Eleven members of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA) traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend the World Music Expo, in an effort to bring reggae to every corner of the world. Vice-Chairman Howard McIntosh, said that the “biggest area of difficulty was getting the visa, which is a major challenge for Jamaican artistes in getting to Denmark.” He told The Gleaner that when WOMEX General Director, Gerald Seligman, met the group, he said it was the largest contingent from the Caribbean at the expo since it first started in 1994. Since its inception, WOMEX has been held in several countries across Europe. At the last staging in Sevilla, Spain, there were more than 2,800 delegates and 1,425 companies from over 90 countries. Based on the nature of the event, it is a major networking tool, which McIntosh said the group has been making full use of. “It has been going very well so far with many connections being made and discussions on projects that will assist the Jamaican music industry,” McIntosh said.
He said the group is also at the expo with market penetration as one of its objectives. He said Reggae Month would be launched, the delegates would participate in discussions with the European Commission on issues affecting the Caribbean and Jamaican music, JARIA would be showcased and they would network with various promoters and music industry officials from various countries. Already, he said the group has met with people from the French territories and also from some African countries, who plan to do a project in Jamaica next September.
“We must as a country look at ways we are going to invest in and protect our music. As a country, we need to ensure that the full potential of our music can be properly explored so that all the benefits can be accrued to the stakeholders in the music and Jamaica.” He also noted that the creative industries, especially music, generally contributes to a sizeable percentage of the GDP in numerous countries. But with Jamaica still on a high, especially from the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin last August, McIntosh said: “It’s Jamaica to the world. Everybody is in love with Jamaican music and Bob Marley.”
For more go to the original report at http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091102/ent/ent1.html
