IFPI Appoints Rob Hooijer As Regional Co-ordinator For Sub-Saharan Africa

June 3, 2015 - PRLog -- IFPI, the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide, has engaged Rob Hooijer as regional co-ordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hooijer will be responsible for developing the recording industry collective licensing capabilities across the region. His work will initially focus on selected territories including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

He will work in close cooperation with existing music industry collective licensing organisations, such as SAMPRA in South Africa, local music companies, other industry stakeholders and relevant government organisations.

Hooijer has vast experience in the music sector both in Africa and internationally.  He has previously served as CEO of SAMRO, the South African Authors’ collecting society, and as African regional director for CISAC, the authors’ collecting societies’ international body.

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, says: “The appointment of Rob Hooijer reflects the increasing importance the international recording industry places on Africa.  It is a region that is seeing fast economic growth and the spread of technology is enabling our members and their business partners to reach vast new audiences.  I look forward to working with Rob as we create the right environment for market growth across the region.”

Rob Hooijer adds: “I am delighted to join IFPI at what is a pivotal moment in the development of the recording industry in Africa.  Sub-Saharan African countries have a rich musical heritage and their music sectors could benefit from the opportunities offered by new digital services.  However, for local music industries to develop to their full potential, they need right conditions and foundations, which include providing adequate legal rights and protections and the development of efficient and transparent collective licensing of sound recording performance rights.”

Broadcasting and public performance royalties that are customarily collected by collective licensing organisations are a growing and important part of the modern recording industry revenue mix.  Recording industry collective licensing organisations collected more than US$2 billion in performance royalties globally in 2014.

Developing collective licensing capabilities will enable the local music industries in the Sub-Saharan African countries to generate revenue from this important part of the markets, which will contribute to the development of healthy and vibrant music sector.

According to a study published in 2014 by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), copyright industries contributed on average 5.18 per cent to countries’ GDP and their contribution to national employment was on average 5.32 per cent.  The study also found strong relationship between the GDP contribution of copyright industries and Global Competitiveness Index.