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Introduction- Report on Barbados’ Music Industry
(Pictured above) Platinum recording star Rihanna took Entertainer Of The Year at the 2006 event. Barbados’ music industry has undergone a quiet, stealth-like revolution within the past decade, which, although it occurred relatively unnoticed at home, has sent shockwaves through the World’s entertainment industry. At present, according to recent studies, the Cultural Industries in Barbados accounts for $89 million of Barbados’ $5 billion GDP, with music accounting for the largest portion of that total. In 2006 the Barbados Music Awards added to that forward movement, and in 2007 the newest and arguably most attractive jewel in Barbados’ musical crown will further contribute to that ascension. Barbados’ music industry can now be measured in millions of albums sold, a great feat for a nation of only 280,000! We have seen the cultural impact small nations such as Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Ireland have had on the world, and now it is Barbados’ turn. International stars such as Spice, Charles D. Lewis, Krosfyah, Square One and Red Plastic Bag have together sold millions of albums since the early 90s to pave the way, and in the years 2004-2006 alone, based on research, Barbadian recording artists sold in excess of 3 million records worldwide, significantly raising Barbados’ rank in the international music industry. Edwin (VP Records), Rupee (Atlantic Records), Rihanna (SRP / Def Jam) and now Shontelle (SRP), all major-label recording artistes, have proven that Barbados has what it takes to be a major pool from which international-standard talent can be sourced, and there are dozens of gifted performers who, if given the opportunity to showcase their ability to major record label executives and foreign media at a well-produced event, can also attract the attention of major labels, distribution companies, music industry executives, and the international media. The Barbados Music Awards puts into perspective this islands’ music industry, and its performance within a twelve month time frame. The awarding of the Lifetime Achievement, Living Legend and Cornerstone awards also gives viewers young, old and foreign, a look into the history of the local music industry.
available for sale and airplay in Barbados, whether local or foreign, to give a true reflection of the dynamics of the local music industry, which involves retail and radio as major components. Timeless will also introduce the Gold and Platinum sales awards programme, and this will be put in place in 2006, with research currently being carried out on this as well. These accreditations will add transparency to the industry, and while rewarding the artists for their achievements, it also assists in the archiving of record sales by Barbadian acts. The success of this event and its associated projects will spill over into Barbados’ other music-related festivals which feature local artists, as the artistes will seek to record higher-quality music, package their material in a more professional manner, and promote themselves through music videos, which will add to the pulling power of events such as the Barbados Jazz Festival, Gospel Fest, the Hip-Hop Festival and Crop Over, all major foreign exchange earners for this country, and major features in its overall tourism product. With the construction of the new Kensington Oval, a 30,000 venue will now be available for use in Barbados. This massive expense to this island can generate tremendous money for this country as a mecca not only for the rare international cricket matches, but for massive entertainment events which can occur monthly. Iconic acts including Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Elton John, among others, can be invited to perform in the beautiful venue, which would create yet another drawing card for the tourism industry, as these acts are magnets for thousands who fly across the globe to witness their performances. Prior to Kensington’s construction events such as these would not have been feasible, but 30,000 tickets available for sale would attract any world-class star to this country.
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A Look Back Government Response “Simply World Class! It was worth the effort. I am glad my office was associated with it and we will continue to support it.”- Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur- Prime Minister of Barbados as quoted in Nation Newspaper.
