Wayne Wonder, Bugle and Suku Ward 21 Talk Copyright Protection in Dancehall
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Dancehall music wasn’t being played as much before worldwide, as it is being played now, it is now playing on the international scene more than before however mostly songs from the 90s.
International artistes are taking parts of the 90’s dancehall music and they are mixing it with their music to make hits and they are putting it out again in new ways and as different genres.
This has been something they were doing a long time before, but it is happening more now. Rihanna and the big artistes have been borrowing from Jamaican music and the Jamaican producers are now profiting from the music they had produced long ago, when their publishing is set up in the right way.
Bugle believes the 90’s dancehall cannot be surpassed, and that is where the popular artistes are going to find music to sample in order to produce hits.
The Jamaica producers who have copyright registered after they did the music in the 90’s, are profiting a lot now from this new trend. Whenever artistes and producers work for hire and they only get the first pay and don’t sign proper contracts, they have nothing else to earn from in the future because they have nothing in writing.
It was revealed that Intellectual property belongs to artistes until they turn it over to someone else.
Many artistes can get conned in the music business and the rights to their lyrics can be taken away and there is no way to fix it.
Artistes need to get professionals to look at their contracts before they sign away their rights. They were also being encouraged to post things back to themselves, or email their lyrics back to themselves as well, as there are some ways to secure copyright.
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Artistes need to be educated about copyright issues because the producers can cheat them out of their future rights and Royalty.
Wayne Wonder did covers of popular songs at the beginning of his career and then he realized that he couldn’t take what was done abroad back to the audience there. He had to start producing original music in order to earn more from the business.
He is now showing appreciation to Shaggy because he earned a lot when he collaborated with him when the song “Boombastic” was being done.
Bugle says, “it is easy to set up your copyright protection on the internet”. He encourages young artistes to learn more about copyright.
Now that there is an explosion of sampling going on in the Reggae Dancehall catalogue, it would be good if the Government would do more for the music business and boost its ability to help more Jamaicans to earn in a better way.
A whole genre of music such as Reggaeton was created from Jamaican music and it could be said Afro Beats and Hip Hop were inspired by Sly and Robbie’s work and Reggae music.
Suku said the producers who have their publishing set up in the right way can earn in the right way now. Those people who are not interested in doing things in the right way are not working with him.
Some artistes can be eager to become famous and they don’t pay enough attention to the details of contracts and producers can cheat them out of their future earnings. Jamaicans are being encouraged to learn all they can so the can set up copyright in the way that will help them to benefit from their music when it is used in games, movies and sampling.
Producers from the 90’s era are re-emerging as their rhythms are being used.
Artistes can die and leave their copyright money behind and their children can’t get it and that should not be happening.
