The music industry and copyright in the Democratic Republic of the Congo trace their origins to the late 1940s, when Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) became the central hub of phonographic production in Central Africa. Beginning in 1947 with the establishment of the first record labels such as Olympia, Ngoma, Opika, Loningisa, CEFA (Compagnie d'Énregistrements Folkloriques Africains), and Editions Esengo, the city attracted musicians from across the Congo and neighboring territories who recorded songs later pressed in Brussels. These early years saw the emergence of modern Congolese music from its folkloric roots, with pioneering figures such as Antoine Kasongo Kitenge, Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, Henri Bowane, Jean Bosco Mwenda, and Joseph Athanase Tshamala Kabasele (widely known as Le Grand Kallé), who laid the groundwork for Congolese rumba and the country's urban popular music.

During the colonial period, musicians worked under exclusive long-term contracts with Greek and Belgian publishers, who retained control over mechanical and authors' rights. Until the early 1950s, copyright laws were virtually unknown, and artists received only fixed payments for their recordings. The arrival of the SABAM (Société Belge des Auteurs et des Compositeurs) office in Léopoldville in 1953 introduced formal mechanisms for royalty collection and distribution, leading Congolese musicians such as Augustin Moniania "Roitelet", Le Grand Kallé, and Roger Izeidi to join the organization despite opposition from foreign publishers. Efforts to defend musicians' rights intensified with the creation of the Syndicat des Artistes Musiciens Congolais (SAMUCO) in 1956, followed by subsequent unions such as SYNAMCO, UMUZA, and UMUCO, which advocated for better working conditions and the cancellation of restrictive contracts. After Congo's independence in 1960, local musicians gained the freedom to establish their own labels, beginning with Le Grand Kallé's Surboum African Jazz, which inaugurated a new era of Congolese-owned record production. Throughout the following decades, the Congolese music industry continued to expand, accompanied by evolving structures for copyright management. Institutions such as SONECA (1969), SONOCA, and later SOCODA (2011) were created to administer authors' and neighboring rights.

Colonial record labels British music historian Gary Stewart notes that the commercial recording of local musicians in Léopoldville (present-day Kinshasa) began under the initiative of Belgian entrepreneur Fernand Janssens, who arrived in the Belgian Congo after World War II equipped with recording technology and the goal of producing records to be mastered and pressed by his Belgium-based company, SOBEDI. In 1947, Janssens founded the Belgian Congo's first record label, Les Éditions Olympia, which was managed by retired Belgian army officer Mr. Patou. Numerous recordings were released under Olympia and its Congolese subsidiaries, Kongo Bina and Lomeka. It was through Olympia that the romantic vocalist Souleymane Manoka, popularly known as "De Saio", a star of the "Boeck Park", celebrated for his emotion-driven singing. The son of a Senegalese father, De Saio recorded either with his own ensemble or alongside artists such as singer Robert Weye, guitarist Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, and orchestras including Orchestre Odéon Kinois, Orchestre Siluvangi, Kin Jazz, and Orchestre Victoria Kin.

In 1948, Greek entrepreneur Nico Jeronimidis established Ngoma, which became the most influential label of its time. Ngoma recorded over 4,500 songs, many of which were never commercially released, while others were later entrusted to UNESCO. Initially dedicated to preserving African folk traditions, Ngoma gradually shifted its focus toward modern Congolese music. The song "Marie Louise", performed by Wendo Kolosoy and Henri Bowane, became a cultural milestone that symbolized the revival of Bantu identity. The following year, in 1949, South African label Gallotone sent ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey to Katanga Province to record traditional artists such as Jean Bosco Mwenda, composer of the 1952 hit "Masanga", alongside Patrice Ilunga, Losta Abelco, and Edouard Masengo. Their 78 rpm discs found widespread success in both Élisabethville (present-day Lubumbashi) and Léopoldville. That same year, Belgian Jewish brothers the Benatars founded the Kina label, renamed Opika in 1950, which went on to oversee African Jazz, Léopoldville's first major modern music band, established in 1953 by Joseph Athanase Tshamala Kabasele, known as Le Grand Kallé.

In 1950, Greek brothers Basile and Athanase Papadimitriou founded Loningisa, which attracted numerous gifted musicians from both sides of the Congo River. Its most prominent band, OK Jazz, was formed in 1956 and later led by Franco Luambo, whose leadership came to define the bond between the two Congos.

In 1953, Belgian guitarist Guillaume "Bill" Alexandre created the Compagnie d'Enregistrement du Folklore Africain (CEFA). He introduced the electric guitar to the Congo and helped launch the careers of several future stars, including Roger Izeidi, Vicky Longomba, Augustin Moniania "Roitelet", Franco Luambo, Paul "Bemi" Kossi, Antoine "Brazzos" Armando, Guy-Léon Fylla, and Marcelle Ebibi. In 1956, Greek producer Dino Antonopoulos founded Éditions Esengo on the ashes of the defunct Opika label. As with Ngoma and Loningisa, Henri Bowane played a crucial role at Esengo, collaborating with Jean Serge Essous, Nino Malapet, Le Grand Kallé, and Philippe Lando Rossignol to establish the rumba-rock style that defined the era. The immense success of Malapet's Rock-a-Mambo, Paul Ebengo Dewayon's Conga Jazz, and Le Grand Kallé's African Jazz symbolized the pinnacle of the golden age of modern Congolese music.

