Len Brown, senior manager of hip hop, R&B, and reggae at the Recording Academy, is looking forward to making an impact at the 2026 edition of Island Music Conference (IMC 2026) which runs from February 25-28.

He will be a panellist on February 28 speaking on the topic ‘The Grammys and your career’.

“For me, it’s a great opportunity to take things in and see how it was done. Now, I’m going to be on an official panel with my co-worker Ashley [Thomas] and Lila Iké, and I think that’s going to be a good place for me to spread more education that needs to be had among everybody in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Because they need to know how we [the Recording Academy] work and to be a part of it. The whole mission is to get persons a part of this so [that] they can understand what it really means to earn a Grammy,” Brown told the Jamaica Observer.

This year’s conference is scheduled for the Courtleigh Auditorium under the theme ‘Music is the unifying force’ and serves as a declaration of the enduring power of sound to bring people together across parishes, borders, cultures, and generations.

Adding that the series of panellists are more than equipped to foster informative discussions, Brown stressed the importance of creative conferences and workshops.

“I think [these conferences are] extremely important because a lot of miscommunication goes around. Some people might not know the full scope of what gets preached and presented on. Having more of these forums, where we can share ideas, and where we can share our educational thoughts and words of wisdom are only going to help us, instead of just word of mouth about ‘this one person that work for the Marleys’ or whatever it might be. Not just IMC, but we need to have more of these forums so that we can truly understand what can do and what we can’t do,” he explained.

Brown further said that there is work to be done in terms of getting more eligible Jamaican creatives involved in the Recording Academy’s voting process.

“I’ve seen some improvement, where more people have gotten more vocal about what we have to do, and all the other things. But I feel like there is always room for improvement. There’s always room for getting more, and more people in, and finding more good ways to get the education and information out there. So, I always cherish IMC and Shaggy and what Sharon [Burke] and Judith [Bodley] are doing when it comes to this particular conference,” he said.

Among the 2026 keynote speakers is Belizean politician and former Bad Boy Records artiste Moses Michael Levi Barrow, known professionally as Shyne, whose journey from global music star to national leadership offers a powerful narrative on transformation, resilience, and the enduring influence of culture. Shyne’s keynote is ‘From Stage to State’. He served as head of Belize United Democratic Party as well as leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.