Hey what’s up?, My name is Mark Hardy and I’m a 23 year old Entertainment/Music enthusiast and upcoming music business professional. I am from Trinidad and Tobago (For those of who know where that is,wuz d scene? lol). For those of you who don’t know, Trinidad and Tobago is a small island in the Caribbean, but despite our size, we have managed to produce some of the most beautiful people in the world and well as some of the most talented people in the world. The multicultural nature of our island is reflected though the many different genres of music which have originated over the years (Calypso, Soca, Chutney, Ragga Soca, Rapso and Steelband ). We have also produced some of the greatest entertainers that the world has seen (or never seen), which brings me to one of my main objectives of this blog. For some strange reason, despite the richness of our culture and the evident generation after generation of talent that this country has produced, we are in the year 2008 and still do not have a properly structured and organised music industry. Fingers have been pointed over the years and somehow everyone in the industry finds someone else to blame. As a result i have comprised a number of theories which may be a helpful step in explaining what happened…. or what didn’t happen…!
THE BIG PICTURE
As Trinidadians, we are generally laid back people. While this is one of our most charismatic qualities and one which people from all around the world admire about us, it can be said that this is also one of our greatest downfalls. The stereotype of the Caribbean is one of beautiful beaches filled with “islanders” relaxing in hammocks and sipping on magaritas and “taking in the island breeze”. However, us as Trinis have managed to take this stereotype to heart and carry it to a whole other level! lol From our Prime Minister and government officials sleeping in Parliament, straight down to the KFC staff who refuse to serve customers because they are on the phone! we don’t take anything seriously! So why would we take our music, entertainers and the entertainment industry on the whole seriously????
FROM SOCA SWITCH TO ASH WEDNESDAY
Firstly i think that the most ridiculous thing about our music industry is that it is once a year. As a result of this, the entire roster of music for the year has to be created, marketed, sold and distributed between the time frame of late September to Ash Wednesday (February/March) the following year. This is because the most popular genres of music are Calypso and Soca, and these are focused on a yearly event in Trinidad called Carnival. For those who don’t know :
Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago originally had its roots in West African festivals, facilitated by conservative French aristocracy’s carnival celebrations where masks were donned and social visits ensued. When the use of drums and religious practices had been outlawed, the slaves (and then former slaves) found novel ways to pass on their heritage. Carnival then grew with African influences from the slaves who added singing, dancing, and music as well as exuberance to Carnival to transform it into what we see today. Carnival is celebrated two days before Ash Wednesday in the season of Lent. In the earliest times, similar celebrations were held at the end of crops being harvested (hence the Crop Over celebrations in some other Caribbean islands). However, as these became more oppressed, the only permissible time was when the aristocracy was engaged in their own merriment and debauchery – the pre-lenten festival tied to the Roman Catholic idea of carne vale (farewell to the flesh).
(COURTESY WIKIPEDIA)
Ne ways, traditionally calypsoes and now soca speak on topics relating to Carnival, which is one of the reasons that limit these songs to that particular period, between late September and Ash Wednesday; let’s call this period the “industry boom”. During this period, artists, producers, songwriters, managers, event promoters, magazines and radio stations all “hustle” as much as they can to make a make a quick dollar as this is the only time of the year that the music industry is profitable. The result is that the quality of the product (calypso/soca) decreases year by year as less effort is spent of creativity and more effort is spent on gimmicks and forcing music into the consumer’s head. Hey, this sounds pretty similar to the demise of the American music industry! 
. The difference is that the population of Trinidad is 1.3 million, so that even if everyone in Trinidad & Tobago buys your CD, you just about make it to platinum status. I think you got the hint that records do not sell in Trinidad & Tobago. Therefore just as in the World music industry, the majority of revenue to be gained is from live performance. During the Carnival season (industry boom), the live events where artists perform are called “fetes”. These are usually held on weekends during the “industry boom” period, but coming up to the last 2 – 3 weeks, some of them occur during the week as well. There are a select few artists that perform at these events and the result is that if you go to 3 “fetes” you would have probably seen the same performances over and over. However, alcohol is a staple at these events, so the monotony probably would not matter as I can guarantee you that you would nevertheless have the time of your life each time! The fact that only a select few artists perform at these events, stresses that the “Live” revenue from Carnival is limited to these artists. These select artists also benefit from all radio airplay and all endorsements. The best analogy I can give is that Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago is like a Major Record Label and all the artists who sing soca and calypso are artists signed to that label. The Label only focuses on a select few artists, while all the other artistes are shelved. The main difference in this scenario is that the unfortunate “shelved” artist does not receive an advance and therefore spend his own money on production, marketing and distribution, and in the end makes a loss. However, love for the music and hope to “one day make it”, inspires these artists to continue year after year. Arguably the content of most of these “shelved” artists are below standard, however it can be further argued that some of the music that the “successful artists” produce are also below standard. Producers are blamed for this “sub-standard” quality as they are accused for producing any and everything that would make them a quick dollar. There is also a competition at the end of the season called “Soca Monarch”, which is a competition for the “successful artists”, with one or two lucky “shelved artists” getting a chance to shine. This competition has been criticized on many occasions, since, some of the organizers are artist managers and artists, as well as some of the judges are not qualified (some actually have no music industry experience and are in it for the quick buck as well). The competition in the end separates and disconnects the “industry” instead of bringing it together, as there is often talk of fights and arguments backstage and sometimes even weeks after the event the animosity continues. But, hey! in the end the promoter makes his money, the managers make their money, the few successful artists make their money and the producers make their money; in the end business is business!
In the end Carnival time (or the entire Trinidad music industry) is a free-for-all. Artists and producers do not sign contracts, producers most times don’t even know they are entitled to publishing, artists don’t register copyright of songs, managers rip off artists who don’t know better, concert promoters sometimes don’t even pay artists their full amount, the competitions are full of favouritism, the quality of music goes down each year…. and…. best of all…. NOTHING CHANGES!
Welcome to the Mark Hardy Review!
Next time we discuss the Soca Mafia and the Consumer/ Pseudo Patriot!
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Welcome to the Mark Hardy Review!
Blessings!!
