GIVEN Jamaica’s troubling crime wave and social degradation, top-flight music producer Donovan Germain believes the electronic media and members of the broadcast fraternity should act more responsibly.

His comments came against Tuesday’s Broadcasting Commission ban on music promoting lottery scamming (chopping), the use of the illicit drug Molly, and illegal guns.

“I don’t make those kind of song deh, so it really don’t affect me. But we shouldn’t be singing song about Molly because these are drugs which are damaging people’s lives. We shouldn’t be embracing dem thing deh. Our country is in a crisis, and I’m sure everyone’s seeing it. Whatever the industry is doing to make people’s lives a little better and less stressful, we should be doing it as an industry,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Anything negative right now, we should make a conscious effort to put dem things on pause; there’s no two ways about it… When you see the murder of kids, we have problems. I just want an industry that is contributing in a positive way… We shouldn’t reach a stage where the Broadcasting Commission come in and police the business. We should police the business ourselves and do the things we know is positive,” Germain continued.

Molly, often seen in tablet form, is a potent central nervous system stimulant primarily used for recreational purposes. The desired effects include altered sensations, increased energy, empathy, and pleasure.

Last year, Prime Minister Andrew Holness put dancehall music on the radar. He said violent lyrics from artistes assisted in fuelling the island’s crime rate.

Germain, who is one of the most successful producers in modern dancehall music, is principal of Penthouse Records. He has numerous number one hits with acts including Buju Banton, Marcia Griffiths, Wayne Wonder, and Beres Hammond. In 2015 he was conferred into the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government for his contribution to music.

Germain believes it is going to take some time before current music tastes are changed.

“The young people’s minds are conditioned to what they are hearing. It’s gonna take a time to change that mindset. There has to be a buy-in from that generation as they want to make their own music… not my generation. They can listen to it on their phones, they don’t have to listen to radio. People are consuming music in a different way,” he noted.

Like Germain, popular music selector Marlon “Boom Boom” Wizard believes Tuesday’s crackdown by the Broadcasting Commission will turn fans to other avenues for music.

“Radio plays a big part in di promotion of any music, but if dem ban it off ah radio, it still ah play ah di dancehall events, an’ it still ah go play pon di Internet — pon Instagram, pon Facebook, pon Tik Tok, pon YouTube. So it really nah go affect dem like one time when there was only radio. Dem have many ways to promote dem song,” said Wizard, who is promoter of Boom Sundays, held in Grant’s Pen, St Andrew, and principal of Boom Boom Records.

He added that the ban will have little effect on hard core dancehall artistes.

“It nah go affect dem because dem music still ah play pon di Internet. Dem ah go good same way because a social media an’ streets ah run di thing right now. It nah go have dat bad effect pon dem,” Wizard stated.

Producer Tarik “Rvssian” Johnston took to social media to air his views on the ban.

“Good thing we don’t need radio anymore. I can’t remember last royalties they paid me. YouTube di ting deh anyway. This is crazy lol. Let’s just ask them (the Broadcasting Commission) to write the songs too,” he posted.

Producer Ainsley “Notnice” Morris labelled the regulatory body’s action as a “waste of time”.

“Tell mi the last song radio buss?” he posted on social media.

Established in 1986, the Broadcasting Commission is an independent statutory agency mandated to monitor and regulate free-to-air television, broadcast radio and subscriber television (cable) services. The organisation, which is headed by attorney-at-law and former broadcaster Cordel Green, ensures the media houses operate at appropriate levels in relation to technical, programme, and service standards.