2024 has been an exciting year for South African music on vinyl, and we are particularly excited about the work our sister company (SAMP Records) is doing. SAMP Records, comprised of Bret Dugmore (Mr Vinyl), Abby Nurock (DJ) and Adrian King (ex-Warner/Sony) started as a company that pressed and focused on South African House music and other similar dance projects, but 2024 saw the record label take on a new role in the focus and pressing of classic South African titles on vinyl.
“One of the biggest hurdles we’ve faced this year is licensing. There is a lot of distrust and the licensing complexities of South African music run deep.”
Bret Dugmore reported that although SAMP Records had sufficient appetite and pro-actively met with record labels to press South African music, the challenge around licensing and trust remained the foremost challenge. “When looking at legacy titles, there is a lot of distrust and misunderstanding around licensing. Who owns the masters, when is the artist getting paid and what kind of deal was signed all those years ago. Sometimes it feels like we are forensic investigators trying to get to the bottom of it, and the moment you bring in questions like, where are the master tapes, it can become really tough to figure out”
Whilst getting to the bottom of licensing structures and finding masters remain the biggest challenge for the record label, Dugmore says that with every release there is a growing sense of trust around the label. “We’ve made it pretty clear from the outset, that we run an ethical vinyl record label, and the deals that we sign are favourable for the artists and record labels involved. We would rather that the risk of each release falls entirely on our heads, and that the deals make the simplest sense for those we license from. Our approach is helping us build trust and the phone is definitely ringing more often now to find out about our releases and what we have planned next. Thankfully, collectors are backing SAMP releases really well. We go to great lengths to make sure that titles are remastered and pressed to the best possible standards, and it is helping us build up momentum.”
SAMP Records has released 5 titles in 2024 on vinyl “the most out of any South African record label:
– Trompies – Sigiya Ngengoma
– Stay True Cutz Vol.6
– Hugh Masekela & Siparia Deltones – Siparia To Soweto
– Mango Groove – Mango Groove
– Paul Hanmer – Trains To Taung (Deluxe 2LP Remaster)“ Release Date TBA
For the year 2025 and forwards, SAMP Records will be splitting its time between current releases and legacy titles. Dugmore says “There is no better feeling than seeing a tourist enjoy a South African record at Mr Vinyl. I really love it when tourists or persons from overseas buy and take our music back home with them. South African music is so good, and thinking about people overseas gathering around a turntable to hear music from our country is my favourite thing ever. We have a number of titles lined up for 2025 “both legacy and current.” It’s an exciting space to be in and worth every challenge it brings.
