The recording industry in Madagascar

The pioneers

Popular memory in Madagascar makes the 1960s the genesis of the recording industry in the country. But we must go back to the 1920s to understand this history. At this time, the disc was still at 78rpm, played by the graphophone (an improved version of the phonograph) and imported from Europe, other African countries and surrounding islands. By 1929, the large firms Odeon and Columbia turned to Madagascar for the first recordings of indigenous folk songs. A year later, the Musée de l’Homme broadcast these recordings of indigenous music to the colonial exhibition in Paris in France in 1931. This was the era of gramophone. In Africa, prices of locally produced music already competed with discs coming from abroad in the 78 format.

During this period, De Commarmond, a French colonial brand, sped things up.  Arriving in Madagascar on behalf of Polydor, Raoul Commarmond eventually settled here around 1937. He set up a studio for disc processing at Metro studio in 1953. The disks were of the Decca brand. In 1960, the brand De Commarmond Discomad created a label that recorded and released the majority of local stars, finding widespread commercial success in Madagascar.

The glory days of the 45

In the 1960s, the first major upheaval arrived at Discomad with the 45rpm disc. The portable turntable (Philips brand or Teppaz) also arrived, seducing music lovers in the capital Antananarivo. Music becomes easier to access; listening to it free of charge.

It took until the second half of the 1970s to see another label rival Discomad – a  second production company founded in 1976 in Antananarivo, called Kaiamba. Whereas Discomad had a reputation for privileging the westernized styles of artists from the Highlands, the Kaiamba releases preferred groups from the maritime regions, including the east and southeast of Madagascar. It was a somewhat distorted appreciation. For almost 30 years, Kaiamba and Discomad were the only significant record companies in Madagascar. Artists in other parts of the Big Island had to come to the capital to record, resulting in additional costs.

The revolution of audio cassettes

The 1990s witnessed the arrival of cassettes or tapes. The other particularity of studios of that time is that the sound engineers were mostly independent and self-taught. Discomad changed its name and becomes the studio Mars. Kaiamba fizzled out and threw in the towel. The only survivor of this upheaval, studio Mars reigns supreme over the country.

Cassettes became the norm in Madagascar. As always, the firm De Comarmond led the transition with their new brand, studio Mars. There were other studios, but without great ambitions. They were just multipliers of cassettes. Moreover, it is not known if they were ever registered with the Madagascan Office of Copyright (OMDA) or not. Many now say that these multipliers of cassettes greatly inspired the first piracy activities in Madagascar, which later became the huge headache for the Madagascan music industry.

The newcomers

The 1990s gave rise to the emergence of new musical trends. Sre and Nada Studios emerged, specializing in disc production. These two major studios were the first serious competitors of Mars. They are followed by Rafale 2000, which released rare gems like the famous Tritra Group, one of the precursors of contemporary Madagascan music. There is also the Horo studio headed by pianist Arly Rajaobelina. The brothers Dida and Ntsoa Andriamifidimanana become pioneers of the music industry in Toamasina, the economic capital situated east of the country, creating the Ravinala studio.

During the same period, Do Sol emerged as the strongest competitor to studio Mars. The label sported a new spirit in artistic and musical approach. Several artists who had worked with Mars quickly turned to this newcomer. The arrival of CDs did not change the landscape. Mars and Do Sol labels remained the leaders of this form. In other regions and cities of the country, production houses did not yet exist. Artists based in coastal areas had to go to the capital to have their work recorded. Mars studio finally folded in 2012. Today, some major labels like Libertalia Music Records produce young artists such as Tsiliva, a young singer who performs regularly in Madagascar and other African countries.

Producers and sound engineers

Rajerison Kelly, founding member of the rock band Pumpkins, and also a sound engineer, was part of those who defined the glory days of Discomad. Later, when the production company took the name of Mars and became oriented to cassette production, Bivy became the label’s most prominent sound engineer. Bivy later transferred to Do Sol after the closing of Mars.

At other studios like Do Sol, Mamy Dosa, Vévé and Naly handled most of the sound engineering work. Recently, Miritsoka studio was established. A big company, it has one of the best sound engineers of the capital, named Poum. The most recognized sound engineer today is Daddy Miandrisoa, who opened a production house with his name. He produces most of the stars of Madagascar’s world music.

Self-production thanks to new technology

The production industry in Madagascar has seen a huge boom in the last 20 years. The phenomenon of self-production has rewritten all the rules. All that is needed is a software, a computer, a high-performance microphone and production can begin. The ease with which artists are producing music is a reflection of the current landscape of Madagascan music. The facilities provided by specialized software for sound engineering has really influenced the national recording industry. In addition, other regions of the island can compete with the central region of the capital. New labels have been created, such as Gasy Ploit with rap and urban music, to quickly become one of the most successful in the country. Established artists often improvise as sound engineers. This explains the recent boom in dancehall, which mixes African grooves and reggae riddims, free instrumentals downloadable on the web.

• Madagascar et l'Afrique. Des liens et des appartenances historiques, Didier Nativel et Faranirina Rajaonah – Editions Karthala, 2007
• Le tsapiky, une jeune musique de Madagascar: ancêtres, cassettes et bals ..., Julien Mallet – Editions Karthala, 2009
• Madagascar la musique dans l’Histoire, Mireille Mialy Rakotomalala – Editions Anakon 2003
• Entretien avec Dida Randriamifidimanana, promoteur culturel et Fanaiky, musicien professionnel