Nigeria is undoubtedly the center of entertainment in Africa, especially on the music scene. Nigerian music has evolved over the years and gotten bigger and better with a wide range of audience reach both home and beyond that consists of different genres and styles. From Nigerian hip-hop to R ‘n’ B, Afro pop, Afro beat, High-Life, Nigerian Gospel, Reggae etc. Nigerian musicians have also carved out a niche for themselves by their unique way of infusing either Ghana beats to a Nigerian sound or Jamaican dance hall into a Nigerian rhythm.
Nigerian musicians can be said to be working hard in making their mark globally and can boast to have some of the most advanced recording studio technology in Africa with huge commercial opportunities. After putting in such effort it can be disheartening to have all that hard work been robbed by piracy or other corrupt means which puts a constraint on the growth of the industry.
For this fact, the Nigerian Music Industry declared September 1, as No Music Day celebration. The objective is aimed at engaging Nigerian people and various government bodies on the contributions of Nigerian music to socioeconomic developments; and at building significant public awareness to support the fight against piracy and undermining investments in the Nigerian creative industry.
This year will mark the sixth year the event has been on and the theme for this year which is themed ‘Music for National Stability’, will focus on bringing to the attention of the nation the widespread infringement of the rights of music performers, songwriters, composers and other stakeholders in the industry.
As part of the event activities, broadcast stations have been required not to broadcast music from 8.00am to 10am. The Chairman of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Chief Tony Okoroji, believes that this awareness will enhance and promote the Nigerian Music industry and add meaningfully to the nations GDP; which will be an advantage to provide jobs to Nigerian youths who roam the streets with nothing to do.
