Just 90 miles off the coast of Florida sits the island of Cuba. Lounging on a beach in Miami, one can imagine the rhythms and melodies of Cuba's rich musical past and vibrant musical present wafting through the ocean breeze. Indeed, Cuba is a country whose rich and vibrant culture plays out in the souls of its people. The voice of those people can be found in the sounds that constitute Cuba's vast musical culture.

For nearly 50 years, since the Cuban revolution of 1959, those sounds have rarely been heard beyond Cuba's shores. That does not mean, however, that this period of musical history has been lost. In 1964 the Cuban government created the Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, a state run record label and publishing company. This organization became the primary outlet for musicians to record their music and rose to the challenge of archiving the music of a nation. With over 70,000 titles on file, the musical history of Cuba lays dormant, waiting for the ears of a worldwide audience that is eagerly anticipating the musical virtuosity this small island has held close for nearly five decades.

Just a few years ago, the notion of expanding the reach and impact of this music beyond Cuba's shores seemed unlikely. This is no longer the case. As the zeitgeist shifts towards a tenor of openness and cooperation, the nation of Cuba itself has begun to seek a means by which to share this music with the rest of the world. This, coupled with the international success of Latin artists such as Cuba's own Grammy Award winners Los Van Van, Buena Vista Social Club and Gloria Estefan, as well as other award winning Latin artists influenced by Cuban music such as Shakira, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, and Marc Anthony, firmly establishes Cuba as the last remaining, pristine musical marketplace.

Hecho a Mano en Cuba (Handmade in Cuba) is uniquely equipped to expose the quality and breadth of Cuban musical culture and facilitate in the marketing and distribution of this music in the United States and worldwide. Our organization currently has the necessary mechanisms and infrastructure in place to distribute these titles through digital, retail, and mail order means. Likewise, we are equipped to capitalize on the lucrative ring tone market, as well as facilitate the licensing of this music for film, television, and the like.

Indeed, one need only to look at the success and impact of the Cuban music that has found its way ashore to appreciate the magnitude of what is yet to be discovered. It is awe inspiring to think of the quality of music; salsa, jazz, flamenco, danzon, son, rumba, mambo, not to mention the lively modern expression of reggaeton and Cuban hip hop, that is so much a part of the Cuban history and culture, and yet is entirely unknown to the majority of people outside of Cuba itself. The opportunity to bring this music to light and allow it to take its rightful place in the pantheon of the global musical community is an awesome one whose time has finally come.