Entertainment
‘Piracy May Force Indigenous Music To Extinctions’
Some stakeholders in the entertainment industry yesterday advised government to fight piracy for indigenous music to thrive and save them from going to extinction.
They told newsmen in Lagos during the launch of a new album called “ADITU’’ (mystery): a gospel music produced by an up-and-coming artist, Durosinmi Abiodun.
The Managing Director, Evergreen Musical Company, Mrs Bimbo Esho, said that developed countries had been preserving their evergreen indigenous songs in their museums.
According to Esho, many countries have developed their indigenous music to attract foreign tourists and generate revenue to keep their economy growing.
“If you are looking for the complete musical works of legends like Orlando Owoh and others that had died, the labels might have gone into extinction.
“But for Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey, you will still find theirs because they are still alive,’’ she said.
Esho said that majority of the copies of such intellectual works of deceased musicians now available would be pirated ones.
They are usually displayed by hawkers along the highways and under the scorching sun that usually affected their qualities and not durable, she said
Esho said that indigenous music composers should create a platform where people from far and near could listen and enjoy them.
She also advised stakeholders to collaborate with the government to eradicate piracy of intellectual works.
She described it as a menace affecting the growth of the sector.
“The online piracy has even made it worse because the culprit cannot be traced.’’
Also, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Quintessence Gallery Nig. Ltd., Mrs Aino Oniokpaku, said that it was imperative to preserve the history and culture of the country for future generations to learn from.
According to the report, Oniokpaku is a Swedish entrepreneur that has been promoting Nigerian arts and craft for more than 42 years.
She said persistent piracy of intellectual property would discourage budding artists from venturing into music production.
“Nigeria is blessed with fantastic talents, and we should preserve our history, otherwise we will lose our culture.
“Discarding our history will amount to us forgetting everything that is good for the country,’’ Oniokpaku said.
A film producer and a musician, Yinka Akanbi, said that the entertainment industry was capable of generating more than 15 per cent of government’s expected IGR.
Akanbi said that this would be possible if the government could concentrate and invest more in the sector.
“If we have government’s commitment, the entertainment industry will go far, the sky will be the limit,’’ he said.
He advised up-and-coming artists to be original and produce meaningful songs that would promote the good image of the country.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.