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Topic: POSSIBLE NEW MARKETS FOR REGGAE/DANCEHALL ARTISTS

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POSSIBLE NEW MARKETS FOR REGGAE/DANCEHALL ARTISTS

The recent US visa revocations by the United States government are the reasons that pushed me to revisit the idea I will be presenting. Visas of Aidonia, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado and Ricky Trooper were suspended by the USA government, no specific reasons were given for these actions, which leaves Jamaicans thinking, it is partially an act of economic sanctions due to disagreements between the Jamaica and U.S governments. This article is not about politics it is about economics. The main questions are why do Jamaicans have to depend almost completely on the U.S market for survival, does reggae only get play in North America? Why not try to expand into other markets in the East?

Reggae/Dancheall Market:

As a hardcore reggae fan I have noticed that Jamaican artist seem to be limited in there geographical boundaries. Some artist have blamed their stagnant careers on the lack of a United States visa, or inability to travel to Europe, it would seem the world of reggae and dancehall ends in the heart lands of our oppressors. How important is the North American market to reggae and dancehall? Why is it that Africa is not a target destination for reggae/dancehall artist?

Nearly a half a century into reggae there have been three major North American success stories in Reggae Bob Marley, Shaggy and Sean Paul who have made it to definite stardom in North America. A Champion Lover (Shabba Ranks), Maxine(Chaka Demus and Pliers) here and a Flex(Mad Cobra) there to save face for hardcore dancehall, but in relation to the amount of reggae/dancehall artist and songs release, a hit reggae/dancehall song in North America is like a black pepper seed lost in a sea of salt. Not to mention for each blue moon hit there are twenty reggae/dancehall songs of the same quality and caliber, but these are not well received by the U.S market.

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Reliance on Stage Show Money:

More reggae/dancehall artist rely on stage show bookings as their main source of income. These shows generally take place in areas along the east coast of the United States with heavy populations of Caribbean people. 15- 30 grand a show for certain artist can easily transform them from rags to riches.

If stage show money is the main source of income for the artist, then demographics of fans have to be taken into account. The Black population in the USA is about 40 million; only a minority of this figure are reggae fans. From my observation European Americans like African Americans are limited in their intake of reggae and most are lost to dancehall. But since we are not using empirical data, let us assume that there are 40 million reggae/dancehall fans in North America. What if there was a place in the world with a population triple the size of that 40 million and where reggae/dancehall is loved. Shouldnt the Jamaican music industry stop lamenting on access to the U.S market and try to market reggae/dancehall elsewhere Africa to be specific.

The Africa continent has 21 English speaking countries. In many of these nations Reggae/Ragga/Dancehall is not an outsiders music, they have accepted reggae as part of their culture and since Reggae is a creation of Afro-Jamaicans, Africas acceptance of the expression should be no puzzle to us. Carving out a market for Jamaican artist would be the task, because the vibrations of reggae and dancehall have already found a home in Africa.

Demographics:

Let us begin with Nigeria; the nation has a population of about 150 million people. Reggae has become a part of Nigerian national music, not an outsiders music still trying to cross over praying for a one hit like reggae in the United States.

Other target markets can be, Kenya 39 million, Ghana 24 million, Cameroon 18 million, South Africa 49 Million, Zimbabwe 13 million, Zambia 13 million, Uganda 30, Million, Tanzania 40, Million this list goes on.

The possible result:

A report done by CNN in Nigeria stated the top rap artists receive up to $100,000 per show. If pulling in suck high figures is a possibility for the Jamaican music industry, dancehallreport.com believes that the business men of dancehall; the managers, the booking agents and record companies should seek out Africa as a market for earning. This would diversify their markets and provide a viable alternative to the fragile North American market and would not leave artist to be almost totally dependent on U.S shows to see returns from their musical careers. Other economic and cultural relationships can also arise if this musical repatriation takes place, but that is another story. Take few minutes to watch the CNN clip:




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lova wha this writer a deal wid, the whole entertainment industry in Jamaican need fi read this

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MZ Guru
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THATS WHADDUH ... DANCEHALL FOREVA ... AMEN !!!

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zimbabwe??? a mussi mugabe alone ago pay fi dat de concert like wa him did do fi mek sizzla perform at im birthday party...anyway its a good idea it could be explored further but wait de u no affi go america fi ketch a plane to dem country de??? rahtid anyway unu tun makka juck unu ra$$!

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hmm good

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