Reggae Artistes cheapening themselves to make money

It is amazing what artiste will do these days to stay in the spotlight.

I often wonder if the continuous release of sex tapes, music videos and naked pictures featuring artistes are attempts to stay in the spotlight that have gone too far.

I am especially ashamed of the bunch whose names have been making the rounds because this activity. Their talent is not what is making them the hot topic, it is instead the act. They are now being critiqued for their talent as porn stars rather than as entertainers.

I wonder if they are so desperate to make it, that they have chosen to lower themselves in the eyes of the public. Let us face it, artistes are admired as role models by many children and adults and what they are caught doing on these tapes and videos is disgraceful and leaves a lot to be desired.

Their fellow artistes, who keep quiet and allow this rotten few to misrepresent the industry are no better as they do not recognize that because of their silence, they are allowing themselves to be judged equally with them.

I know the entertainers could not be doing this if the society was not accepting of it. The widespread acceptance and interest in these pictures and videos only emphasizes how far gone we are as a society.

When we will get up and say enough is enough and yes the media in some cases has been the avenue putting it out there, but if you do not consume it, they will not do it. So it is full time that everybody recognize that they have a responsibility to play.

Becoming an adult does not only mean, you can do what you want when you want. It also means you need to be responsible, you need to have self respect, you need to put a value on your life and determine what you are willing to do to maintain this value.

Based on the low standards of some artistes by their actions in the business, I am beginning to feel that some entertainers have got it twisted and are selling themselves cheap to make money. There is a funny thing about cheap things though, they seldom last long.

By Queen

Artistes need to protect their rights

Artistes need to protect their rights

I read recently that the Marley family had hired a firm in Canada to look after its rights management issues as it relates to Bob Marley’s image. The report said the family were losing money because many across the world were exploiting the King of Reggae’s image.

And, I must say I commend the Marley’s for their move.  Lest we forget, Vybz Kartel and Mavado’s image were being exploited in a way in which neither were publicly pleased about recently. And while the use of their image in that particular fashion was not something they were proud of, it only shows how much money local artistes lose through exploitation daily.

While many of us will think the Marley’s are reacting unnecessarily, it is time that we as Jamaicans start understanding that an artiste is a brand and his product goes beyond his music. In other words gaining a number one hit should not be viewed as ‘dem bussing’ alone. Instead, as soon as the artiste achieves the feat of a number one record anywhere on the planet he or she should start taking steps to protect their rights and image.

For too long, Jamaican artistes have allowed their photos and images to be used without thinking that they are losing out on potential revenue. If the product that their image endorses becomes popular, the artiste loses out because he or she did not secure their rights.

You see, an artiste protecting is or her rights should not be viewed as a ‘fight ‘gainst poor people’. Instead it should be viewed as the artistes securing their pension. For too long many of our artistes have spent their last years living modestly or in poverty for one reason or another. And, some of the very same people who exploited them (whether it be their images or through piracy) are the same ones who belittle them. And if that’s not bad enough these artistes are sometimes dependent on public assistance for help. While it can be argued that some artistes waste their resources in the ‘good times’, we must acknowledge that they are exploited by some of the same people who say they are fans.

Hence, I commend the Marley’s actions. While many of our dancehall celebrities are not on that level yet, it is certainly an act they can follow. For too long, the fans and also the dancehall acts have viewed such exploitation as publicity and not for what it is – full blooded exploitation.

So I say to the Marley’s hats off to you and well done!

Local acts missing on international dub charts BY STEVEN JACKSON

DUB music — a psychedelic reggae form — is charting in 14 territories on the reggae charts but Jamaican bands are not riding this wave.

It represents another Jamaican genre under-represented by locals which translates into lost revenue and acclaim for the industry.

Members of the Uprising Roots band  1/2

"Europe and other countries have taken our roots music and are studying and learning it," Uprising Roots drummer Black Kush told Splash, adding that Jamaican youths concentrate on studying dancehall and US pop. "A few years from now no Jamaican youth will even know about dub."

None of the dub bands or compilation albums charting are Jamaican. Even, Gregory Isaacs In Dub album was produced by the UK duo Mafia & Fluxy.

The dub groups currently charting on iTunes reggae album charts include Dub Incorporation from France who is at numbers one and three in that country. The US-based band Easy Star All Stars is at two and 10 in the US; number five in UK; two and 10 in Australia; two and seven in Canada; three in Ireland; four in Italy; seven in Greece; and hold on to the second spot in Portugal. The Kiwi band Katchafire is at number seven in New Zealand and eight in Australia. Gregory Isaacs, In Dub album (UK) at 10 in Belgium. Seven Dub from France is at number five in Portugal; and Salmonella Dub another band from New Zealand) at nine in their homeland according to iTunes rock charts.

In fact, last week King Size Dub Vol 13 charted in Luxembourg at eight whilst Fahrenheit 451 and Sir Oliver Skardy (Europe) charted in Italy at 10.

Digital sales account for one-third of global music sales and iTunes is the dominant online music store, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Digital Report 2010.

