Over the past few years, there seems to have been a bit of an emergence of West African music (mostly Ivory Coast/Ghana/Nigeria) that has dominated the airways across the board...a position if Im not mistaken was once held by Congolese musicians when it came to music from Africa.  I believe that most if not all have a foundation of their styles/genres based in Congolese artist of past and present. Many of these artist have managed to move out of their own market and gain popularity among the non African crowds including westerners and the Caribbean.  What makes their music seem more marketable now vs before?  What do you all think is the cause of it? 

They stopped playing fast music but slow tracks. Thanks to brickhead mopao mokonzi for facilitating the adoption of this style. Secondly the lack of new emerging bands has contributed. Wenge musica was the last inspiring band that came out of DRC and that was way back in 1980.....

I am not very familiar with West-African pop music, I only know Ali Farka Toure, but he is definately not the one who is inspiring the new generation of musicians in Congo, it is rather the coupe decale from Ivory Coast. You are right in that the melody in coupe decale must have been adpoted from Congolese music. They added a machine based rythm under it and this became coupe decale. The whole world is shifting towards this "electronic" stuff, possibly because it is easier to create and handle. Just imagine an artist. You write a song, you figure out a base melody for it, because you play an instrument. In the past, the musicans geathered a band and the band members complemented the song of the particular artist with their ideas on their instrument. Today, you can do it simplier. Write the song, figure out the base melody, and either on your iMac or in a small studio you can mix instumental background under it. And the music is ready, you save time, and can keep more money for yourself. As coupe decale dominated West Africa, they were more advanced in this solution, and now Congolese copy them. Especially in the circumstance where the socety is so pour, big bands cannot be maintained like in the past. Artists want to save money. But it is not just about money. Electronic music is popular everywhere in the planet because it gives more autonomy for the artist, as they do not need to make compromises with other band members on their stuff.

The other part of the story is that ideology and way of thinking in the society changed. 40 years ago Congo was in the euphoria of african nationalism and authenticité, and it made people place more emphasis on their inherited culture and look for inspiration in that instead of listening to foreign tendencies too much. This was a positive side of Zairean cultural politics. Unfortunately with recent political changes, this positive aspect of the past was not kept alive, and they let it fade. So what is happening today is that the society is looking towards whats happening in the better part of the world, where people are richer and where the mainstream is coming from. In theory there is democracy now, and no autocratic rule like in the times of Mobutu, but along with this people are not surrounded by the cultural ideologies that made them look for inspiration in their traditions, and they are listening to other 'guidances' that surrounds them. And today it is the coupe decale from West Africa, and other music from the richer countries. Those are the 'Cultural Ideologies' of todays Congo. It is a something gained something lost situation. The music is in the 'lost' cathegory recently, or going to that direction.

I agree with pretty much everything that both bencuri and EMOBCBG said...especially that the last great group to come out of DRC is Wenge.  Everyone else for the most part is a branch of Wenge.  Why is it so hard for someone to come from nowhere and make it in the Congolese market? Think about some of the top artists of the past 15 years (Werrason, JB, Fally, Ferra, Fabregas etc) they all have come from a branch of Wenge. Today's starts are pretty much from Wenge, Viva la Musica, or Zaiko.

I am located in the USA and I can tell you that Nigerian, Ivorian, and Ghanaian musicians absolutley dominate the African music scene here. Grandted that there are far larger numbers of them vs the Congolese community but it was not always the case. 10 years ago in the hayday of Awilo, Extra Musica, JB and others it was king. As mentioned by Bencuri, Ivorians took the music, called it something else and the Nigerians/Ghanaians took from them and rebranded it new school highlife.

How can the Congolese regain that dominance again or is that it?

For some reason Congolese artists are not good at promoting themselves. In a way this is an advantage, as US style music promotion methods do not do good for the artistic content of music in some aspect. But the extent of lag the Congolese music is in now because of this, caused that the music from other countries have more and more impact on it.  Those foreign musicians can somehow find their way better internationally than Congolese.

I would also like to see how bands earned money in Zaire. I know Franco was a main coordinator, I guess others were in key positions too, like Verckys. I wonder where the money that bands earned came from, whether things went like in Europe, or it was more like a patronage system. Knowing this would answer many questions I think. Because it may be possible that Congolese atrists got used to earning cash in ways that is different than in abroad, and that's why they are not succesful internationally. Days of the Zairean economic and political system are over, and what they used to doesn't exsist any more. Maybe this is a key aspect in the problem. I am not sure, I am not into the history of Zaire too much in this regard.

