June Isaacs, marketing director of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA), says hefty costs is one of the main reasons for a decline in live shows locally.

“It is very costly to put on a live show right now, versus a dancehall package. For the dancehall packages the artistes are still expensive, but because they mainly use a sound system, it’s a more manageable budget. We don’t have to have a band, stage, et cetera,” Isaacs, who is also the head of the Gregory Isaacs Foundation , told the Jamaica Observer.

The foundation is spearheading the Red Rose For Gregory tribute concert on May 14 at Hope Gardens in St Andrew. It will be headlined by The Manhattans, alongside Etana, J C Lodge, and Deniece Williams.

Besides the cost factor, Isaacs argued that the younger generations often do not appreciate live concerts, unless the newer dancehall acts are a part of the line-up.

She is calling for more to be done to educate the youth on the country’s veterans in music.

“Our youth need to have more knowledge of the older artistes like the D Brown, the Gregory Isaacs, and all of that. Dem hardly know the older acts, so sometimes it’s a gamble,” she said.

“The history of our music needs to be more ‘out there’. There’s a lot more education needed, even visuals to really show where our music is coming from and for kids to really appreciate the history and the forefathers and the persons who have really brought the music to this stage. That should be in the syllabus, because reggae is Jamaica’s, and we need our children to know where our music is coming from,” Isaacs reasoned.

Conceptualiser of Uptown Mondays Whitfield “Whitty” Henry is in agreement that it is far cheaper to host a party, compared to a live showcase.

“Dem need more people fi start play instrument and having the resources fi do it,” Henry told the Observer.

“It [live shows] more expensive than having a sound system. Every time a band plays it’s four to five people. Yuh need four or five people fi united [and] it kinda difficult. Yuh haffi have rehearsals, studio… expensive fi do a band,” the promoter added.

Considering the invoice that live shows attract, Henry is suggesting that members of the entertainment fraternity band together to cushion to the blow.

“Dem just haffi keep it. People go to it, but there’s none. Where is live music? People want music but dem nuh have none. Yuh haffi get people fi unite together,” he said.