Great programme on radio 4 this morning about the man and his music.

I fell in love with his voice when I heard it on Peter Gabriel's album "So" in... 1986, I think. He also did a collaboration with Neneh Cherry on "7 seconds" a few years later.

But his own stuff is passionate and moving, mixing genres, and apparently he has a new album out soon. It would be good to hear his kind of music on UK radio but I ain't getting my hopes up lol

anyway, here's a link to the 30-minute programme, well worth a listen.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mp5zb

The tragedy is that he won't soon be displaced. Africa is probably the most musical continent, but without anything but the most rudimentary management and recording structures in most countries, we could be missing Bob Marleys every day of the week.

His type of voice is fairly common in Mali and Senegal. For an example of someone with both the trad and modern touch, check Rokia Traore www.music-wire.com/rokia-traore-dounia/

M

What utter nonsense. The problem with African music industry is piracy. There are plenty of record companies and producers nurturing talent. The reason why we are missing the next Bob Marley is because of the fools who run the UK & US music industries. They are not interested in music other than the nonsense they foist on us.

Where are the Trojan Records, the Islands of this world ?

African music is selling in the millions but you better understand the network before you lambast a whole continent mate.

Interesting reply Afrique.

I have found the most successful African artists labeled as World Music artists. Which is a good thing when it comes to the special treatment and support you may get from a World Music label.

There are so many great musicians and bands from Mali and Burkina Faso as well, I especially liked the performace of Baobab Orchestra and think I have posted a link here a while ago.

Another big talent pool with a lot of production facilities, studios, labels, is South Africa.

One of the insecurities African artists face are immigration problems when they go on tour dates in Europe. I´ve beard of festival bookings and the band was denied entry. Typical racist EU immigration policy.

Afrique how do you think the network of music promotion and distribution works for African artists, in compare to the `foolish´ UK and US music industries?

The only reason I call the fools running the UK and US music industry and I mean the majors here, is because back in the day when it was a lot more equitable for independents and the majors were not the all powerful giants they are today, was that we had lots of wonderful Brits and they usually were Brits who brought music over from Africa and Jamaica to the UK.

In Africa it is very tough with a lot of the labels losing out to the pirates and the authorities do very little to help. However, there is a strong live tradition and the artists are prepared to take the crap from the pirates aka marketers who buy the rights from them to reproduce their records legally for far less than they should. The artists get massive exposure and clean up on the live music side of things.

In Nigeria for example, a lot of top american r&b/hip hop stars routinely visit to perform, earning a million dollars each time the land. Jay-Z and Beyonce for example. Just google Jay-Z and Nigeria and you'll see. The infrastructure is there but it is typically indie run so not as slick as the major label machine.

Afrique l'Afrique wrote:
What utter nonsense. The problem with African music industry is piracy. There are plenty of record companies and producers nurturing talent. The reason why we are missing the next Bob Marley is because of the fools who run the UK & US music industries. They are not interested in music other than the nonsense they foist on us.

Where are the Trojan Records, the Islands of this world ?

African music is selling in the millions but you better understand the network before you lambast a whole continent mate.
Ta. I worked with labels - both grassroot and large - along the West Coast for six years, mate. Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and tiny Gabon. There is no internal market to talk of, indeed due to piracy. Gabon doesn't even have an authors' rights society. So no one is investing, apart from the French (which is where Salif Keita, Rokia Traore, Amadou & Mariam and countless others get their chance). The structures for developing artists are not in Africa, with a few exceptions.

The irony is that there is no lack of artists. Dakar is known as the third capital of Hip-Hop due to the sheer number of bands.

Your comment about US artists picking up millions is another issue that galls me: the so-called Hip-Hop brotherhood, which is in fact a one-way street leading away from the US.

The exception is South Africa, with labels such as African Dope doing great things. But the world is not listening. Sorry to sound neggy; I still try and plug African artists wherever possible. But from a business point of view, it's very very tough unless they migrate to Paris.

I adore great African music and good African performers but often, like Khaled, they originate in Africa and emerge via Marseilles and then Paris.

That's a good point, JK. Paris is a hub of African (and other non-European) music.

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