THE recent selection of the album Beauty in the Silence (SOJA) as the winner of the reggae category at the 64th Grammy Awards has served as a trigger for a number of disgruntled artistes to rail against what they consider to be the corrupt state of the Jamaican media. It has given them an excuse to launch salvos against those they deem to be payola-driven radio jocks.

According to the emerging narrative, foreign groups like SOJA would not have been able to have a dominant position among the players of reggae had locally based jocks allowed quality Jamaican music to flourish through the benefit of airplay.

This trope raises a few questions.

Did Jamaican radio personalities give prominence to groups like SOJA at the expense of locally based artistes? The answer is no. SOJA has been around for 25 years and most Jamaicans have never heard of them, which suggests that they have not been the beneficiary of any special favours from the local media.

What many of these complainants are claiming is that Jamaican jocks have been promoting music which has no appeal beyond Port Royal, and that these radio personalities have not given the local songs — which could have made an international impact — a chance to flourish. In the minds of these disgruntled artistes and their supporters, this is akin to sending Class Four athletes to the Olympics to represent Jamaica instead of Usain and Shelly-Ann. According to this narrative, local jocks are spurning “conscious music” and promoting decadence.

While there might be some truth to the assertion that there are many songs of questionable value which have made it to local airwaves, there are many “conscious” songs which are lacking in lyrical and musical appeal and really do not deserve any airplay. There is the misconception among many artistes that simply making reference to “peace”, “love” and “Jah Rastafari” are the hallmarks of an airworthy, conscious song.

One might argue that we cannot do worse than what we are currently playing on the radio. However, media houses make decisions about what music they programme based on assumptions about appeal and profit. They should not be forced to play what they don’t deem to be of any commercial value. Developmental media should be the purview of the State. Private entities must be free to make commercial decisions. True, Jamaican stations have been wrong about their format. However, it is the operators of these stations who will bear the consequences of their errors and should therefore have a free hand in deciding what they will play on their stations.

While all the furore surrounding SOJA was taking place I noted with great interest that Skillibeng, whose music would be classified as among those deemed unfit to travel beyond Port Royal, had performed before a large, enthusiastic crowd at the prestigious O2 Arena in London. Is this an aberration or are the experts wrong, as they often are?

I believe that the rise of SOJA is a good sign for reggae. It suggests that the genre has appeal outside of narrow ethnic boundaries. SOJA always gives credit to the origin of reggae. The band has and is willing to tour with Jamaican groups. This is a positive development. It is important for us to remember that any obituary for reggae is not only premature, but misplaced. The triumph of SOJA at the Grammys is a clear indication that reggae is alive and well and is doing better than its Jamaican exponents at the international level.

The suggestion that reggae is finished because SOJA has won the Grammy is an insult to all the other nominees in the category, which included previous winners. There is the suggestion that SOJA got the nod because they were playing “pure” reggae, implying that the Grammys does not countenance dancehall. Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks have won the Grammy and they are not exactly “roots rock reggae” artistes.

I believe the selection of SOJA should open our eyes to the possibilities which exist for our music. I have long contended that white artistes are among the best sellers of black music. This has been so since Elvis, and it has persisted through the years. Just ask Kenny G or Eminem. The fact is that white artistes have larger audiences and bigger media platforms, so naturally they will sell more. The question is what kind of alliance will we forge with the likes of SOJA to expand the reach of our music.

For some time I have come to the realisation that the central challenge for Jamaican music has not been about content. It has been about marketing.

Years ago I wrote in this paper that the challenge we faced in the international promotion of our music was that there were no influential mainstream media outlets which were dedicated to the airing of Jamaican music in the major music markets across the globe. While the dynamics of the media have changed dramatically over the years (with the advent of online media), the issue of access has remained a bugbear for Jamaican artistes and producers .

Many thought that with the advent of social media and streaming services, local creators of music would be able to circumvent the traditional promotional channels and go directly to the consumers. This was a miscalculation.

There were those who dismissed radio as irrelevant, only to come to terms with the reality that traditional terrestrial broadcasting still matters — and it has also gone online. The gatekeepers are still there.

What is clear to me is that the Jamaican music business has thrived on what cultural theorists call othering. We like to emphasise our differences instead of finding ways to embrace what we have in common. This is evident in the fault lines of our music. The veterans assert that the youngsters are lacking in talent, and the current crop of artistes believe that the old-timers have outlived their usefulness. The reggae purists scoff at the decadence of the dancehall denizens while the hardcore “street” acts see the traditionalists as out of touch with the time. We need to address the rift as there are enormous possibilities through collaboration — just ask Dua Lipa and Elton John or Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.

So what are the options available to us to realise the enormous potential which has been a constant feature of Jamaican music?

I will provide my solutions in a subsequent article, however here is one thing I will propose as a possible solution. I believe that in order for us to have an impact on the American market we might have to focus on how we approach it. Put another way, we might have to take a roundabout route to get to the American market. Our music might need to go through Africa and South America on its way to the USA. We can claim some relationship with, if not paternity for, reggaeton and what is collectively described as Afrobeats. We need to take advantage of these affinities.

Clyde McKenzie is a director of Magnificent Ideas, a content development entity. He is the founding general manager of reggae radio, Irie FM and has been involved in the management of a number of artistes including Beenie Man and Tanto Metro and Devonte.