radio stations Cool FM and Wazobia FM be revoked. One of the reasons, being that they are going against the nation’s broadcast code and the copyright law as both headquarters are located in the same building.
‘The owners of Cool FM and Wazobia FM, who have made hundreds of millions of naira annually in advertising revenue, principally from the broadcast of music and sound recordings, have shown clearly that despite the provisions of the law, they have no intention of obtaining appropriate authorization or license for the content they deploy or pay one kobo for the music and sound recordings that sustain their operations. In other words, Cool FM and Wazobia FM are above the law‘, COSON declares.
COSON Chairman Chief Tony Okoroji spoke to newsmen at the boardroom of COSON in Ikeja on Monday January 17, 2011 announcing that agencies and creative companies that had sympathy for Nigerian acts should withdraw their advertising from the said radio stations.
‘We wish to notify Corporate Nigeria that of the huge amount of money paid by them to these stations, a small fraction of which is meant to be used to ensure that the owners of the content broadcast on the stations are paid, not one kobo is spent by the owners of COOL FM and WAZOBIA FM to properly acquire the rights to the music they broadcast 24 hours every day. We shall therefore consider any advertising agency or organization still advertising on Cool FM and Wazobia FM as an enemy of Nigeria’s creative industry bent on aiding and abating the continued infringement of the rights of Nigerian artistes’, says Chief Okoroji.
Chief Okoroji went to explain that COSON had written countless letters to Cool FM and Wazobia FM, inviting them to discussions, as they (COSON) were having with others, on the content they use. They never bothered to reply any of their letters. Meanwhile Cool FM and Wazobia FM have continued to blast unlicensed music 24 hours every day as if Nigeria is a jungle with no laws.
6 comments
they should pay
good writing. very interesting
Well i think that’s mere jealousy because of the way Cool and Wazobia Fm has exploded during their short years of running. COSOM should piss off
what jealous and hunger can bring to one, what if the radio station is authorized to air those songs as promo copies,more music promoters atimes pay radio stations to air their songs. maybe these guys want to wreck our music industries.
See jealousy O! Coson should go away jor. They just can bear seeing the two stations flying.
Nigerians r F@#kn sick.don't blame u guys,u know nothing bout mechanical rights.that's why artists in 9ja are dying.dey r makn good music but no cash to take back home cuz some stupid radio station played dier music without permission.u guys r sick,reli sick.