CubaPLUS Magazine

Dedicated to the soneros" of the world in Santiago de Cuba
Cradle of the Son

Circa 1964 the Cuban record labels came together under the name EGREM (Recordings and Musical Editions Enterprise) which, for nearly 25 years, reigned over music produced in the country and organized 16 editions of the EGREM Prize, awarded to remarkable Cuban musicians.

The late 1980s saw the birth of other recording labels, such as ARTEX SA, RTV Comercial, and PM Record and Ojalá studios of Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez respectively.

Then, in 1997, to create a space for exchange between music industry producers and executives, the first International Cubadisco Fair saw the light with awards, conferred also for the first time, to companies and talented figures in different competitive categories. The Ebony Disc is considered the maximum symbol of this event.

More than 25 categories -covering all music genres- have been included in the contest since 1998. Every year Cubadisco is dedicated both to a country and a musical genre, paying tribute to artists and personalities with distinguished creative work within Cuban music.

The Awards Committee is composed of notable professional musicians, musicologists, critics, directors of music radio and television programs and journalists, among others, and the selection is made with great rigour.

First, the Awards Committee listens to the music in competition to select possible nominees for each category. Then, the juries for each category are selected from among outstanding professionals. They will be in charge of the award selection in each category. The Awards committee delivers the Great Award and, if applicable, special awards to persons and institutions performing noteworthy work during the previous year.

The Honorary Award, established in 2001, is given to Cuban or foreign notables who have made exceptional contributions to musical creation and promotion.

Among the newest awards is the International Award, bestowed to foreign authors and performers showing the most authentic music values of their people. Such was the case of Puerto Rican band, Calle 13, in 2010 and Spanish band, Ojos de Brujo, in 2008.