A week after the Broadcasting Commission issued a ban on music promoting lottery scamming, use of the illicit drug Molly, and illegal guns, Errol “Monte” Blake, principal of the Merritone sound system, and Zachary Harding — producer and chairman of Delta Capital Partners Limited — are endorsing the move.

This came to the forefront on Tuesday at the launch of the 32nd Merritone Reunion & Family Homecoming held at the Edward Seaga Suite on the grounds of Devon House in St Andrew.

“Everybody has their own thing. I don’t think it’s going to stop the music from going but you have to have some control over what is played on the radio. You can’t let it let loose; you have to have regulation. I don’t play that kinda music, but I know it’s popular among the children. You have to be careful with the kids,” Blake told the Jamaica Observer shortly after the ceremony.

The Broadcasting Commission issued a directive to operators of electronic media to ban, with immediate effect:

“any audio or video recording, live song, or speech which promotes and/or glorifies scamming, illegal use or abuse of drugs (eg Molly), illegal or harmful use of guns or other offensive weapons, ‘jungle justice’, or any other form of illegal or criminal activity;

“any edited song which directly or indirectly promotes scamming, illegal drugs, illegal or harmful use of guns or other offensive weapons, jungle justice, or any form of illegal or criminal activity. This includes live editing and original edits (eg edits by producer/label) as well as the use of near-sounding words as substitutes for offensive lyrics, expletives, or profanities.”

Blake further said that musicians ought to be cognisant of the fact that singing substantial lyrics has a better chance at longevity.

“You have to sing music that is not just disposable, but music that is lasting…good music never gets old and that’s why most of the older dances that you have still exist. As my brother always says, good music is made all the time; it’s just not being played,” he said.

Blake, the youngest of four brothers who manned the Merritone ‘sound’ since the 1950s, heads the list of selectors.

Winston, second of the siblings, was the face of Merritone which his father Val started in 1950 in their native St Thomas. He and older brother Trevor took control of the sound system after their father died in 1956 and transformed it from a country ‘sound’ to world renown.

Tyrone Blake, the third of the brothers, died in 2012.

Meanwhile, in his address as the keynote speaker at Tuesday’s function, Zachary Harding fully endorsed the Broadcasting Commission, citing a dire need for regulation in the Jamaican society.

“It [music] has profound impact. This has nothing to do with censorship and freedom of speech. I get all of that—that’s fine. But, free speech becomes very expensive when it starts to cost people their lives. We just have a responsibility to guide people morally with some sort of compass,” he said.

Harding further said that a continuous output of violent lyrics will impact children overtime.

“Yeah, they can sing two bad man song and two scamming songs…great! But we can’t be promoting that on a regular basis. Kids don’t necessarily have the filter to be able to differentiate and understand [that] that’s just creativity. They’ll take it to heart or it becomes a sell fulfilling prophecy so we have to be very careful,” he continued.

Harding is the co-founder of 2 Hard Productions, credited for their work on Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock album, No Shame by Bounty Killer, Harry Toddler’s Tired Fi See Mi Face, Ce’Cile and Merciless’ We Nah Talk and Beenie Man’s Who Am I (Sim Simma).

— Kediesha Perry