Music Theft And Copyright Infringement In The Nigerian Gospel Music Industry By Stanley Alieke

I attended a church program-tagged worship service over the weekend where so many popular gospel artists were invited to perform, there and then, it dawned on me how much of intellectual property theft infringement that goes on in the gospel music industry and unfortunately nobody is saying anything about it.

Maybe I have never really paid much attention to it but at that service it pricked me how some gospel artistes were brazenly performing and remixing other popular artists’ songs on stage. Such a thing dare not happen in the secular music scene; before you can legally perform or remix another secular musicians song, you must have acquired a legal right to that song or else if you remix or perform another artist’s song without that artiste’s express consent and approval you will be sued for copyright infringement but gospel musician brazenly do that; maybe because they believe that other gospel musicians have the spirit of God and the songs are rendered to the glory of God, therefore, they won’t get sued over copyright theft and infringement.

It is rare for you to hear or see a gospel musician suing another gospel musician for copyright theft or infringement. In fact, in recent times, I have only heard of it once in Nigeria and I think that the man got canceled for daring to seek legal protection over his intellectual property.

Holy Spirit inspired or not, remixing songs to the glory of God or not, gospel musicians should take note that they do it and nobody has really taken it up legally does not make it right. Remixing other classic or old gospel songs without the express approval or consent of the original creator of the song is morally and legally wrong; at best it is theft and I believe that the holy spirit will not lead you to steal. If it is performing other gospel artiste’s songs on stage I can understand but remixing or remaking another artiste’s song without permission amounts to copyright infringement.

Let me also put it out there that as a choir member of a church, any song you crafted or wrote and released through the inspiration of the holy spirit whilst you are still a member of that church choir belongs to that church ie any new song that a choir member or choir members releases is an intellectual property of the church and not that of the choir member, at best, both the choir member and the church will share joint ownership of the song.

Therefore, as English people will say, what is worth doing is worth doing well; go through the proper channel in remixing and making another gospel song which is getting the necessary consent and approval of the original creator of the song so that you will not be committing the sin of theft.