The recently staged Before the Dawn concert at the Bayfront Amphitheatre in Miami provided an emphatic statement on the importance of entertainment as a driver of economic activity. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Jamaicans boarded planes and headed to Miami to bear witness to history and give financial and support to an embattled music icon. In the process they provided needed stimulus to the Jamaican and Florida economies.

The throngs descending on the LIME outlets across the island anxious to secure a mobile television — in an effort to remain in touch with activities unfolding in Miami — provided tangible justification for the heightened corporate association with the dancehall fraternity. Anyone who might have been questioning the wisdom of having dancehall acts as corporate ambassadors would have received an emphatic rebuff from the frenzied activities around the LIME outlets. The impact of the corporate association with dancehall is clearly not in the realm of speculation. Mobile devices were jumping off the shelves, clearly correlated to the concert in Miami.

Lime certainly was not the only corporate beneficiary from activities related to the staging of Before the Dawn in Florida; a number of airlines, including Air Jamaica (in which Jamaica still has minority interests) would have derived financial benefits from the staging of this event. Numerous hotels and restaurants in Florida would have experienced spin-offs from the staging of this event. Cosmetologists and designers on both sides of the Atlantic would be among those also seeing tangible benefits from this concert. Yet these are only a few of the direct beneficiaries. There are those who would have secured indirect benefits, such as farmers, manufacturers of fabrics, shipping companies and related entities, and those who make paper products used in the production of flyers and posters. The linkages made possible by the staging of this one event are just too numerous to mention in this column.

It is not accidental that Red Stripe had to review its stance after it decided that it was suspending its association with the dancehall fraternity as a result of pressure from overseas regarding what was stated as violence but what many construed as homophobia in our music. The iconic Jamaican brand realised that its bottom line was being badly affected and that it had very little alternative but to get back into bed with the dancehall acts. Sure, the conditions that prompted the initial response from Red Stripe have changed. Negative references to homosexuality in our music is now largely absent due in no small measure to the efforts of overseas authorities to restrict artistes deemed homophobic from performing in certain territories. The aggressive policing of the airwaves by an increasingly vigilant Broadcasting Commission is also responsible for the sanitisation of our musical output and a sharp decline in violent entertainment content. This has certainly increased the comfort level of certain brands (including Red Stripe) to be associated with dancehall acts. It’s now cool to use dancehall to sell banking and insurance services.

Yet it is becoming increasingly clear that promoters of entertainment events will have to take a very good look at their approaches to securing financing for their ventures. The reliance on traditional modes of sponsorship and gate receipts might no longer be the bases for a viable business model. In recent articles I pointed out that promoters of events might have to look towards the selling of experiences as the focus of their marketing efforts. The fact is that some of our most successful events have been able to survive because of their ability to sell an experience.

Reggae Sunsplash in its heyday was a pioneer in this marketing approach locally. Waiting until daybreak to witness the appearance of certain acts while not having to secure hotel rooms because it was simply okay to sleep on the beach was part of what made this event appealing. Jazz and Blues provides an opportunity for those who are (or who consider themselves to be) movers and shakers to take a few days away from the hustle and bustle and hobnob with friends and consummate business deals.

The chaotic experience which dominated Sting for much of its existence was a part of its essence. Sting was, however, unable to sell the experience of combat and clash for the most recent staging of the event due to the fact that there was largely an absence of feuding among dancehall acts. The writing was on the wall for Sting 2010 from the staging of Sumfest, which saw an unprecedented display of harmony and understanding among Jamaican acts. The question that must now be foremost on the minds of those responsible for the staging of this important event is whether fans stayed away because they anticipated that there would be no combat or because they had grown tired of this kind of gladiatorial entertainment.

Events like GT Taylor’s Christmas Extravaganza, Rebel Salute and Teen Splash did well over the holiday. Were they affected by the surfeit of “free shows” put on by corporate entities across the island? What factors conspired to make these events successful and what went wrong with Sting last year? These issues are not only germane to Laing and his team at Supreme Promotions but are worthy of deeper analysis from the wider public, for let there be no doubt that despite what the detractors might say, Sting is an important national institution with significant value to the Jamaican economy.

My own prediction is that increasingly the Jamaican telecommunications industry will morph into media and entertainment operations. Entertainers and providers of content could be the beneficiaries of such a development but let their be no doubt that there will also be destruction in its wake as certain entrenched interests will be negatively affected as these newfangled corporate entertainment and media entities move to satisfy what will be a voracious appetite for content and visibility. Already traditional promoters are crying foul noting that they are being displaced by the entry of corporations into the business of staging entertainment events. More groups and individuals will be affected by the emerging trends which will require new thinking. Change can be messy as a process, however, with foresight we can better manage the outcomes.

clyde.mckenzie@gmail.com