Gospel music promoter, Nii Noi, has called out authorities for failing to clamp down on music piracy, describing their efforts as ineffective.

According to him, the lack of enforcement has left artists and managers powerless in the fight against illegal music distribution. He believes it’s time to explore alternative solutions.

“So, if we have gone beyond the process of stating that they can’t be arrested, then let’s legalise them. If it’s done that way, the people who have been legalised would help apprehend the illegal ones when they come. They will report the illegal ones. If we can’t arrest them, let’s bring them together and have a conversation. For instance, they could pay Gh¢10 or G¢5 per pendrive,” Nii Noi stated.

He bemoaned the failure of authorities to take decisive action against individuals engaged in music piracy, calling their efforts “toothless.”

“Authorities that are supposed to be arresting people for piracy have become toothless because as an artiste manager or an artiste, I can’t go on my own and arrest them. We have a collective society, and we have a union that must lead some of these charges. In Nigeria, because they realised that it is difficult to do so, they have brought these piracy people together and they have legalised it.

Media personality MC Yaa Yeboah has stated that the lack of collaborative efforts between the National Film Authority (NFA) and the copyright office has become a contributing factor to piracy in the country.“To date, the NFA has not held any meetings with the copyright office regarding piracy,” she stated on UTV’s United Showbiz.

The NFA had earlier warned in a letter that any TV station caught airing pirated movies would have its license revoked. But according to MC Yaa Yeboah, the NFA does not even have the power to revoke licenses.

“The NFA recently issued a letter to television stations warning them that if they air movies without proper authorization, their licenses will be revoked. However, upon researching this matter, I discovered that the NFA is not even the institution responsible for revoking licenses,” she said.

But MC Yeboah criticizes the authorities for handling the movie piracy challenge with caution letters, describing it as a method that is no longer effective.

Mc Yeboah asserts that releasing a press statement against piracy offenders does not amount to punitive action that can deter culprits.

“Producers invest millions of cedis in making their movies, only for others to take these movies, air them on their platforms without permission, and profit from them. Meanwhile, the institutions responsible for addressing piracy just issue letters, to avoid appearing inactive,” she said.

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