A capacity audience of over 1,000 patrons was on hand to witness the historic event, joined by the dapperly dressed Prime Minster of Barbados, the Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur (the event’s patron), Minister of Commerce Sen. The Hon. Lynette Eastmond, then Minister of State Sen. The Hon. John Williams and acting Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Tony Layne. Following the event, a glowing review from the lips of the Prime Minister himself was released in the press, speaking of how pleased he was at the event’s professionalism and magnitude, and the positive impact it will have on the development of Barbados’ cultural industries. Tourist Attraction
Representatives of U.S. mega-label Def Jam were so supportive of the event, that their delegation alone occupied six rooms at South Beach Resort and four rooms at the Barbados Hilton, and their team of twelve included that label’s senior Vice President. U.S. multi-platinum recording star and actor in the hit series of Madea stage plays “Little G”, along with Charles Loos of Belgium, and regional C.E.O. of Digicel Caribbean Kevin White were among special presenters at the event. Creating Opportunities The Barbados Music Awards, a massive undertaking geared at bringing to the forefront the public’s awareness the quality of Barbados’ musical output, the need to support local artistes through the purchase of authentic records, and the need for radio to embrace and promote the music of our own as apposed to filling their play-lists with the music of foreign acts, has taken its place as one of the key components for Barbados’ continued cultural development. The event achieved all of its objectives, as in addition, one of its featured performers, Dwayne Husbands, who was showcased that night, benefited from the exposure he received to record a duet with Rihanna on her multi-million-selling sophomore album A Girl Like Me. Other performers saw an increase in their international profile, and the award-winners were hailed by major media houses such as the Miami Herald, BBC Radio, Jamaica Gleaner, Trinidad Guardian, Express and MTV Tempo among many others. In the weeks leading up to the event, local radio and television were dominated with interviews and the music of nominees and awardees alike. This abundance of local music on local radio in this non-Crop Over period should reflect well on the royalty payments made to all involved in the future. The event also created opportunities for local fashion designers, who not only got the chance to make money, but also to show Barbados and the rest of the world what they could do, and by all reports their designs were world-class!
Corporate Barbados’ Response Numerous major private sector companies joined the Government of Barbados and the Timeless Barbados Entertainment Agency in promoting and financing the Barbados Music Awards. An event of this magnitude, with a tremendous budget, needs all of the financial support it can muster. We must give thanks to the private sector, which responded to our call and really supported the event. The 2007 edition will carry a budget of over a half of a million dollars, and will be a production which could be admired by anyone from anywhere in any corner of the earth, based on current plans. There can be no question of the benefits sponsors received from being associated with the event, as based on the cost of advertising fully sponsored by Barbados’ very supportive media alone, sponsors received $25,000 in television and radio ads and $100,000 in print media advertising. This plus the added exposure created by the event’s three-hour telecast, which featured the sponsors mentioned on three separate occasions as a group, added to the sponsors who made presentations live on stage at the event brings the estimated value of being associated with the Barbados Music Awards as a sponsor clearly in excess of $ 250,000 in hard, cold advertising dollars. We, the directors of the Barbados Music Awards, need corporate Barbados to join hand in hand with us, as we reward our own, and increase Barbados’ profile as a nation of excellence.
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PROFILE OF A WORLD-CLASS DIVA Rihanna- 2006 Entertainer Of The Year
Worldwide Album Sales- 5 million (estimated) US Album Sales- 1.5 million. US Singles Sales- 3.5 million. Billboard Hot 100 (Singles) Peaks- S.O.S. #1, Pon De Replay #2, Unfaithful #6, If It's Lovin' That You Want #17. Billboard Hot 200 (Album) Peaks- Music Of The Sun #9, A Girl Like Me #4. Awards-Nominated for 2 MTV Awards (USA), Best New Artist (MTV Europe), Best New Artist (BET Awards) and won the MTV Award-Japan for Best New Artist. Winner of eight Barbados Music Awards. |
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New key
elements which will be brought into play in 2006 include the Barbados National
Album Sales Chart, and the Barbados Top 20 Airplay Chart. These charts will be
open to all music 
The
2006 BMAs proved to be a pull factor for visitors to the island, as
approximately 140 foreign visitors flew into Barbados especially for the event,
based on correspondence received before and after the show. This was an
eye-opening occurance, as the event was not marketed to international media in
2006, yet, through their information sources on the internet, they came from all
over the World to cover the debut of the BMAs. Foreign media and
industry-related companies present included MTV Tempo, the BBC, VP Records,
Universal Records and key media houses from Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia, New
York, Miami, London, Germany and South Africa. .jpg)
Among
others who received the opportunity to generate marketing and employment
opportunities as a result of the event were stage, lighting and stage management
company DB Productions, which did an amazing job, Merville Lynch Productions
which added that technical edge to the event with its massive projection screens
and eye-catching graphics, various limousine companies, Hanschell Inniss which
supplied the beverages for the V.I.P. lounge and many others. 