COSCON Sets Up Nigeria’s Largest Music Data Base
Intense work is presently going on at Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Nigeria’s new broad-based collective management organization, on the setting up of what will by far be the largest database of songs, composers, songwriters, producers and publishers of music ever established in Nigeria.
Speaking on the objectives of the database, the Chairman of the COSON Interim Management Board, Chief Tony Okoroji, said, “the most important resource of any collective management organization is its repertoire. The efficient record keeping and management of this resource are therefore critical to the success of any CMO. The ultimate objective of COSON is the fair distribution to its members and associates of money collected by the organization. The system by which this is done must be such that inspires confidence in the members, associates, users and other publics that deal with COSON. As we strive to make COSON a world class CMO, the objective of this project is to install technology that will at the click of a button provide important details on every work in the huge catalogue that COSON will be managing so that every authorized person anywhere in the world will have access to the repertoire so as to ensure efficient licensing and distribution of royalties.”
One of Nigeria’s best known database and software developers, Mr. Niyi Alalade, is leading the team that has been working daily at the COSON office in Ikeja, to ensure that the organization takes off with the best technological platform that money can buy. Meanwhile, a team of experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is expected in Nigeria in the coming weeks to inspect the COSON database and to ensure its link to the rest of the world. The Geneva based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for the worldwide development of Copyright, Patents, Trade Marks, Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications and other forms of intellectual Property.
