Sonodisc

Sonodisc (a contraction for Société nouvelle de distribution de disques), or simply SonoDisc, was a French record label established in 1970 by former Ngoma's staff members Marcel Perse and Michel David in Paris.[1][2] It was one of the most prominent record labels in the 1970s. It distributed albums and cassette tapes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Egypt, Algeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Caribbean, Armenia, Tahiti, India, Latin America, Italy, and other overseas territories.[3][4][5][6][7]

SonoDisc
Founded1970
FounderMarcel Perse and Michel David
Defunct2005
GenreVarious
Country of origin France
Location15th arrondissement of Paris
Official websiteSonoDisc

History

Following their departure from the Ngoma record label, Perse and David leveraged their contacts and recordings to distribute Umm Kalthum compositions, as well as labels featuring artists from the Caribbean, Latin America, and several African labels including Syliphone from Guinea and Francis Bebey's Disques.[8][9][10] The label established its African subsidiary Sonafric, in 1972, followed by Disques Espérance in 1974. In the mid-1970s and 1980s, they augmented their catalog, distributing salsa, Armenian, Tahitian, Indian, and other international music.[11][12][13][10]

In 1981, the label acquired Fonior's African catalog after it went bankrupt.[10] The label persisted in distributing albums for many African labels, including Franco Luambo's Edipop, CHOC, Le Passeport, and African Sun Music labels, Tabu Ley's Genidia label, and the Cameroonian Ebobolo Fia label.[14][10][15] Sonafric predominantly tracks licensed from African sources, interspersed with independent productions. SonoDisc also procured some of Ngoma's albums after the discontinuation of the original Ngoma label in France in 1971, subsequently reintroducing them under the Sonafric label.[10] With the emergence of a change in format from vinyl to CD albums, new albums were released in both formats, as well as in the form of pre-recorded cassettes.[10] Fonior's album series on the African label was first supplemented with 28 new vinyl albums with Congolese music. Between 1991 and 1998, SonoDisc transmuted the entire Congolese vinyl catalog into 103 CDs within the African label in the 36, 500 series.[16][10]

In 1994, Marcel Perse expressed concerns about the decline in revenues in Africa because of rampant cassette piracy.[17] SonoDisc later merged with the Musisoft Next Group.[10] However, the company faced financial insolvency in 2005, leading to its acquisition by The Adageo Group, specifically, Suave Music/Redbay.[10] In 2011, the company changed its name to The Sonodisc Group and went online with a website in 2012. In 2015, the Africa Seven label was launched, and after the owner's death in 2017, the company shifted to a licensing company for re-releases.[10]

Artists distributed

With an extensive repertoire of several thousand titles, SonoDisc played a pivotal role in launching the careers of several music artists who later signed record deals with prominent record labels.[18][19][20] Some of the most notable musicians whose albums were distributed by SonoDisc include:[21][22]

References
  1. Mpisi, Jean (2003). Tabu Ley "Rochereau": innovateur de la musique africaine (in French). Paris France: Éditions L'Harmattan. p. 328. ISBN 978-2-7475-5735-1.
  2. "Sonodisc – Karakos Productions". www.karakosproductions.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  3. "SonoDisc History – afrodisc.com". Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  4. Jeune Afrique, Issues 821-833 (in French). Paris, France: Jeune Afrique. 1976. pp. 74–79.
  5. Stewart, Gary (2020-05-05). Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. London and New York City: Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-78960-911-0.
  6. Billboard. New York City, New York State, United States: Nielsen Business Media. 1993-05-22. p. 68.
  7. Afrique-Asie, Issues 100-113 (in French). Paris, France: Société d'Éditions Afrique, Asie, Amérique Latine. 1976. p. 43.
  8. Mpisi, Jean (2003). Tabu Ley "Rochereau": innovateur de la musique africaine (in French). Paris France: Éditions L'Harmattan. p. 328. ISBN 978-2-7475-5735-1.
  9. Ndachi, david Tagne (1994-01-10). Francis Bebey (in French). Paris, France: Éditions L'Harmattan. p. 9. ISBN 978-2-296-27587-4.
  10. "Sonodisc: Company history". www.karakosproductions.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  11. L'Afrique littéraire et artistique, Issues 36-40 (in French). Dakar, Senegal: Société Africaine d'Édition. 1975. p. 81.
  12. Stewart, Gary (2020-05-05). Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. London and New York City: Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-78960-911-0.
  13. "The African 360 (Distributed by SonoDisc): An Overview". www.muzikifan.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  14. "Franco Luambo Makiadi & T.P. O.K. Jazz". bolingo.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  15. "SonoDisc History – afrodisc.com". Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  16. Billboard. New York City, New York State, United States: Nielsen Business Media. 1993-05-22. p. 68.
  17. David, Christian (July 13, 1994). "Création compte L'Express". connexion.lexpress.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  18. Billboard. New York City, New York State, United States: Nielsen Business Media. 1993-05-22. p. 68.
  19. Mpisi, Jean (2003). Tabu Ley "Rochereau": innovateur de la musique africaine (in French). Paris France: Éditions L'Harmattan. p. 328. ISBN 978-2-7475-5735-1.
  20. Stewart, Gary (2020-05-05). Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. London and New York City: Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-78960-911-0.
  21. "Artistes – Sonodisc". www.karakosproductions.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  22. Stanton, Andrea L. (2012). Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa: An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks, California, United States: SAGE. p. 226. ISBN 978-1-4129-8176-7.
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