The reality is that Jamaican artistes are charting less online due to the growth of international or indigenous reggae bands. However, the possibility of a local dub band charting is even less due to the smaller talent pool.

"The other types of music in Jamaica are more hyped than dub music even though dub music is what the world rates us for," stated the charismatic Uprising Roots bassist Pot A Rice. "And the few people in Jamaica who are doing roots music do not get the opportunity to get airplay."

Uprising Roots will launch their latest album Skyfiya next month whilst embarking on a tour in the main dub market Europe.

Dub was spawned from reggae in the 1960s but has extended beyond the genre to incorporate other musical forms. Dub embraces the improvisation of the studio engineer and musicians in live and recorded sessions. The engineer or musician uses effects including echo and reverb in order to exaggerate or "lift the music to another level," according to Jah9, a rising singer who incorporates dub in her music.

"In this society where the artiste is (king) dub departs from that. It is really a tribute to the musicians and engineer and not the artiste," said Jah9, whose upcoming album is being produced by Don 'Corleon' Bennett, Beres Hammond and Rory from Stone Love.

Dub music is one form which Jamaica has all but forgotten. Stakeholders have also lamented on the absence of Jamaican ska bands to profit and influence modern ska. There are currently hundreds of ska bands internationally but the musical form is dormant in the land of its birth. Up to Saturday ska music was charting in one territory on iTunes reggae charts via a compilation album entitled Ska Mania. Ska, however, is more popular in the rock than reggae categories.

"Dub and ska is the ultimate, but people don't even play ska again in Jamaica yet there are plenty of ska bands in Europe. Dub and Ska is the real thing and it pays big money," added Pot A Rice. "Dub is the king's music because when you play dub you feel connected to Mother Earth and the essence of life more than other musical forms. It represents equal rights and justice."

Surprisingly, mento a local genre which waned in popularity in the '50s received some international acclaim last month when The Jolly Boys, a mento band (produced and managed by Geejam based in Portland Jamaica), beat all living reggae and dancehall artistes to top the international reggae charts. They are supporting the album with a prolific tour across Asia, Europe and the US.

In February, minister of culture, Olivia Babsy Grange, asserted that Jamaica was losing a grip on Reggae. She called for creative initiatives which emphasise training for the development of a stronger infrastructure to support the music and to recognise the new paradigms that have emerged with the convergence of popular culture and digital technology.

The Year Of The Music Service

                
Ted Cohen is willing to "bet his career" on the access model winning this year:
As I’ve expressed on many occasions in this and other forums, I believe strongly that the days of the need to own music are rapidly coming to an end. That’s not to say, however, that music is now or should be free, far from it. Music had traditionally been paid for by a very small segment of the audience. There is now the real opportunity for artists, songwriters, labels and publishers to be compensated in a meaningful way through revenues derived from on-demand and user-influenced models that are finally taking center stage.
Yesterday evening, MIDEM and TAG Strategic held a networking event at the Sunset Marquis in Los Angeles. The topic: “2011, The Year of the Music Service”. There were over 50 digital and music industry execs in attendance, along with a few artists. The debate, as expected, was heated, but the consensus was stronger than ever. The growth of music services such as Spotify, Pandora, Napster, Rdio, Rhapsody, We7, MOG, Slacker and others will continue exponentially. The $0.99 download from Apple, Amazon, 7Digital and others will continue to decline. The need for ownership will be marginalized by convenience.
On this point there was some disagreement. Eric Garland, co-founder of Big Champagne, expressed that ownership will always matter to a certain segment of the music audience, while Vince Bannon of Getty Images expressed, and I heartily concurr, that ownership is a dated concept.
Vince and I both have Sonos systems in our homes, with access to Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster and iHeart Radio, along with others. These services obviate the need to continue to grow our personal collections at a dollar or euro a track, the economics don’t make sense any more.
In a service-based model, independent music has the opportunity to flourish. John Boyle is President of Hello Music, a new venture that aggregates and augments independent artist services such as Topspin, Tunecore and Reverbnation. He opined that while independent artists are currently underserved, access models offer a better chance for new music to be discovered and gain a significant audience.
I’ve been evangelizing the inevitabilty of the access model taking the spotlight for over eight years, I will continue to do so. I believe that 2011 is the year that access will eclipse ownership as the dominant revenue stream, I’ve bet my career on it.

