Early Nigerian Labels: Their Highs, Lows & Exit
Nigeria’s recorded music history began in 1925 with Josiah Jesse Ransome-Kuti’s Yoruba hymns, released on Zonophone. While sacred in tone, his legacy paved the way for more radical uses of music by his grandson, Fela Kuti. Between the 1950s and 1970s, Nigeria became a major West African hub for music production, thanks to global labels like Decca, EMI, and Philips.
Decca West Africa was especially influential, recording artists in Ghana and Nigeria, from jùjú pioneer Adeolu Akinsanya to highlife stars like E.T. Mensah. In 1972, Decca launched Afrodisia in Lagos, which prioritised full-length albums and featured iconic acts like Fela Kuti, Joni Haastrup, and the Lijadu Sisters. Afrodisia’s growth was partly due to Nigeria’s indigenisation policies, which led to local ownership by figures like Moshood Abiola and Ebenezer Obey.
But this local control had drawbacks. Following the military’s 1977 raid on Fela’s Kalakuta Republic, Abiola blocked several politically charged albums. Fela responded by occupying Afrodisia’s Lagos offices. By 1980, after PolyGram acquired Decca, Afrodisia was reduced to a reissue label.
Meanwhile, Philips West Africa (established in 1963) produced a wide range of music and later operated under Polydor, Phonogram, and Polygram. EMI also established pressing plants like Record Manufacturers Nigeria Ltd., which thrived into the 1990s.
Local pioneers like Chief Tabansi filled gaps left by foreign companies. Starting in 1952, Tabansi Records built a vast catalogue of afropop, gospel, and highlife, distributed across Nigeria from studios in Onitsha and Lagos. Other local imprints included Nigerphone, Sound Workshop, and Fela’s Kalakuta Records.
By the 1980s, however, economic collapse, military rule, and piracy led to a sharp decline. International labels bemoaned the inability to access music royalties. Vinyl gave way to cassettes, foreign labels exited, and Nigeria’s once-vibrant recording infrastructure was left behind – its legacy enduring in dusty archives and sampled loops.