In sympathy with hoteliers in Lagos, the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte (MCSN) has decided to grant them concessions for the years 2020 and 2021 to enable them weather the effects of the ongoing Covid 19 global pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Society, Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, made this known last week when MCSN held a joint press conference with Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos (HOMAL).
According to him, the Society sympathizes with the Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos at a time like this when all its members’ businesses were shut down for 5 months during the Lockdown and even when the Government eased the restrictions on movement the Hospitality Sector was asked to still stay closed.
“The collateral effect of this shut down was that music practitioners (performing musicians, Djs, professional dancer’s dramatists, etc) were not able to ply their trades at the shut down venues. This implies that our members who are composers, authors, publishers, performers and producers of music are equally affected by the pandemic”
Continuing he added, “To this end, MCSN, having given due consideration to the plight of Members of HOMAL, as we share virtually the same pain, has decided to give certain concession and discounts to the paying members for the years 2020 and 2021, depending on individual’s past compliance. It is our hope that this gesture will further strengthen our cordial working relationship as we continue to add our quota to the Nation’s economy as providers of essential services”.
The president of HOMAL, Chief S.O Alabi, used the occasion to call on the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to use its extensive enforcement powers to sanitize the music industry.
He also called on the Lagos State Government to review the rates imposed on hotels, which is high and unfair, considering that the rates for manufacturing companies which have fully occupancy of their lands and facilities are far less.
He also urged the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government to extend their palliatives to members of HOMAL.
“We hereby use this opportunity to appeal to His Excellency, the workaholic Governor of Lagos State to kindly direct that Hotel and Allied business be categorized separately with a rate less than that of Manufacturing Premises. If this is done, it will go a long way to provide financial succor for hospitality stakeholders who had lost billions to the ravaging pandemic” Chief Alabi appealed.
The Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) expressed happiness about the engagement of MCSN and HOMAL for the benefit of musicians.
Represented at the occasion by its 2nd Vice President, Zakky Azzay, who stood in for the President, Mr. Pretty Okafor, was of the opinion that the collaboration between MCSN and HOMAL is a very positive development .
“We are grateful to the Hotel Owners and Managers Association (HOMAL) for the this laudable step and their contribution towards respecting the Rights of Creators and knowing that we are all in this together as partners in progress.
“We stand with MCSN in its activities and protection of rights of creators of Music. We encourage all Music and Intellectual Property users like Broadcasters and other users’ Associations/Unions to respect the Rights of Authors and Composers of works by paying due Royalties to MCSN in line with the Copyright Act and NBC code”. Mr Okafor said in a speech read by Zakky Azzay.
