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| Tony Okoroji |
Beats-onit recently
brought you the first part of an in-depth discussion with the chairman of
Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). Here is the conclusion. Recall that we
said: Tony Okoroji is a persona that means very many different things to
different people. Above all, he is an astute manager of men and matters
especially in the area of Intellectual Property development, preservation and
protection. He has even ventured into chronicling his knowledge in that
critical but neglected aspect of our life in book form. Presently, the chairman
of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Okoroji is veering into talent
honing as he nurtures a new record label with a group of young acts on the
platform of his outfit, TOPS. In this exchange, he tells
beats-onit.blogspot.com.ng about it and more. Enjoy:
You operated in a
well-structured recording company with the full complement of relevant sections
that gave the industry great acts with equally great works. Presently, Nigeria
is inundated with music labels where every Tom, Dick and Harry is a label
owner. What do you propose can be done to get it right?
The genie is already out of the bottle. Digital technology
has changed everything. There was a time when the entire Lagos State had just
three serious recording studios: the EMI Studios in Oregun, the Afrodisia
Studio in Abule Oja near University of Lagos and the Recordisc Studio in Iju.
Artistes used to come from all over the country to record in Lagos. In fact, a
lot of artistes used to come from as far as Ghana to record in Lagos. Before, a
good recording studio required massive investment not only in substantial
physical infrastructure but in equipment. Today, it is possible to set up a
reasonably good recording studio in your bedroom with a laptop installed with a
Cu Base App and a Sound Card. It is the same way that anyone can today publish
his music to the world by uploading it on the net. Therefore, the temptation
for DIY is today very high.
It is the same thing that is happening to the media.
Everyone now with a smart phone is a publisher with bloggers proliferating
everywhere. Soon, traditional newspapers and magazines will disappear. In this
era, the competition will be very stiff and the difference is going to be made
by the uniqueness of your content and the brand that you build. Marketing your
content and brand is clearly the big challenge with everyone fighting for the
same bucks. The old recording companies probably just exist on their legacy catalogues.
This is the era of the do-it-yourself labels
Given your vantage
position, do you think there can be in place a proper recording company again
in Nigeria?
The definition of the term ‘proper recording company’ may
have changed. Take for instance when I recorded my album “Juliana”, I had to
work for weeks in a 24 track facility in Lagos that occupied an entire warehouse
with extensive sound proofing and stacks and stacks of electronic effects. The
facility required massive central air conditioning and a huge power generator. As
a producer, I could go for hours just trying to get the bass drum sound I
wanted. Today, I have access to various software that offer me a variety of
bass drum sounds just at the click of a mouse. All that rack of sound effects
costing a huge amount of money is available in a software that is not heavily
priced. I had to take the 2 inch
multitrack tapes of “Juliana” to the EMI Abbey Road studios in London, one of
the most expensive recording facilities in the world where the Beatles recorded
all their major hits. I was in the UK in search of the right “sound”.
Since the beginning of the year, I have been working on
several TOPS recording projects in a completely different kind of environment,
ten times smaller the facility where I recorded “Juliana”, “Oriaku”, “Mama
& Papa”, “Locomotion” and the many hits of Dizzy K. Falola. Almost
everybody now has access to good digital facilities. Creativity is now the difference.
Another major difference is that practically every record company now signs a
360 Degrees contract with their artistes. Since the income from the sale of
physical products has dwindled, almost every label is now interested in
managing its artistes’ live shows, endorsements, merchandizing, etc.
What is the future of collective administration in Nigeria within the next five years from now?
Collective management of copyright has become critical
because of the diverse ways in which music is now consumed, ways in which no
individual has the resources to track the income. As I said earlier, sales of
physical carriers such as CDs will soon disappear completely. It is therefore
important that the music industry in Nigeria has a powerful collective
management system that can fight for the ‘small people’ in the music industry
and ensure that they receive revenue commensurate with the demand of their
works. With COSON we have proved that collective management of copyright can
work in Nigeria. I pray that COSON continues to grow from strength to strength
and is in a position to distribute many billions of Naira annually to people in
the music industry. Believe me, it is doable.
Any plans for the
budding talents who can hardly access the attention of established
professionals for inspiration and guidance?
I have said it before that the work that I am doing today at
TOPS is my way of giving some of the many frustrated talents in the country a
chance to express themselves and pursue their talents. I practically have no
spare time any more, no weekends. I work flat out, Sundays included.
Ordinarily, I should not be working so hard at this stage in my life but I know
that the young people at TOPS depend so much on me. I cannot let them down. I
just hope that more people will join me because the future of Nigeria depends
on the success of these young people.
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