It would seem that the Reggae/Dancehall music fraternity is being hit by one blow after another. Top deejays have lost their US visas and work permits, and Buju Banton, Ninjaman and Flippa Mafia are off the scene — all facing criminal charges.

The big question now is, how will this impact the dancehall community at large. Already, the top annual reggae show in the United States — Irie Jamboree — has cancelled this year’s staging.

Irie-Jamboree vice-president Louis Grant told the Sunday Observer that visa cancellations, primarily regarding Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Busy Signal, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Jah Cure and Sizzla, as well as a few other notables, coupled with the incarceration of top tier acts Buju Banton and Ninjaman, were the primary reasons the decision was taken not to host the show, one of North America’s premier reggae festivals.

“Not having access to this cluster of acts to factor into our line-up has adversely impacted us this year. At the very least, this situation is progressively becoming dire and needs to be strategically and properly addressed, via fair and prompt intervention, so that fair and prompt resolution can be achieved post haste,” Grant said.

For G City Entertainment promoter Casey Rankine, although many of the major acts are out of commission in the United States market, it is “business as usual”.

“It has not greatly affected my plans. The major challenge is the economy — weak audience turnout and poor ticket sales,” Rankine said.

In fact, according to him, the situation has now created an opportunity for other good artistes.

“There are other artistes who have done work for years, or upcoming talents, and this gives them the opportunity to be highlighted, so we are looking forward to working with them,” he said.

New York-based publicist Anthony Turner says the unavailability of the aforementioned artistes is not the greatest challenge for promoters in the US right now.

“Even if those artistes were available, it would not be a given that they could have brought in a full house or that the event would have been a guaranteed success,” he said.

Like, Rankine, Turner said one of the biggest challenge facing promoters now is the economic recession.

“There are other factors to take into consideration too, such as finding affordable venues and receiving quality sponsorships,” Turner shared, adding that unlike events in Jamaica, US sponsors do not give a lot of cash support, so promoters rely heavily on gate receipts.

But while some US promoters are experiencing challenges as it relates to the staging of reggae events, for Eddy Edwards of Riddim Marketing, it’s all about having the right packaging. Edwards, who has hosted plays, church festivals and other family-friendly events, says he walked away from “the whole dancehall mix up”.

“I lean to cultural and clean lyrics artistes, so as a result, I am not affected by what’s going on right now. If you notice, somehow, those are the ones not in trouble,” the promoter said.

He admits that the numbers have been down because of the recession, but says because of the nature of his events he has enjoyed enough support to make them viable — that plus the fact that the artistes with whom he has been working are “very reasonable”.

However, Irie Jamboree’s Grant is not swayed by the argument for cultural productions.

“Our very pervasive culture is so much a part of generations “X” and “Y”‘s pop culture, that these kids, primarily of Jamaican and a wider Caribbean descent, will just not allow that to happen,” Grant said.

He admits that growth may be stymied for several reasons, the main culprit being the lyrical content of some of the songs. But, he says recent steps by the Broadcasting Commission has helped to address, in a very profound way, guidelines that give “the stamp of approval to songs” which ultimately get played on the airwaves in Jamaica.

Grant believes that this move has helped to shape, and usher in a revolution of greater creativity in writing and consequently, many of the dancehall acts and music producers have made notable adjustments to their art.

“On a personal level, I am particularly happy for this advent, as the songs that get sent to us on a daily basis are better songs, if only by “air play” standards, which ultimately bodes well for the longevity and sustainability of the industry at large,” he said.

According to G-City’s Rankine, the solution going forward is for dancehall acts to “always keep it professional in terms of management, performance, public appearances, by keeping their artiste fees at a fair market value, and adjusting their attitude towards promoters, without (whom) they would have no shows, remembering at all times that it’s a business.”