Subscribe to our RSS Feeds
Follow us on Twitter!Entertainment
Overseas appeal for Jamaican acts declining?
BY CLYDE MCKENZIE
Sunday, January 10, 2010
LATE last year Charles Campbell, after a trip to Europe, reported in the pages of this newspaper that he was quite worried that while the appeal of Reggae is on the rise, internationally, the appeal overseas for Jamaican acts is on the wane. What could account for this apparent paradox, one might ask? Well, foreigners have so internalised our music that they have now become proficient exponents of it. Matisyahu -- an orthodox Jew living in the United States is currently one of the biggest selling Reggae acts.
Gentleman and a number of other European acts are able to draw crowds in their native territories which dwarf what most of our present Jamaican acts could ever imagine at home. I once pointed out that the decline in the status of teachers came with the spread of literacy. I jokingly noted that the success of teachers over the years led to a reduction in their status.
Those who know how teachers were venerated in those days when they would have to read letters for their mostly illiterate neighbours and sign documents for them will understand what I am talking about. Even though teachers were not then making big salaries, they enjoyed good standards of living as they could spend very little of what they earned as the community would provide for them. A similar fate is attending Jamaican Reggae acts. The success of Jamaican music internationally has spawned foreign acts who are now in direct competition with Jamaican entertainers. After all, what sense does it make for overseas promoters to hire Jamaican acts to perform when their own nationals can draw bigger crowds at lower rates? Arguably, the most successful sound system in the world is the Mighty Crown which hails from Japan. The biggest Reggae festivals are held outside our borders and if the trend continues there will be fewer Jamaican acts appearing at these events. What is more, is that many territories are being provided with excuses (some flimsy) for excluding Jamaican performers from their borders.
I pointed out in a recent article that on my regular visits to Trinidad I have been struck by the low visibility of Jamaican products on the supermarket shelves there. This, of course, is in sharp contrast to the preponderance of the Jamaican music culture on the Trinidadian airwaves. Kartel and Mavado seem to be doing something better than many of their compatriots engaged in manufacturing and related activities. Listening to some stations in Trinidad I could never tell that I was not in Jamaica. Ironically, looking on the supermarket shelves, one could also think that he is in Jamaica since so many of the products we consume in Jamaica find their way to us from Trinidad.
Clearly, Jamaican companies and corporations, have not yet determined how to use our strong cultural presence for market penetration. Yet the problem with a number of our top Jamaican acts is that the door is closing on them in a number of Caribbean territories. A number of Caribbean nations have strong views about the antisocial behaviour which they deem to be associated with our music. Caricom countries don't have visa requirements but they can stop people at the border. Already Jamaicans cannot enter territories such as the Cayman Islands without a visa. Jamaicans are now required to get a visa to enter Britain.
Of course, these developments cannot be blamed primarily on our artistes and our music. Much of this is attributable to the perception of our being a violent people, which is sometimes amplified and justified by our music. People like to stereotype; it is a fundamental feature of human nature.
It had great survival value at the dawn of civilisation as it allowed us to make quick decisions (which might later prove wrong) but which would keep us away from danger. After all, a man confronted by a lion or a poisonous snake does not have the luxury of rumination. He has to act quickly or become dinner. However, in the highly nuanced environment in which we now find ourselves this trait can not only be contentious, it can be dangerous. How often do we hear about the indiscretions of an artiste being described as a poor reflection of the industry? I often argue that this is unfair, but I know the reality. The actions of a few are used to judge the behaviour of many, and this is unfortunate.
The sad fact is no one points to the performances and outputs, of artistes such as Tarrus Riley, Chino, Queen Ifrica and the numerous other acts making a positive contribution, as an indication of the current state of the music. Few will note that Mavado and Kartel have a body of positive works -- we tend only to look at the negative side of their output.
Yet if there is any doubt about the power of entertainment and its capacity to galvanise people locally we need to look no further than the "I Dare You" concert put on by Shaggy and Friends. Last year the event raised $27 million for the Bustamante Hospital for Children which went towards purchasing much-needed equipment for the institution. By all indications, the figure earned this year will be higher than last year's. At the rate at which Shaggy is going, in a few years time the hospital could well be the best-equipped medical facility in the region. This is something to salute and, although it is an endeavour for which Shaggy is largely responsible, it shows the positive power of our music.
The fact is that many Jamaican corporations want to be associated with our music and popular culture. They need an excuse like the cause presented by Shaggy to get involved. It appeared to me that Jamaican entities were tripping over themselves to get involved with that venture. There seemed no concern among local media houses that their rivals were also on board. The cause was beyond petty squabbling about turf. Yasmine Peru rightly pointed out on Entertainment Report last Friday that every major media house was a sponsor of the event. What an accomplishment. None of the nonsense about exclusivity which is one of the features of Jamaican media which I find so deplorable. We need to be more imaginative in our product development. Innovation must be the watchword in the industry if we are going to survive. 2010 should be a tough year, but there is no reason we should not emerge from it stronger than we entered it.
clyde.mckenzie@gmail.com
Other Stories
Entertainers, authorities argue over tax assessment method
0 comments
NORMA DODD WAS a pillar of strength to Studio One
0 comments
Yendi, Angele Smith for Pulse CMS this evening
0 comments
Orrett rhoden for UWI Chapel performance
0 comments
Guinness Greatness in Concert for October
0 comments
Spragga Benz releases new album
0 comments
Ne-Yo on TI: 'He makes a lot of poor decisions'
0 comments
Riquey Bingham making strides at home and aboard
0 comments
Movie Ghett'a Life wraps on schedule
0 comments
Fyah Bun - Semaj questions Rasta and Reggae
20 comments
Duane Stephenson returns with Black Gold
0 comments
Shontelle for Sunday's CMS finals
0 comments
0 comments
0 comments
Karen Smith, Boris Garden ‘konvers’
0 comments
