Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)

What Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) does

COSON is Nigeria's largest collective management organization (CMO) for music copyright. It administers Performing Rights and Mechanical Rights on behalf of songwriters, composers, music publishers, and other rights holders, licensing the public use of musical works, collecting royalties from music users, and distributing the proceeds to its members. The organization is structured as a not-for-profit, member-owned company limited by guarantee, governed by a board elected by its members, and operates from COSON House in Ikeja, Lagos. Its revenue model is fee-for-service in form only: COSON collects licensing fees from broadcasters, venues, digital platforms, hospitality operators, and other music users, deducts administrative costs, and pays the balance to rights holders; it does not earn profit in the traditional sense. It has reciprocal representation agreements with collecting societies worldwide, allowing it to collect royalties for Nigerian works performed abroad and vice versa, and it has distributed "hundreds of millions of Naira" in royalties to members over its operating history.

The organization has invested in modest digital infrastructure, including a mobile application (the COSON App) available on Google Play for member engagement, and has undertaken operational upgrades such as a solar power installation at COSON House completed in late 2024. Its market position has been fortified by a 2018 Federal High Court judgment and a subsequent Court of Appeal ruling affirming its standing as a collective administrator of music rights in Nigeria. Public-facing initiatives in 2025 — including COSON Week and a National Day of Prayer — are positioned as member-engagement and industry-consolidation events rather than commercial product launches.

On the partnership and ecosystem side, COSON has deepened ties with industry bodies including GOMAN, CCRN, and AGN in 2025, signaling an effort to extend influence across adjacent entertainment verticals. Revenue is supplemented periodically by litigation recoveries, most notably a one-time ₦500 million court award, which is non-recurring and should not be treated as a baseline revenue indicator. No AI/ML capabilities are disclosed, and the organization's competitive moat rests on its regulatory standing, brand, reciprocal-agreement network, and member base rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)

Legal name

Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)

Website

https://cosonng.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COSON is Nigeria's largest music copyright collective management organization, administering Performing and Mechanical Rights on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers by licensing music users, collecting royalties, and distributing proceeds to its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mechanical Rights Collection & Licensing (MROs/CMOs) (MPAIAKAB), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Royalty collection services
• Copyright licensing
• Performing rights administration
• Music user licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ikeja, Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Music Licensing Fees: COSON collects licence fees from music users (television and radio broadcasters, live music venues, retailers, restaurants, hotels, clubs, promoters, shopping centres, transport facilities) who use musical works or sound recordings in public/commercial settings. These fees are then distributed as royalties to music creators.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COSON administers Performing and Mechanical Rights on behalf of its music creator members (songwriters, composers, publishers, performers). It licenses commercial and public music users—including television and radio broadcasters, live music venues, hotels, clubs, restaurants, retailers, shopping centres, promoters, and transport facilities—collecting license fees and distributing the proceeds as royalties to rightsholders.

