Sonodisc (a

contraction Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...

for ''Société nouvelle'' de ''distribution de disques''), or simply spelled SonoDisc, was a French

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

established in 1970 by former Ngoma's staff members Marcel Perse and Michel David in Paris. It was one of the most prominent record labels in the 1970s. It distributed

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

and

cassette tapes Cassette, also known as cassette tape, refers to a small plastic unit containing a length of magnetic tape on two reels. The design was created to replicate the way a reel-to-reel machine works with tape moving from one reel to another while bein ...

from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, Egypt,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

, India,

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, Italy, and other overseas territories.

History

Following their departure from the Ngoma record label, Perse and David leveraged their contacts and recordings to distribute Umm Kalthum compositions, as well as labels featuring artists from the Caribbean, Latin America, and several African labels including Syliphone from

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

and

Francis Bebey Francis Bebey (, 15 July 1929 in Douala, Cameroon – 28 May 2001 in Paris, France) was a Cameroonian musicologist, writer, composer, and broadcaster. Early life Francis Bebey was born in Douala, Cameroon, on July 15, 1929. Bebey attended college ...

's ''Disques''. The label established its African subsidiary Sonafric, in 1972, followed by Disques Espérance in 1974. In the mid-1970s and 1980s, they augmented their catalog, distributing

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

, Tahitian, Indian, and other international music. In 1981, the label acquired Fonior's African catalog after it went bankrupt. The label persisted in distributing albums for many African labels, including

Franco Luambo François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi (6 July 1938 – 12 October 1989) was a Congolese singer, guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, and cultural revolutionary. He was a central figure in 20th-century Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cong ...

's Edipop, CHOC, Le Passeport, and African Sun Music labels,

Tabu Ley Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu (13 November 1940 – 30 November 2013), better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a Congolese rumba singer and musician. He was the leader of ''Orchestre Afrisa International'', as well as one of Africa's most influe ...

's Genidia label, and the Cameroonian Ebobolo Fia label. Sonafric predominantly tracks licensed from African sources, interspersed with independent productions. SonoDisc also procured some of Ngoma's albums after the discontinuation of the original Ngoma label in France in 1971, subsequently reintroducing them under the Sonafric label. With the emergence of a change in format from

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

to CD albums, new albums were released in both formats, as well as in the form of pre-recorded cassettes. Fonior's album series on the African label was first supplemented with 28 new vinyl albums with Congolese music. Between 1991 and 1998, SonoDisc transmuted the entire Congolese vinyl catalog into 103 CDs within the African label in the 36, 500 series. In 1994, Marcel Perse expressed concerns about the decline in revenues in Africa because of rampant cassette piracy. SonoDisc later merged with the Musisoft Next Group. However, the company faced financial insolvency in 2005, leading to its acquisition by The Adageo Group, specifically, Suave Music/Redbay. In 2011, the company changed its name to The Sonodisc Group and went online with a website in 2012. In 2015, the Africa Seven label was launched, and after the owner's death in 2017, the company shifted to a licensing company for re-releases.

Artists distributed

With an extensive repertoire of several thousand titles, SonoDisc played a pivotal role in launching the careers of several music artists who later signed record deals with prominent record labels. Some of the most notable musicians whose albums were distributed by SonoDisc include: {{Columns-list, * Afia Mala * Alain Makaba *

Amadou & Mariam Amadou & Mariam were a blind musical duo from Mali, composed of Bamako-born Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (24 October 1954 – 4 April 2025) and Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born 15 April 1958). As well as being a musical duo, they were a ma ...

Ali Farka Touré Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (31 October 1939 – 6 March 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its deriv ...

* Ali Baba * Lounis Aït Menguellet * Alain Malespine * Axel Vitalien * Baba Djan * Battery Cremil * Bembeya Jazz National * Charles Maurinier *

Cheikh Lô Cheikh N'Digel Lô (born 12 September 1955) is a Senegalese musician. Early life He was born to Senegalese parents in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and began playing drums and singing at an early age. Career In 1976, he joined Orchestre Volta Ja ...

Cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...

* Decimus * Denis Kiayilouca * Desi Mbwese * Dino Vangu * Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay * Edith Lefel * ENERGY * Eric Virgal * Farhat Jouini * Fay Man * Franck Balustre * Franck Issekya *

TPOK Jazz OK Jazz, later renamed TPOK Jazz (short for ''Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinois de Jazz''), was a Congolese rumba band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo established in 1956 and fronted by Franco Luambo, Franco. The group disbanded in 1993. ...

Franklin Boukaka Franklin Boukaka (October 10, 1940 - about February 23–24, 1972) was a Congolese baritone singer, guitarist, and songwriter who is recognized as a pioneer of Congolese popular music. He performed in bands based in each of "the two Congos," i.e. ...

* Frantzi * Frederic Losio And Co * Général Defao and Choc Stars *

Geoffrey Oryema Geoffrey Oryema (16 April 1953 – 22 June 2018) was a Ugandan musician. In 1977 after the murder of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister in the government of Idi Amin, he began his life in exile. At the age of 24, and a ...

* Georges Lupot * Jo Riko * Georges Plonquitte * Gloria Tukhadio * Grand Kallé & L’African Jazz * Guerdy * Guilou * Ibro Diabate * Imgart Manigat * Jacob Desvarieux * Janick Voyer * JEAN 3.16 * Jean-Jacques Gaston * Jean-Michel Cabrimol * Jean-Michel Rotin * Jean-Paul Pognon * Jocelyne Labylle * Jocelyne Mathias * Joël Grédoire/Geant's * Johnny Bokelo Isenge *

Kassav' Kassav', also alternatively spelled Kassav, is a French Caribbean band that originated from Guadeloupe in 1979. The band's musical style is rooted in the Guadeloupean gwoka rhythm, as well as the Martinican tibwa and Mendé rhythms. Regarded ...

Koffi Olomide Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (born 13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and founder of Quartier Latin International. Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo", he is not ...

* Kristal' * La Relève Du T.P OK Jazz * Le Groupe Suave * Les Bantous De La Capitale * Louis M’Bomio * Lutchiana * Lydia Lawrence * Maika Munan * Malavoi * Marc Chery * Marius Cultier * Mayaula Mayoni *

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba ( , ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, ja ...

* Modogo Gian Franco Ferre * Mohamed Khaznadji *

Mory Kanté Mory Kanté (29 March 195022 May 2020) was a Guinean vocalist and player of the kora harp. He was best known internationally for his 1987 hit song " Yé ké yé ké", which reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. The ...

* Nando Da Cruz * Nayanka Bell * Néné Tchakou * Nestor Azerot * Ngouma Lokito *

Nikhil Banerjee Pandit Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee (14 October 1931 – 27 January 1986) was an Indian classical sitarist of the Maihar Gharana. Along with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan, he emerged as one of the leading exponents of the sitar. ...

* NIPA * Noël McGhie & Space Spies * Nouvelle Generation De La République Démocratique Du Congo * Pamélo Mounka *

Papa Wemba Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016), known professionally as Papa Wemba (), was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of ...

Parveen Sultana Begum Parween Sultana (born 24 May 1950) is an Indian Hindustani classical singer of the Patiala Gharana. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014 by the Government of India and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by th ...

* Dilshad Khan

References

African record labels Defunct record labels of France 1970 establishments in France