The Ethics of (Re-)Issuing African Music

The Ethics of (Re-)Issuing African Music

This panel is about the ethics of (re)issuing African music which hasn’t been part of global music markets so far. While previously unreleased music on cassettes or other mediums is hyped and sought-after, it seems there are mainly three pathways for it: either rights are given up to music companies or (often Western) libraries for a one-time fee or creative common license; or it is distributed via streaming and social media platforms like Spotify and TikTok which barely remunerate the musicians. The convenors Pwani Tapes and Alrassa want to create awareness around the access and distribution of various African music, explore the problems of reissuing it and find more hopeful (DIY?) alternatives.

The discussion is informed by experiences of Pwani Tapes, a cassette music archives and label that seeks to revive and monetise music (late 1960s-2000s) that, for a long time, was only available at the Kenyan coast. One of their core goals is to generate revenue for the musicians who never got much for their recordings in the first place. The music archive contains melodies, rhythms, ideas, stories and historical perspectives of the coastal communities, both Mijikenda and Swahili. Associated musicians discussed the issues surrounding this music at Kilele 24, and the current situation was compiled in a position paper after Kilele 25 (https://pwanitapes.substack.com/p/pwani-tapes-after-kilele-25-cassette).

Additionally, the exchange is enriched by Izzo of Alrassa who researches how Sudanese music is affected by the rapid shifts in Sudanese politics, from the partial lifting of the US sanctions and recently the displacement of Sudanese artists by war in 2023. Hitherto, most music has been locked out of global music markets due to the sanctions and war. Alrassa is particularly affiliated with zanig, a true "urban" music that originated in Khartoum in the early 2000's. Zanig is a rhythmic, e-synth-heavy genre with influences from funk-folk experiments of 70's Sudanese Jazz,and the local wedding electronic synth music in the 90’s—-and popular Congolese soukous, rhumba and ndombolo music.

With: Megan Iacobini De Fazio, Matt Swallow, Nassoro Mwinyi, Izzo

Category: Panel

Venue: Creatives Garage