Product overview

Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) is Nigeria's largest copyright collective management organization for music. The organization operates as a unified platform offering copyright administration, licensing, and royalty distribution services to music creators and music users. The core products include collective rights management, music user licensing, music creator membership services, royalty distribution, and the COSON mobile app. The organization also runs annual events including COSON Week (featuring multiple sub-events like COSON in the Church, COSON Lecture, COSON Mega Jamz, COSON Medical Outreach, COSON in the Mosque, Children's Day, and COSON Green Ball) and No Music Day awareness campaign.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music User Licensing License issuance to commercial and public music users—including television and radio broadcasters, live music venues, hotels, clubs, restaurants, retailers, shopping centres, event promoters, and transport facilities—authorizing the public or commercial use of copyrighted musical works and sound recordings in the COSON repertoire.
• Music Creator Membership Services Membership program for songwriters, composers, performers, and music publishers to register their musical works and sound recordings with COSON, enabling them to receive royalties when their works are exploited publicly or commercially.
• Royalty Distribution Collection of license fees from public and commercial music users and distribution of the proceeds as royalties to registered music creators based on usage of their works.
• COSON App Mobile application available on the Google Play Store for Android devices, allowing members and music users to access COSON services digitally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed hundreds of millions of Naira in copyright royalties to music industry stakeholders
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• MUSON Centre, LagosminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 May 2025MUSON Centre hosted the COSON Green Ball on May 30, 2025. Shell Hall at MUSON Centre was the venue for the super-exclusive green carpet event.
• National Film & Video Censors Board (NFVCB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025COSON Chairman Tony Okoroji visited NFVCB headquarters in Abuja and commended Executive Director Dr Shaibu Hussein's leadership. NFVCB Board was invited to COSON Week 2025 events.
• Care Life Medical Centre, LagosminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 29 May 2025Care Life Medical Centre partnered with COSON to provide free medical examinations and treatment for musicians during the COSON Medical Outreach on May 29, 2025.
• Freedom Park, LagosminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2025Freedom Park was the venue for 'COSON Mega Jamz' - the first ever 24 hours non-stop music concert in Nigeria, held May 28-29, 2025.
• Gospel Musicians Association of Nigeria (GOMAN)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 May 2025GOMAN has wholeheartedly endorsed 'COSON in the Church' - the National Day of Prayer scheduled for May 25, 2025. GOMAN pledged to publicly identify with the event and encourage its members to participate.
• Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 May 2025CCRN has endorsed 'COSON in the Church' National Day of Prayer and provided CCRNTV platform for broadcasting the event. CCRN wrote expressing strong belief in prayers and full support for the program.
• Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 May 2025AGN expressed full support for the National Day of Prayer and expressed willingness to partner with COSON in all areas of interest.
• Creative Industry Group (CIG)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025CIG endorsed COSON Week and committed to partner with COSON for successful events. CIG National President Ambassador Felix Duke promised full participation.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIPO is a Geneva-based United Nations agency and key international partner for copyright development. WIPO's one-time Deputy Director-General, Geoffrey Onyeama, delivered the 2017 COSON Lecture.
• Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNCC is the regulatory body for copyright in Nigeria. COSON operates under NCC oversight and has had various interactions regarding licensing and royalty distribution frameworks.
• Norwegian Copyright Development Association (NORCODE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORCODE collaborated with COSON; Prof Helge Ronning, Chairman of NORCODE, delivered the inaugural COSON Lecture in 2013.
• International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISAC is a global network of collective management organizations. COSON is connected to CISAC's international network for cross-border royalty collection.
• BIEMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collective management organization for mechanical rights, part of COSON's global network of reciprocal partnerships.
• Chapel of Christ the Light, IkejamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerChapel of Christ the Light hosted 'COSON in the Church' National Day of Prayer on May 25, 2025. The inter-denominational Christian center served as the epicenter of the national prayer event broadcast across Nigeria.
• Lagos Central Mosque, Ebute MettaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLagos Central Mosque hosted 'COSON in the Mosque' on May 30, 2025, as part of COSON Week 2025.
• Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria IslandmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNIIA hosted the 2025 COSON Lecture on May 26 at its auditorium in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BMI: BMI is the other major US PRO and a global collective rights organization. It is comparable to COSON through its reciprocal representation network and parallel business model of licensing public performance rights and distributing royalties to songwriters, composers, and publishers.
• ASCAP: ASCAP is one of the two major US PROs, licensing public performance of musical works and distributing royalties. It is a global peer to COSON through its reciprocal agreements and shares the same core business model of collective rights administration on behalf of music creators.
• GEMA: GEMA is Germany's largest PRO and one of the largest in the world, administering performance and mechanical rights for music creators. It is a peer to COSON as a major PRO within the same CISAC-affiliated reciprocal network.
• BUMA/STEMRA: BUMA/STEMRA is the Dutch PRO for performing rights and mechanical rights respectively, with BUMA being a CISAC member. It is a peer to COSON through its dual-performing and mechanical rights administration model, mirroring COSON's scope of rights.
• SACEM: SACEM is France's main PRO, managing authors' rights and royalty distribution across music, audiovisual, and literary works. Comparable to COSON through its role as a major CISAC-affiliated PRO and reciprocal partner with similar licensing and distribution functions.
• JASRAC: JASRAC is Japan's dominant PRO for administering musical copyrights. It is comparable to COSON as a major national PRO within the same CISAC-affiliated global network, with an analogous licensing and royalty distribution model.
• APRA AMCOS: APRA AMCOS is the Australasian PRO and mechanical rights society, representing songwriters, composers, and publishers across Australia and New Zealand. It is a peer to COSON through its combined performing and mechanical rights administration and global reciprocal network participation.
• Performing Right Society (PRS for Music): PRS for Music is the UK's largest PRO, representing songwriters, composers, and publishers. It is comparable to COSON as a direct counterpart within COSON's reciprocal representation network, operating the same performing rights collection and distribution model at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO): SAMRO is the largest PRO in Southern Africa, serving South Africa and the broader region. It is comparable to COSON as a sub-Saharan African regional peer operating the same performing rights collection model for music creators in an emerging market.

Direct peers

• Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN): MCSN is COSON's direct competitor in Nigeria, also operating as a music collective management organization for performing and mechanical rights. It was controversially approved by NCC in 2017 and collected 2.7 billion Naira from MultiChoice alone, making it the most directly comparable peer in the same product category and customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@COSON.NG
• Facebookfacebook.com/coson9ja
• Instagraminstagram.com/cosonnigeria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copyright-society-of-nigeria-coson-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)