PMAN urges musicians to register in the Copy Levy Beneficiary Verification

President of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) Pretty Okafor has called on musicians especially those in the grassroots to participate in the Copy Levy Beneficiary Verification by registering on the PMAN national database.

Okafor recently made this call at a media parley at the PMAN headquarters in Lagos.

While expressing deep gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the political will and administrative clarity that ensured the first tranche of the Copyright Levy under Section 89 of the Copyright Act 2022, Okafor appreciated the leadership and support of the Attorney -General of the Federal and Minister of Justice as well the commitment of the DG of the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) Dr. John Asein including Mayowa Ayilaran, CEO of MCSN.

Okafor said: “This moment aligns with the Renewed Hope agenda of the Tinubu administration – an agenda that seems to position the creative industry as a viable contributor to national productivity, employment, exports and sustainable prosperity. The implementation of the Levy framework represents more than a policy announcement; it is an institutional signal that Nigeria is prepared to move the creative economy from sentiment to structure – from applause to accountability.

“ It is important to educate the public on the legal and historical significance of what has occurred. The Copyright Levy is not a private arrangement and not a discretionary ‘gift.’ It is a statutory mechanism provided for under Section 89 of the Copyright Act of 2020, which contemplates a Levy on materials used or capable of being used to infringe copyright and the proper disbursement ecosystem through the NCC. In fact, as MCSN correctly noted, the Levy concept has existed within Nigeria’s copyright legal architecture since 1988, but remained largely unimplemented until this present administration took the necessary steps to activate it in practical terms.

“ It must be emphasized in clear terms that Copy Levy is not the same as routine copyright royalties. Royalties typically arise from uses such as public performance, broadcast, reproduction or other exploitation of copyright , managed through authorised structures.”

The PMAN president added that the fund is meant to reach the grassroots and every Nigerian creator, no matter where they are located.

He encouraged musicians to register with MCSN as their Collective Management Organization (CMO) adding that PMAN will compile verified entries from its national database and provide them to MCSN to support a credible, auditable disbursement process for eligible performance.

There was also the clarity that the Copy Levies are not royalties.

PMAN vice president, Olamuyiwa Aralola popularly known as Ara encouraged musicians to register while rapper Vector urged artists to be interested in what is happening in the industry.