Is Reggae Dying A Slow Death??

by Davina Hamilton The upcoming closure of north London record shop Every Bodies Music suggests that reggae music is suffering a serious decline ONCE A popular music genre, particularly during the late 1960s and 70s when it found favour amongst the white working class, reggae music has seen a rapid decline in popularity in Britain. The upcoming closure of record shop Every Bodies Music (formerly known as Body Music) - the famed store in Tottenham, north London, best known for its extensive collection of reggae music - has sparked concern amongst reggae enthusiasts, while the decline in the music's sales is further indication that the genre which began in Jamaica is suffering. "Satellite television and Internet communication has had a dramatic effect on the type of music that's being made in Jamaica," says veteran reggae DJ David Rodigan. "Producers out there are hearing music from America and thinking that they can create the next Usher or Ne-Yo record. As a result, very little reggae is being made by young producers in Jamaica. "There's also no longer any reggae industry the way there was before, in terms of CD manufacturing and 12-inch singles; all that is more or less gone. Dynamic Studios [in Jamaica] was one of the biggest reggae distributors and they closed down. I heard they even melted all the vinyl they had in their storerooms. “Record sales are really poor and record shops are finding it hard to survive as a result. [Former west London record shop] Dub Vendor is now a café at the front and a small record store at the back. “We’re now at the point where some artists are releasing their music for free. Tanya Stevens put her last album out on the Internet, and it was available via [German magazine] Riddim as a free supplement.” Fitzroy Sterling, director of Every Bodies Music confirms that poor sales have contributed to the store’s forthcoming closure. “We have seen a steady decline in sales over the last five years and it’s at rock bottom at the present moment,” he says. “With new technology, the younger kids can download the music they want and the older folks have got enough music already. As a result, people just aren’t buying music. That’s what’s led to the current situation with the store, though we won’t be closing for now.” Reggae journalist John Masouri says that the sales figures for recent reggae releases make “grim reading.” “The last SoundScan figures I saw were for July/August. Damian Marley and Nas [with their collaborative album Distant Relatives] were way out front with around 120,000 sales, while Busy Signal sold just 400 copies of his last CD and Gyptian sold12,000 – and that was with help from a US Billboard hit.” Emerging British reggae artist Solomon, son of Aswad star Drummie Zeb, feels the genre needs to evolve. “I think people feel that in order for reggae to be authentic, it needs to sound like it was made at Studio One 20 years ago,” he says. “I think that’s rubbish. Hip hop has changed, r’n’b has changed, and even dancehall has changed, but reggae, to me, is stuck in this old sound. I think that’s part of reggae’s problem – it’s not evolving.” But while the statistics might not look promising, some feel the music is more popular than ever. Reggae star Damian Marley says: “Traditionally, reggae music isn’t a music that sells a lot of copies in terms of CDs, but live shows have been the source for most reggae artists’ revenue. And now that the music industry in general is going back to that live music element, it’s a great time for reggae because we already have a head start.” Journalist Chris Salewicz agrees. The acclaimed author of Bob Marley: The Untold Story and last year’s Keep on Running: The Story of Island Records feels that reggae is in a good place. “What is interesting is that although reggae shops may be closing in the UK and Europe, reggae has never been more popular. A few weeks ago I went to the Rototom reggae festival near Valencia, a phenomenal event that had over 130,000 people attend over the course of eight days. Sometimes I feel that because reggae first broke out in the UK, people here have become tired and blasé about it. “However, reggae rhythms and dub effects are omnipresent in other artists' tunes, and in TV and radio ads. I think reggae has become so much of the mainstream in the UK that we hardly notice its existence.”

Tréson’s musical journey has only just begun!

http://www.reverbnation.com/tréson#


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Music: Selling Music Online Line

Music: Selling Music Online Line: " It is a well know fact that most Jamaican do not buy CDs. So how do Jamaican Artistes earn their income? Well my research has indicated tha..."

Selling Music Online Line

 It is a well know fact that most Jamaican do not buy CDs. So how do Jamaican Artistes earn their income? Well my research has indicated that they earn their income from several sources some of which are live performances in Jamaica and abroad, mainly the USA, Canada and Europe, and through the sale of CDs both physically and on line.

More recently it has been noticed that some of the entertainers have been signing advertisement contracts, with some of the more profitable companies in Jamaica. This is evidenced with Busy Signal working with Red Label wine and more recently Konshens becoming the new spokes person for Flow a communication company. 

With Jamaicans buying a limited amount of CDs, there can be so much shows that those entertainers will be able to perform at in Jamaica. What makes it even worse, when they do perform in Jamaica; they are paid in Jamaican dollars, which has very little value. Entertainers therefore need and must go over seas to work! 

However some have been denied visas to travel to these countries. At this point they have to depend heavily on selling their CDs on line. Vybes Kartel now has to depend on online sales of his music after he was denied a US and UK visa. I wonder how many units he has moved so far? 

Last year Jamaican Entertainers saw a downward spiral in the demand for their music. According to SoundScan an electronic network that collects sales data from over 17,000 record stores in the United States, collectively all the Artiste who released albums for 2009 only sold 502,171 units. Sean Paul lead the way with his Imperial Blaze album sold only 70,917 units.

Of course there are a number of reasons that could have caused this type of results. For one there was and is a recession , second entertainers have seen an intense increase in pressure to change their hostile lyrics, in the form of cancellation of dates, and as mentioned before denial of work permits to perform in certain countries. 

Regardless of what circumstances prevail I am quite sure that Artistes and their management have pulled up their sleeves and are coming up with new and innovative ideas to put those precious incomes in their pocket. Good Luck GUYS!!