MONTEGO BAY, St James

Margaritaville has stepped on the virtual entertainment train with the launch of their Club Ville product online, on their Instagram page @clubvilleja.

The party, which is being held on Saturdays from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, will continue until the lockdown on nightclubs due to the coronavirus pandemic has been lifted.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer West earlier this week, Nightclub Operations Manager Andre “P’Nut” Brown says the move is aimed at keeping in touch with their current clientele in light of the recent lockdown of nightclubs.

“We started on the 6th of May and the concept is to provide the Margaritaville club experience via the Internet. As a result, we get to interact with as many of our fans as possible,” said Brown.

Bars, nightclubs and other entertainment facilities were ordered closed by Government as of March 18, as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Bars, however, reopened for a two-week trial period on Tuesday with a raft of protocols.

Nightclubs, however, have remained closed.

Brown reiterated that Margaritaville prides itself on producing a quality product and has invested in high- definition equipment to facilitate the transition.

“For the first night, the test night, we had a very large audience listening to DJ Blu who is the resident disc jockey for the Montego Bay arm of the brand. However, for the second staging, we upped the production by using high-definition equipment. The event is streamed through a software which gives better quality and better sound, and of course, it looks more professional. If we are going to venture into the online trend, then we have to take it up a notch based on the quality content usually enjoyed at our physical locations in Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios,” Brown explained.

He further noted that under the initiative, disc jockeys associated with their respective locations play alternatively and enhance the product by doing giveaways.

“The idea is to engage the demographic from each location so DJs from each location will perform alternately. We will also have guest DJs as we build the platform. We will also be giving away Margaritaville merchandise as well as dinners for two and other gifts,” Brown explained.