Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Vybz Kartel on stage at Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall Finals, held at Weekenz, Constant Spring Road, on Saturday, May 2. Insiders in the entertainment industry are calling on sponsors to set stricter guidelines for the artistes with whom they do business.
Roxroy McLean, Gleaner Writer
Veteran music personalities Michael Barnett and Clyde McKenzie have accused corporate Jamaica and the media of aiding and abetting the decline in the quality of Jamaica's music.
The two argue that members of the media and some companies are giving up their social and economic integrity as they bow to persons in the entertainment industry.
Addressing a Gleaner Editors' Forum, Barnett and McKenzie agreed that many corporate entities were using the entertainment industry to sell their products, with no concern for the quality of the output, and no plan to assist young talent.
Despite programmes, such as 'Digicel Rising Stars', 'Tastee Talent Contest' and 'Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall', which promote new talent, the two believe corporate Jamaica is not doing enough to uphold standards.
Morality for capitalism
According to Barnett, too many companies exposed to the present economic challenges have surrendered morality for capitalism.
"The bottom line is economics," Barnett said, as he remarked that some companies drift from supporting high-quality productions to events which catered to a mass audience, with no questions asked about the production values.
That, he said, could be linked to the ages and knowledge of the persons now employed as brand managers.
McKenzie pointed out that many 25- and 30-year-olds were now serving as brand managers of major companies.
He said while this was an encouraging sign, it could be detrimental to the music industry.
"Most of them don't know the history, so you find that they are not aware of where the music is coming from," McKenzie said.
It was a similar complaint against the media, which Bennett argued, was allowing its standards to slide.
According to Barnett, had it not been for the media, the 'Gully-Gaza' conflict, involving supporters of dancehall stars Adijah 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer and David 'Mavado' Brooks, would have died its natural death long ago.
"At what point have we decided that these people are so important to us that everything they do is to be on the front pages of the paper? I think that the media need to sit down and decide what is priority," Barnett said.