“There are plenty more gems out there”: How to reissue a record in 8 steps with Mr Bongo

Step One: Find out who owns the music

Dave: Find out the artist situation – is there a chain of title – can you contact the artist and confirm that the label does own the rights. I think in terms of finding artists it’s so much easier now, you’ve got the internet. But the amount of times I’ve had to go through death registers just to find the relatives of someone… You’ve just got to keep at it and take a step back when you’re not getting a lead. I think it’s also because people take a long time to trust you.

Matt: You’re really good at it in Brazil because you’ve lived in Brazil and can speak Portuguese.

Dave: I know what they’re like. I know why they’re very paranoid, and quite rightly. I know that there are these old guys living in a flat somewhere and it’s pretty mad. I think it’s a whole different mind-set from dealing with someone in Nigeria. You get to know their timings and their mind-set and you get a feeling for people. Like the Ghanaians, when you’re licensing things from Ghana, they’re not there a lot of the time and you’ve got to be super patient. The more interesting ones are the ones that are harder to find.

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