Encomium
…Embarks on membership drive
THE Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) as part of its ongoing re-structuring is set to re-validate its membership and embark on an extensive membership registration process.
According to its National Chairman, Kevin Lucciano Gabriel, “We are set to reach out to our pre-registered members, young artistes and musicians in a view to updating and upgrading the membership register. In the present structural frame, membership welfare and capacity building is of utmost importance to us and we can only co-ordinate this properly with an updated register. The strength of any union around the world is in its numbers and benefits to the membership, and these are two of our principal areas of focus presently.
“Revalidation of existing members and registration of new members will be coordinated through the existing state chapters, while upcoming musicians and artistes will be required to register through the union’s newly re-designed website.”
The union is also set to embark on a massive nationwide tour of campuses to reach out to young musicians and artistes present in tertiary institutions.
“We will go wherever our people (artistes) are, especially schools, to engage and educate them on the benefits of joining the union in our bid to re-structure the industry, especially in the areas of artist welfare,” affirms Kevin.
In a related development, commercial businesses using musical works on their premises and for public promotions of their products and the brand, will be required to pay a MCL (Music Consumption Levy) henceforth, even as this has always been a standing requirement but not enforced. The National Chairman of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Kevin Lucciano Gabriel has disclosed to journalists.
“Today, businesses and public institutions all over Nigeria in different sectors use music works to embellish their office environments and drive and promote their businesses, without paying any for such usage, as in the case of restaurants and other hospitality and commercial activities.
“Globally, the protection of rights of creative works has long been a major concern to music unions and musicians. Musicians deserve to be compensated for commercial usage of their works for promotion of any business and enhancement of any public premises, and the union deems it high time such revenues were duly captured to enable it generate revenue for welfare activities on behalf of artistes.”
In the same light, the PMAN boss also stated that music promoters will equally have to be levied and registered by the union to be able to have an affiliate relationship for better coordination of industry activities.
“Businesses and organisations that align with us in this new quest will enjoy the support of the union, maximally. Promoters and international artistes coming into the country to perform need us to support them in the areas of artiste conduct, performance procedures and other technical areas like required taxes for work permits where some of them have reportedly had issues with the union in the past,” the PMAN Chairman concluded.
– UCHE OLEHI
