Managing Music Intellectual Property for Collaborative Artists in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry

This study examines the management of intellectual property rights in collaborative music production within the Nigerian entertainment industry, focusing on challenges arising from joint authorship, co-production arrangements, feature performances, and sampling. The Nigerian music industry is characterised by extensive collaboration among artists, producers, and songwriters; however, formal legal frameworks for managing jointly created intellectual property are poorly understood and inconsistently applied. Disputes over songwriting credits, production royalties, and ownership of master recordings frequently arise and are resolved informally, often disadvantaging less commercially powerful collaborators. This research employs a qualitative design, drawing data from semi-structured interviews with 15 music attorneys, 20 collaborative artists and producers, and 8 music industry association representatives in Lagos and Abuja. Document analysis of selected collaboration contracts and intellectual property dispute case summaries supplements interview data. The study applies music copyright law, collaborative authorship theory, and music industry economics to the Nigerian context. Findings will map common intellectual property management failures in collaborative music creation and recommend standardised contractual frameworks, mediation protocols, and legal literacy training for Nigerian music professionals. Keywords: Intellectual property, collaborative music, copyright management, Nigerian music industry, joint authorship.