Gary Matalon, co-director of Kingston Live Entertainment (KLE) Group Limited, believes more can be done to rejuvenate the live music culture in Jamaica.

“I do think corporate and Government support will always be a tremendous help, although I’m not sure how realistic it is to expect others to pump resources into something that may not directly support their mandate,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Matalon said that while live shows have several moving parts, not everything is a challenge.

“I think if we have venues that are ‘show-ready’ and easily accessible to promoters that could be very helpful, as we can see in other developed markets,” he shared.

“That usually comes from a combination of both private and public sector. In addition, I think that artiste management and booking agents must take in to consideration the scale of the show and price accordingly. The one-price-fits-all won’t work for some show venues and this, in my opinion, not only deprives the show of the artiste, but also limits the artiste in a big way. Many established artistes in other markets use smaller venues to hone their stage craft in intimate settings and it also allows them to test out new material as well,” Matalon reasoned.

His comments come in light of a decline in live entertainment over the years.

KLE Group is the operator of popular eatery Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records (UBT&R), which also doubles as a live entertainment venue.

Matalon further explained the intricate details that goes into spearheading events, adding that there is always a risk of loss associated in the process.

“Whether Jamaica or otherwise, the business model must work for something to be sustainable. The fact is there are costs associated with putting on a live show which, when factored against the revenue opportunities, many times poses challenges.

“For example, at UBT&R some of the costs of having live shows include artistes, production, mixing board, stage, monitors, et cetera, security, promotion, JACAP [Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers], among others.

“In a venue that holds 300 people it’s difficult to recover those costs from the gate and F&B [food and beverages] revenue alone. This makes us heavily reliant on sponsorship support to make it work,” said Matalon.

He pointed out that one explanation for the reduction in live shows comes from the drastic reduction in marketing spend in this area by corporate Jamaica in comparison to prior years, and encouraged a turnaround in this area.

The last staging of Tracks Live Sessions was on April 20. It featured Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and Denyque.

In the meantime, Matalon said he is always open to contributing to Jamaica’s live entertainment sector.

“I’m easily one of the biggest fans of live entertainment. [i will] always continue to help in any way I can,” he told the Observer.