State Of Independents

South Africa's independent record companies are flexing their muscles. A combination of aggressive A&R work and government support has led to the recent strengthening and expansion of South Africa's indie sector, reflected in this year's launch of trade body the Assn. of Independent Record Cos.

AIRCO had its first board meeting in late September. Vice chairman Harvey Roberts says the body has membership of more than 90 labels, "from major indies to one-person operations."

Roberts is also managing director at Johannesburg-based Bula Music, which specializes in gospel, jazz and world music. Emphasizing the strength of South Africa's independents, he notes that traditional Zulu music act Shwi Nomtekhala's debut Bula album, "Wangisiza Baba," was named best-selling domestic album of 2005 at the local industry's annual South African Music Awards in May.

Roberts says total domestic shipments now top 450,000 units, making the album a strong contender to take the best-selling crown again for 2006. The act's sophomore set, "Angimazi Ubaba," has shipped platinum (50,000 units) since its Oct. 23 release.

He credits the arrival of new distribution services in recent years with "helping independents compete in the market." Most recently, in July 2005 Johannesburg-based Independent Record Industry Solutions launched, offering South African independent labels a one-stop distribution, production and warehousing facility for the first time.

The encouragement of the government's Department of Arts & Culture has also been "critical," Roberts adds. "They have offered financial and spiritual support to AIRCO."

The DAC helped fund the South African Pavilion at MIDEM in 2005 and 2006, and also financially assisted a number of South African indies to attend the trade fair in Cannes for the first time.

Roberts also praises the DAC for taking the lead in establishing the South African Music Export Council earlier this year and for "actively encouraging black entrepreneurs and a process of black economic empowerment." (The DAC offers funding to companies that meet specific criteria under the Black Economic Empowerment Act of 2004.)

The changing nature of post-apartheid South African society during the past decade encouraged at least one leading domestic independent to change its A&R stance. Johannesburg-based Ghetto Ruff was formed 16 years ago. "Our first six years were purely about [hip-hop act] Prophets of Da City and making music for the anti-apartheid struggle," managing director Lance Stehr says. "But in 1996 we began releasing other acts and over the past few years two or three have gone on to become 'trademarks.' "

The label's highest-profile artist is Kwaito star Zola, who has his own show on national public TV channel SABC, and whose music scored the 2006 Academy Award-winning movie "Tsotsi."

One of the key alternative rock acts to emerge recently is the Parlotones, signed to Johannesburg-based Sovereign Entertainment. The label recently secured an overseas licensing deal for the band with Universal Music Group International.

Johannesburg remains the center of South Africa's music scene, but in the coastal city of Cape Town, Just Music managing director Karl Anderson says his label's profile as the licensee for U.K. labels V2, Beggars Banquet and Ministry of Sound has attracted native acts he believes have global appeal.

Those signings include Namibian singer/songwriter J, electro-pop duo Harris Tweed and electronica act Lark. "We are shopping for deals for all three internationally because we believe they have something amazing to offer," Anderson says.

Johannesburg-based Greg Maloka is a partner in research company Instant Grass and a former GM of regional youth radio station YFM. He says successful South African indies have understood the changing appetite of domestic audiences.

"The first decade of democracy saw new genres and stars that benefited from massive amounts of hype," Maloka says. "But now listeners want quality music and it is showing in the kind of acts that are being signed to independents."