Days Of Real Recording Companies In Perspective

Uzo Chikere

Days were when fully fledged music recording companies dotted the Nigerian entertainment landscape. The music industry shone like a million stars then with enthusiastic army of hit music makers recording and performing across the land in a well-organized setting.

The record companies with their labels and publishers were the standard setters for the quality and genre of music churned out by music groups, bands and big band orchestras. They were music business outfits hugely complemented with such departments as Recording Operations, Production, Promotions, Artiste and Repertoire (A & R), Marketing and Distribution among others.  

Initially, such recording companies were two prominent foreign recording companies, EMI Records and Polygram Records that built big pressing plants in Lagos to cater for Nigerian artistes coming out from the civil war. There had also been His Masters Voice (HMV).

EMI Records (later Ivory Music) churned out numerous Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s albums, which were very successful not only in Nigeria but also in Europe, America and other African countries.

EMI Records also recorded and distributed Sonny Okosun, Bongos Ikwue and The Groovies, Christie Essien and Dizzy K Falola, all of whom were big stars in the 1970s and 1980s.

On its part, Polygram Records unleashed and promoted many Nigerian musicians including Stephen Osita Osadebe, Victor Uwifo, Voice Of The Cross (a gospel duet), Onyeka Onwenu and some other afro- pop artistes. It also brought reggae music to limelight in the country by recording and promoting foremost Nigerian reggae artistes such as Ras Kimono, Ortis Wiliky, and The Mandators.

An Igbo business mogul, Chief G.A.D. Tabansi saw a great opportunity in the recording business, seized it and set up the first indigenous record company in Nigeria ‘Tabansi Records’. It was a formidable record company in the 1970s and 1980s that recorded and brought many artistes to limelight including Bony  Mark, Felix Liberty, Jide Obi and Majek Fashek.

Other indigenous recording companies emerged with rapid succession in the 1970’s; including Rogers All Stars, Melody Records, Olumo Records, Homzy Records, Anodisc, and Polydor Records. They all made great impact in the 1970s and 1980s recording big artistes like Chris Okotie, Nico Mbarga, Chris Mba, King Sunny Ade, Oliver De Quoque and Captain Muddy Ibe.

Presently, what is in vogue is label owning, with many artistes now having their own labels to distribute their records. However, the network of private labels Chocolate City, Marvin, Fahrenheit among others are usually not wide, and so record making and selling are mostly limited to the area an artiste is able to cover here in Nigeria.

In all of this, what is obvious is that artistes on their own decide what manner of lyrics and genre to offer their audiences. It is a strong departure from the time-tested culture of acts’ being made to present their demonstration (demo) tapes to the recording company’s A & R department whose function it is to critically listen to and professionally vet the work as well as advise appropriately on the next step for both the artiste and the company regarding the concomitant record deal.

What the music industry is experiencing in Nigeria today is the absurd where every up-start becomes a recording act on their own record label irrespective of the content and quality of their works. This has led to the kind of cacophonous and caricature offering foisted on the listening public recently, observed a music producer and drummer who would not want his name in print.

Although, the preponderant music labels boast of having as their artistes, stars breaking boundaries presently, the absence of complete recording companies has opened the flood gates to numerous singers, and has equally turned the industry into a ground for all comers lacking in standard and international best practices.