The entertainment sector in Nigeria is buzzing — and not just in Lagos anymore. In a big move that promises to reshape the musical landscape, the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) has officially opened a regional office in Ibadan. This expansion signals a turning point for musicians, event organizers, venues, and the entire creative community across southwestern Nigeria.
If you’ve ever felt that the music business was tilted heavily in favour of Lagos-based players, then this development should give you hope — and probably a reason to celebrate.
🚀 From Lagos Monopoly to National Reach: MCSN Hits Ibadan
For a long time, the structure around music rights, licensing, and royalties worked from Lagos. That meant venues, radio stations, and event organizers outside of Lagos — including in a cultural hub like Ibadan — were often left on their own. Many played music freely, without formal licensing or remuneration to artists. But things are changing fast.
On March 3, 2025, MCSN inaugurated its Ibadan office, located on Adamasigba Road, to serve not just Oyo State but also neighbouring Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.
The opening was marked by intensive training sessions for newly recruited staff. The training — delivered by MCSN’s Chief Executive Officer, Mayo Ayilaran, alongside experienced copyright-administration experts — focused heavily on licensing, enforcement, and accurate royalty collection and distribution.
This is part of a broader plan: MCSN aims to establish 20 offices nationwide by 2027. As of now, they have built presence in states such as Abuja, Kaduna, Kano — and now, Ibadan.
With the Ibadan office now operational, businesses and event planners in southwestern Nigeria no longer need to travel to Lagos to process licensing. That alone could cut time, cost, and bureaucratic hassle — a major win for regional stakeholders.
🎯 Why This Matters: Licensing, Rights & Respecting Artists
To understand why this is such a breakthrough, you need to know what MCSN does and why its role is crucial. MCSN is Nigeria’s only Collective Management Organization (CMO) approved by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to license, monitor, and distribute royalties for musical works and sound recordings.
Whether you’re a composer, songwriter, producer, performer or record label — once you join MCSN and submit your music, you become eligible to receive royalties whenever your songs are played on radio, streamed, or performed live.
On the other side, if you run a hotel, lounge, club, radio/TV station, event centre or even a salon — and you play music publicly — you are required under Nigerian law to get a license from MCSN.
Failure to do so doesn’t just amount to bad business ethics — it can carry serious legal consequences. According to a 2025 advisory from NCC, DJs or venue owners who publicly perform music without license or owners’ authorisation risk fines of not less than ₦1,000,000 or imprisonment of at least five years.
So this isn’t just corporate-speak. It’s about real rights — artists getting paid, and those using music publicly being held accountable.
💡 Real-Life Impact: A Personal Story from an Event Organizer
Let me tell you a bit about my own experience, which brings this shift to life:
We recently organized the Amala Festival on 6th December 2025. As the planning and outreach phase ramped up, we received a letter from MCSN — demanding that we license the event or risk legal complications. True enough: without a license, any public use of music (whether live or recorded) would have been a breach of copyright law.
So we visited the new Ibadan MCSN office. Thankfully, we were able to negotiate, acquire a license, and pay the required fee — thus ensuring the event could go ahead legally. It was a successful festival.
To me and everyone involved, that was more than mere compliance. It felt like a long-overdue recognition of what artistes deserve: remuneration and respect for their creative labour. 🎵
And the best part? Organizers across Ibadan — and neighbouring states — now have a credible, local option for licensing music. No need to trek to Lagos or deal with uncertainty anymore.
✅ Why This Is Good News for Nigeria’s Entertainment Industry
The opening of MCSN’s Ibadan office is more than just a logistical detail. It represents a likely turning point for music and event culture in Nigeria, especially outside Lagos. Here’s why:
Decentralization of Licensing: Artists no longer have to be in Lagos to benefit from royalty collection. The geography of rights is expanding.
Support for Local Musicians: With better licensing compliance, musicians – even those based outside Lagos – have a stronger shot at earning what they deserve.
Professionalization of Events & Venues: Hotels, lounges, clubs, radio stations, and event planners can no longer ignore copyright compliance. This fosters a more structured, legitimate entertainment ecosystem.
Legal Clarity: The warnings from NCC, combined with an active local MCSN branch, remove ambiguity. Event organizers, DJs, and venue owners know what’s expected.
Economic Incentive for Creatives: When music usage is licensed properly, a predictable revenue stream from royalties becomes more realistic — especially for independent and up-and-coming artists.
⚠️ Challenges Ahead — But The Foundation Is Strong
Of course, this is not a silver bullet. Nigeria’s music-licensing history is complicated. Over the years, there have been disputes around which collecting society has the legitimate right to collect royalties — notably between MCSN and another group known as Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).
There have also been legal and regulatory hiccups in the past. For instance, debates around whether CMOs need explicit approval to enforce rights have occasionally stirred controversy.
Still, the fact remains: as of January 2025, the NCC renewed MCSN’s operating license to continue as the approved CMO for musical works and sound recordings in Nigeria. This recent formal approval gives even more weight to the organization’s mandate — and to the legitimacy of licensing requirements across the country.
The success of this initiative will depend on enforcement, compliance and industry awareness. If venue owners, DJs, event planners, and business operators take the licensing requirement seriously, we could finally see a more equitable, fair, and sustainable music ecosystem emerge — not just in Lagos, but nationwide.
✨ What This Means for You — Musicians, Event Organizers, and Fans
If you’re an artist based in Ibadan (or surrounding states): this is a real opportunity to get registered and start earning royalties whenever your music is used publicly, streamed, or broadcast.
For event organizers, clubs, lounges or hotels — make sure you get your license ahead of time. It’s easier and more accessible than ever — and prevents potential legal and financial headaches.
For fans and consumers — Expect more professional, legal, and well-managed events. Supporting licensed events means supporting the creatives who make the music.
📝 Final Thoughts
The opening of MCSN’s Ibadan office is far more than just another branch. It’s a message: the music business in Nigeria is finally growing up. For too long, the structure of licensing and royalties made it easy to overlook the value of music — especially outside Lagos. Now, that’s changing.
For everyone who plays, performs, organizes or enjoys music — this is a win. It’s a moment of progress, recognition, and respect for creativity. You deserve credit. You deserve payment. And with MCSN expanding into Ibadan — and beyond — that credit might finally come your way.
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