Nollywood filmmakers can no longer freely use popular Nigerian songs in their films. A growing number of artists have signed publishing deals with foreign companies, and those deals come with clearance requirements and fees that did not previously apply.

For years the arrangement was informal. A producer wanted a track, called someone who knew the artist, and the matter was settled with a credit and a modest payment — or sometimes just the credit.

That worked when Nigerian music was principally a Nigerian business. It stopped working when the catalogues moved into international publishing structures with their own compliance processes.

Who this hurts

Not the artists. Publishing deals are how songwriters are paid properly, and the shift represents Nigerian music being valued on the same terms as everyone else's.

The cost lands on the lower end of Nollywood — the producers working to tight budgets and faster schedules, for whom a licensing fee and a clearance wait are genuine obstacles. Some are commissioning original scores instead, which may prove to be the more interesting outcome.

An industry formalising

The change is part of a wider pattern. Music has moved into international publishing. Disputes that once played out on social media are now moving into court, as an interim order against actress Lizzy Anjorin this week showed.

Both are the marks of an entertainment sector that has become large enough to need paperwork.

Reporting by allAfrica. This summary was written by the TalkNaijaMedia desk.