Anti-Piracy Campaign Yet to Affect CD Sales

Audio CD, VCD and DVD sellers around Lagos insist that the much talked about fight against piracy by NCC has not affected their sales as they (including CD hawkers) continue to enjoy good business.

According to some of the traders who spoke to M2, the fight has not really changed anything about their usual business.

Mr. Adewale Agbedeyi, a roadside music and film kiosk operator and a member of Music Advertisement Association of Nigeria (MAAN), who says he will be happy to see piracy eliminated, identifies reasons why the campaign is not affecting their business yet. According to him, most buyers can not differentiate between pirated and original CDs and so they pay for whatever they are given as the original. Secondly he identifies pricing as another reason why the business thrives, saying that pirated CDs are sold cheaper than the original. Adewale went ahead to say that the compilation of local hit songs in Nigeria is encouraging piracy.

For Mr. Stephen Okeke, a music and film store owner at Iyana-Ipaja, the fight is not effective enough because it is not attacking the source. “The big boys’ at ‘Alaba’ are still turning out pirated CDs.” he says. Asked if they (traders) have any role to play in the fight against piracy, Mr Okeke opines that “There is nothing we can do about it because we have to survive,” adding, “we only buy what is in the market and for now pirated CDs is what we see more and at cheaper rates.