What started out as a hobby for a music lover several years ago has turned into a growing business for young Shannan Tuzo. As the chief executive officer of Ghetto Quality Records, Mr. Tuzo and his Canadian business partner Andrew Smart are aiming to take the local music industry by storm.

In December, the record label released its inaugural album L.O.S.E.R. by Mr. Mista (Yaun Lee). With professional packaging and top quality photography, it may seem hard to believe that it was a project that was produced predominantly on the Island. But Mr. Tuzo wants everyone to know that he takes his trade seriously, although initially he planned to take another career path.

"Getting into the music industry just happened," Mr. Tuzo told The Royal Gazette. "For the longest while, I thought I was going to become an educator like my father (Livingston Tuzo, headmaster of West End Primary)."

But, with life being as unpredictable as it is, the 28-year-old Warwick Academy graduate said when he initially became interested in the industry, he endeavoured to become a deejay but found purchasing dub plates to be too expensive.

"So when I was in college in Belleville (Canada), I started making mixed tapes and would use Bermudian guys' music on them," he said. "Then people out there starting asking me who the artists were."

Eventually, Mr. Tuzo said, he contemplated started his own record label, but was a bit apprehensive at first. But the encouragement of his business partner was the boost he needed to take a step into the industry.

"Let's do this," he recalled Mr. Smart telling him.

So they did. And Mr. Tuzo is the first to admit that his recording studio (located in his bedroom) was not "pretty" at first. According to him, he used to collect people's discarded musical equipment and recondition it for his use. "I would have one name-brand of this, another of that. Everything was mismatched. People who would come to my house would tell me 'That's so ghetto'. Hence, the name Ghetto Quality Records," he said.

Soon, Mr. Tuzo said, he and Mr. Smart registered the company in Canada and plan to do the same locally in the near future. Once he was ready to become operational, he said he approached a few local performers he knew including Mr. Mista and told them that he wanted to help their dreams of dropping an album to materialise. To date, four artists are signed to his label.

"I told them this was based on my faith and I started Mista's project two and a half years ago. I had a lot to learn and I had to ask a lot of questions down here," Mr. Tuzo said. "It was hard because it seemed like no one wanted to talk about it (the industry)."

But the college student toiled and was said he was determined to bring Mista's album to fruition: "Before I left for school last September 2002, I told Mista that I would be returning at Christmas with his album completed."

Three months later, L.O.S.E.R. was released in Canada and according to Mr. Tuzo it was well received.

"The response out there was so great that in January, Mista and Zion did a show out there. The show was a success. It tripped me out," Mr. Tuzo told The Royal Gazette.

When asked about the magnitude of the local response, he said he had received some negative feedback.

"Overall, it's been good but people have been hating on me. Of course, critics have come forward but Mista's been taking it all in stride. He's dedicated," Mr. Tuzo said. But has this endeavour been a challenging one? "Definitely," he said. "I had many sleepless nights when I didn't know what to do. It's not as easy as everybody thinks it is."

Since Mista's album dropped last year, Mr. Tuzo said he has received several calls from local artists who are interested in him producing their music.

But they need to be warned. Shannan Tuzo means business: "I am very strict when it comes to doing the work. Not only are the artists representing themselves, they are representing me.

"If you are going to come into this half-ass, then it makes no sense coming at all. My big thing is to make my artists international."