And the music fans in Congo may also cause this by their attitude. For you as a foreigner, it may seem strange but not every Congolese favour Congolese music as much as you and me. Some actually find the new wave: Nombolo unsymphatetic, associate it with the war in Congo, some other are just more interested in foreign cultures. Actually what happened is that Zaire launched this authenticité, that was a good idea originally, but coupled with the corrupt political system, it is now just an element of the unsuccesful past. And maybe in the mind of people Congolese cultural inventions became less interesting, kind of things to forget, and they are looking to abroad, where people live better and where artists are more successful and represent a different ideology than that of Zaire. For example I have a Congolese friend who is West oriented culturally, he  reads many things about what artists did in the West, history, etc., that kids in Europe and in the US learn at school. He is a devoted fan of Dr. Nico, but not interested in Franco and Zaiko that much. And it has a political reason I think. That two branch represented different ideas on politics, and the one that Nico represented is more charming now than in the times of Zaire. One thing is sure, that cultural pride that existed in Zaire doesn't exist now, so no wonder foreign styles have greater impact. It should be the role of the cultural minister to address this problem, in case he feels responsible to what Congolese artists built up in the past 40-50 years. But I doubt be would be counscious of these things that much.

Depends on which part of the world you are , media,politics and marketing. In USA Congo Music  wont sell because of the language and further American media allows for those explicit videos with naked women , men..same withe West African videos so  this attracts  a larger vieweship, Sebene for a while had been  burried  with the slow music that became boring in night clubs thus this paved the way for West African Music.

Polemics also is to blame...Its politics in music that makes it difficult for Congo music to propel . Piration and fradulent promoters has as well made it difficult for congo Music to  sell far and wide. As I had said in a  different forum, You can buy Congo music for as low as $ 50 cents in the Kenyan streets.

That massive level of piracy is not good indeed. I don't expect it can get better in Kinshasa, I don't blame people there either, because customers simply have no cash, they do not even have for food. But abroad, in countries where conditions are better, they should sanction thisin shops. But of course it is just one more among the 'should be done' things.

However, in this circumstance, artist have to put emphasis on earning from performances and not CDs. At least it would have a benefit: in Europe and US the gap between artists and fans is too much when it comes to pop music. The band hides in the studio, fans can listen to the CD at home, they sometimes can go to see the band on a concert. In traditional music, as it is mainly for dance, the emphasis is on live performance, the CD is marginal. And this is good, becuase this way this kind of music becomes more the part of the everyday life of people who like this music. Congolese music could also benefit from this. So CD is not all. You can either focus on the CD or the live performance. Things can work either way. So this piracy is not the end of the world.

On the other hand, I think Congolese music have serious issues with the sound of live performances, especially when singers sing in polyphony, so in choruses, for example. On CDs, choruses are always in tune, and they are good, but I rarely see a band, where vocal polyphony is in tune or correct on stage. The reason can be that the singers are changing too often, and the various melody lines are not adapted correctly by new singers, and the chorus that was originally correct becomes out of tune. And I also think the mixing of vocals is not good either. They often mix backing vocals to the front on stage mixers, to the same volume that of the lead vocal, that is nonsense, it ruins the sound. These things might be overlooked in an authentic audience, but abroad this is a very big mistake. The audience don't forgive this, so if Congolese bands want to be more successful, this problem must be addressed. Correct polyphony on vocals, correct mixing of vocals and also instruments -> and trust me, it will be way much easier to catch the attention of people.

What happened?
Lack of Europe shows and performance for almost a decade due to combatants commotion has left DRC music on its knees. Reason why? Europe shows was source of revenues, prestige, motivation, and innovation to Congolese musicians. Further, it was the launching pad, marketing and publicity for congolese new hits and dancing styles. Nigeria and other West Africa artistes have capitalized on this gap.

Open up of media sector to private sector with no state controlled fm radios, tvs, coupled with uncontrolled importation of cheap dublicated cds, dvds from europe and usa increased appetite for their music and culture in African countries. The kids who grew during this era inclined very much to western music and culture as compared to african music and in particular congolese music. These changes occured to the oblivion of congolese musicians, their old fans scattered all over Africa and local music bands who imitated their products.

When these kids commenced to produce their own artistes blending local music with pops across the continent from East to West Africa and from North to South Africa you call whatever names you like whether it is coupe decalle, or Uganda pops or Kenya pops or Bongo flava , which is much cheaper to produce, highly popularized through radios fms and private tvs whose operators were teenagers, combined with other factors such as "these are real domestic music produced by our fellow citizens, youngsters", the Congolese music found itself less appealing to young generation which normally drives the waves of music.

Furthermore, failure of realization of new and upcoming artistes since the era of Koffi Olomide, JB Mpiana and Werrason et al has contributed to the slow down very much on Congolese music in the region.  Fally Ipupa, Fabregas,  Ferre came to the stage very late as compared to their compatriots as such they did not add new generation fans rather than fight for their predecessors' fans.

In a nutshel, I may say the above factors have contributed massively to low level of congolese music in the continent. However, in terms of music talents, Congolese musicians are still the best and second to none in Africa, and good enough they continue to breed several of them. They need to adress the strategic issues and come out with goods in the context of international markets.

Otherwise, I believe in terms of their domestic market nothing much has changed, and perhaps, this might be one of settlebacks also, as they tend to see their domestic market first before putting the interests of international market.

You should become the advisor of the Congolese cultural minister! But really, there is very much truth in what you have written.