Sonográfica

Sonográfica is a record label based in Caracas, Venezuela. It has links with the Empresas 1BC, which also owns Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) and Radio Caracas Radio, among other business.

During the 1980s, it started to support Venezuelan musical talent, as a result of the exit of the presential decree known as One for One, which required radio stations to play a Venezuelan song for every foreign song. In this way numerous Venezuelan artists like Ilan Chester, Daiquirí, Franco de Vita, Yordano etc.

The label has always maintained a ferocious rivalry with its counterpart, the Cisneros Organisation, the producing company Rodven Discos and its affiliate, Sonorodven Distributors. Every release by the latter company resulted in a release from Sonográfica.

Sonográfica was solely a music-distributing company (as defined by their guarantee), the music coming from the Sonoindustrial label and which was often recorded in their recording studio, Telearte Studios. Sonográfica's releases were so popular, that with their temporary alliances with Music Palace and Velvet to encourage artists, they now only release music based on their archive materials. Later, the decline in the music market meant that the business was sold to another company.

Sonográfica still exists, but it is far from being the business motivating national talent that it was when it started, with the result that it has been affected by the increase in piracy and by the absence of a link with the Empresas 1BC, which provided support in their early days.

Controversies

Sonográfica, along with its counterpart Sonorodven, did not escape censure and controversy caused by many of its releases. Some examples include:

• In 1990, former President Carlos Andrés Pérez prohibited the playing on air of the Christmas song "La Gata Blanca" ("The White Cat"). Public opinion supposed that the prohibition, more than for its political content (it attacked two political figures), occurred because of two words which were spoken in the song.

• In 1991, the CD "Las Odas de Emilio Lovera" ("The Odes of Emilio Lovera"), produced by the comedian Laureano Márquez and interpreted by his colleague Emilio Lovera was vetted and those responsible for it were investigated by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The reason given was that this album was offensive to the President, as well as to many other political figures.

• In 1994, after pop singer Ricardo Montaner fell out with his record label, Sonorodven, Sonográfica took him under their wing; this was the motive for a legal dispute between the two companies, and which increased the struggle that has been fought between them for over 14 years.