Membership and contracts Between 1947 and 1953, musicians who joined these recording labels were subject to strict membership requirements and legal obligations. Artists were required to sign exclusive contracts lasting between five and ten years, which were validated by the Belgian colonial authority of the territorial administration. Musicians generally fell into two categories: performers, who often sang their own compositions, and performer-instrumentalists, who provided instrumental accompaniment for solo artists or groups during studio sessions.

Remuneration varied from label to label but generally included royalties (a percentage of each record sold), session fees and bonuses for studio work or mechanical rights, and additional benefits such as access to credit for acquiring material goods like bicycles, motorcycles, cars, refrigerators, and even homes. Many artists obtained housing through the National Housing Office (Office national de logement; ONL), particularly in the Yolo-Nord and Yolo-Sud quartiers of Kalamu, Léopoldville, with purchase costs spread through credit systems.

Copyrights Copyright protection was largely nonexistent. Greek publishers in particular refused to recognize or discuss the concept of author's rights. However, the growing success of Congolese recordings soon attracted the attention of SABAM (Société Belge des Auteurs et des Compositeurs). In 1953, SABAM opened an office in Léopoldville with jurisdiction over the Belgian Congo, Rwanda, and Urundi (now Burundi). The branch, directed by Ector Fraink Courtain, employed a secretary-dactylographer, Le Grand Kallé, and several assistants. The office's mission included collecting royalties from music users, gathering programs of performed works, and distributing the corresponding payments to authors and composers. It operated through two departments, one for collection and one for distribution. In addition to his clerical role, Le Grand Kallé was tasked with raising awareness among Congolese musicians about joining SABAM, a mission he pursued with the help of Roitelet. Greek publishers opposed this initiative and encouraged musicians not to affiliate with SABAM, except for Bill Alexandre, who allowed his artists to join. Among the first members were Izeidi, Brazzos, Vicky, Bemi, and Roitelet. Roitelet became the leader of the SABAM membership movement in 1953, and passionately convincing musicians to register and explaining how royalty systems worked. His advocacy led to numerous sign-ups, including Antoine Moundanda and several Ngoma label artists.

At the end of the first royalty distribution campaign, which collected reproduction rights from bars, restaurants, cinemas, hotels, and radio stations, musicians were astonished by the large sums distributed, far exceeding the flat-rate payments previously received. The introduction of royalties and authors' rights brought great satisfaction to artists but provoked resentment among the Greek and Belgian publishers, who were displeased with the growing financial independence of their signed musicians.

As the SABAM movement gained strength, the Opika label sought to regain control in 1955 by compelling its artists to join SABAM under the condition that all copyrights, mechanical rights, and royalties be transferred to the company in exchange for fixed monthly salaries. This system functioned temporarily but was soon condemned by the Artists' Union, as it violated the principle of individual ownership of creative works and was therefore illegal. In 1956, Roitelet, now a key union figure, organized the first large-scale musicians' strike in Léopoldville, targeting the Loningisa label. The strike protested the publisher's refusal to allow his artists to join SABAM and demanded improved living and working conditions. The movement severely disrupted Loningisa's production schedule, notably delaying several planned recordings by Franco Luambo. Papadimitriou subsequently filed a complaint with Mr. Capelle, the Belgian territorial administrator, accusing the strikers of contract violations. Roitelet and his fellow leaders, including Nino Malapet, Franco, Pandi, Paul Ebengo Dewayon, Essous, and Henriot, a Belgian saxophonist who supported their cause, were summoned before the colonial court located near the present-day Stade des Martyrs (Pont Cabu area). During the proceedings, the musicians voiced their grievances, and although Mr. Capelle recognized the validity of their concerns, he condemned the strike and encouraged peaceful negotiation. The dispute concluded with Papadimitriou agreeing to raise salaries and bonuses and to permit membership in SABAM, which then marked a pivotal step in acknowledging musicians' rights and establishing stronger intellectual property protections in Congolese music.

Creation of SAMUCO

In the wake of these events, the leaders who had organized the strike decided to create a permanent organization to defend artists' interests. In 1956, they founded SAMUCO (Syndicat des Artistes et Musiciens Congolais), chaired by Roitelet. The union aimed to ensure fair treatment, protect contracts, and advocate for musicians' welfare. In 1958, SAMUCO made its first official contact with the Belgian colonial administration. Delegates Roitelet and Paul Mwanga met Governor-General Léon Pétillon Cornelis to demand the cancellation of the ten-year contracts that Congolese musicians had signed with publishers in Léopoldville. The Governor-General approved the request in principle, recommending a three-year transition period with the measure taking effect in 1960, ironically, the year of Congo's independence.

After independence, SAMUCO, with strong backing from Franco Luambo, redirected its efforts toward Congo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Justin Marie Bomboko, who successfully pressured Greek publishers to cancel all decade-long contracts signed with Congolese artists.

Post-independence

Creation of the first Congolese record labels