Tecnobrega Gary Duffy's been to the Amazon
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Tecnobrega
Gary Duffy's been to the Amazon to find how a combination
of CDs, new musicmaking technology and an innovative
business model can prove a potent mix.
In a small apartment that doubles up as an improvised studio, Gaby Amarantos, one of the stars of the tecnobrega music scene, is recording a new song. Tecnobrega is a mix of electronic beats of music from the 1980s and catchy 'brega', which essentially means cheesy or tacky sounds that are easy to dance to.
But
another part of its uniqueness is the way the music is
produced and reaches the public, and the way artists make
their money. Access to computer software allows singers
like Gaby to produce their own sound at a fraction of the
normal cost.
"We have found a new way to work, which is a new format and a new market model," he explains. "We produce the music ourselves and the cost to make one song is very cheap. For example, the guys who work with me charge me between 30 to 45 pounds to make one song."
These cheap production methods have allowed people in poor neighbourhoods to create their own sound, a development that is not unique to Brazil.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos, Getulio Vargas Foundation: "People, sometimes in very poor areas, are appropriating electronic instruments like computers and synthesizers to create their own music.
"This
is a phenomenon that is going on not only in the
tecnobrega scene in Brazil, but with many scenes around
the world like Kuduro in Angola, Kwaito in South Africa,
Bubblin' in Suriname."
But if you want to be a tecnobrega star and you don't have a major record company behind you, how do you get your name out there on the streets?
Part of the answer is in the street markets. You record your CD in high quality in a small studio, then hand it over to the street traders who turn on the speakers and hopefully sales start to soar. In a sense it is using piracy and turning it on its head - using it as a marketing tool.
But it is not the artists who get the returns from these sales.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos: "What happens is that the musicians skip the intermediaries. They record their CDs and go directly to the street vendors, the same guys who sometimes sell pirated material, and they deliberately give their CDs to these street vendors and tell them to go ahead and sell them as much as they want."
Edilson,
DJ: "Tecnobrega is a regional music, the music that people
here most enjoy. The secrets are the beats which drive
people crazy."
Success at sound system parties allows artists to organise their own shows and make their own profits. Critics say tecnobrega encourages tolerance for piracy that costs Brazil jobs and billions in taxes, but supporters argue it offers a new way forward for the music industry.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos: "This is one of the important things about tecnobrega. It is not only an innovation in terms of how you produce music, but it's also an innovation in how you make money. And it is a lot of money - it is a multi-million dollar music scene."
Tecnobrega is an unconventional sound and an unconventional business model as well. The music industry may not approve of its methods, but it seems the will of the consumer is a more powerful voice.
"We have found a new way to work, which is a new format and a new market model," he explains. "We produce the music ourselves and the cost to make one song is very cheap. For example, the guys who work with me charge me between 30 to 45 pounds to make one song."
These cheap production methods have allowed people in poor neighbourhoods to create their own sound, a development that is not unique to Brazil.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos, Getulio Vargas Foundation: "People, sometimes in very poor areas, are appropriating electronic instruments like computers and synthesizers to create their own music.
"This
is a phenomenon that is going on not only in the
tecnobrega scene in Brazil, but with many scenes around
the world like Kuduro in Angola, Kwaito in South Africa,
Bubblin' in Suriname." But if you want to be a tecnobrega star and you don't have a major record company behind you, how do you get your name out there on the streets?
Part of the answer is in the street markets. You record your CD in high quality in a small studio, then hand it over to the street traders who turn on the speakers and hopefully sales start to soar. In a sense it is using piracy and turning it on its head - using it as a marketing tool.
But it is not the artists who get the returns from these sales.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos: "What happens is that the musicians skip the intermediaries. They record their CDs and go directly to the street vendors, the same guys who sometimes sell pirated material, and they deliberately give their CDs to these street vendors and tell them to go ahead and sell them as much as they want."
Edilson,
DJ: "Tecnobrega is a regional music, the music that people
here most enjoy. The secrets are the beats which drive
people crazy." Success at sound system parties allows artists to organise their own shows and make their own profits. Critics say tecnobrega encourages tolerance for piracy that costs Brazil jobs and billions in taxes, but supporters argue it offers a new way forward for the music industry.
Professor Ronaldo Lemos: "This is one of the important things about tecnobrega. It is not only an innovation in terms of how you produce music, but it's also an innovation in how you make money. And it is a lot of money - it is a multi-million dollar music scene."
Tecnobrega is an unconventional sound and an unconventional business model as well. The music industry may not approve of its methods, but it seems the will of the consumer is a more powerful voice.
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