Andrew Clunis, Freelance Writer
IF there was enough concern, there would be much ado about the recent figures revealed by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in its World Trade Values magazine. Sadly, nobody in governmental authority seems to care about the music industry, and even worse, the music sector is not riding government's back to get their support.
And really, their apathy is just reflective of the shortsightedness which has brought Jamaica to its knees economically. Here we are in a situation where all the traditional commodity industries are on life support. Yet we persist with them and are trying to convince today's youth, that that is the way to go. We have been reluctant to embrace new ideas and new challenges, the bone of the reason that nobody has been willing to pay more than lip service to the music industry.
There has been serious decline and one of the main causes is neglect. In 1999, the industry measured US$3.2 million (J$126 million) compared to a previous statistic of US$6.6 ($235.5 million). One of the main indicators of this decline is the significant decline in sales. Vinyl record sales decreased from 800,000 to 600,000. Vinyl albums declined from 500,000 to 300,000. Cassette figures decreased from 500,000 to 200,000. CD figures declined from 300,000 to 100,000. We must note that these are just trade figures related to sales, not taking into account the rights aspect of the music and live performance fees. Royalties would be directly proportional to sales so one could expect that there was a decline in that regard as well. Based on the number of foreign and local shows which have either been cancelled or scaled down, a fair assumption was that there was a decline in those areas also. Sales figures are down because piracy is on the increase.
What will it take to make the Jamaican government see the valuable economic contribution that music can make in resuscitating of this economy? Are we going to wait until it gets to a point of no return, then excuse our present nonchalance by saying, see I told you it couldn't work?
One can understand a reluctance on the part of government, considering the severe shortage of brain power they are now faced with, to be taking on new challenges which will require innovative use of the grey matter.
There is the school of thought that government should not get directly involved in the music industry. But the private sector people who have great stakes in the business right now are not showing the will to make the industry work for all concerned.
So government must become facilitatory and perhaps even regulatory. Help to set the structure and let private enterprise take it from there.
When we look at the comparison in figures, surely one should be concerned about piracy. There is no question that the impact of piracy is greatly reflected in these figures.
How can a music industry survive when so many record shops have CD burners or cassette duplicators beneath their counters; when the illegal trade in music is carried on on street corners in public purview. These are just examples and not a charge for government to persecute and make scapegoats of these people.
What is needed is for the industry to be structured in such a manner that these people can be roped in and allowed to continue to play the 'vital' roles they play, but within the framework of law which protects rights owners from exploitation.
