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.
