Twelve years since the release of their first album, the group Sauti Sol have hit a milestone in their career as a band with this week’s unveiling of their first major record label album. The 13 track album “Midnight Train” has been released by Universal Music (Africa) with an online launch concert is scheduled for next month.
A major recording deal, such as the one Sauti Sol signed with Universal in January 2019, is a double-edged sword: It offers the artist(s) the marketing and promotional muscle of a global industry giant, in this case Universal Music. However, there is often a fear that independent musicians lose their creative edge and artistic freedom after signing mega contracts which box them into a specific categories determined by record company marketing executives.
