Post by Yona Maro on Sept 4, 2005 2:39:25 GMT -5
Tanzania has virtually no recording industry. On the mainland the only recording institution which has operated consistently over the last twenty-five years is Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (RTD). Once or twice a year, the bands come to its one-track studio for a session, recording about five songs at a time. Both parties involved depend on each other: The radio gets music for its programs at a negligible sum, the bands in turn get publicity for their live performances. However the relationship is not always smooth. Often RTD recordings are pirated and released in neighboring countries such as Kenya, where Tanzanian music is in high demand. As a matter of fact almost all releases featuring Tanzanian bands in the last ten to fifteen years have used tapes stolen or illegally copied from the library of RTD. No proper payments or contractual arrangements have been made. In contrast, the recordings included in this compilation have been authorized through negotiations with all the various parties concerned with their release.
Finally RTD deserves a special credit for its support of local music. Since the 1960s the radio has consistently sponsored and exclusively featured Tanzanian bands on its Swahili programs, thereby contributing to the development of a specific Tanzanian musical style. Today, the music scene in Dar es Salaam is among the most vivid and creative in the whole of Africa.
1994 and 1996 Werner Graebner
Finally RTD deserves a special credit for its support of local music. Since the 1960s the radio has consistently sponsored and exclusively featured Tanzanian bands on its Swahili programs, thereby contributing to the development of a specific Tanzanian musical style. Today, the music scene in Dar es Salaam is among the most vivid and creative in the whole of Africa.
1994 and 1996 Werner Graebner