Declining sales, Internet use do not negate the need for big backers

By Sadeke Brooks—-

Contrary to reports of poor sales, record labels and distributors are of the belief that the business of selling dancehall and reggae albums and songs is still viable.

While the sale of reggae and dancehall has been declining over the years, Neil ‘Diamond’ Edwards, A&R for the New York-based VPRecords, says the genres are still selling. Vinyls, he said, are novelty items usually bought by ‘traditionalists’, especially in places like Japan and Europe.

“It is not as huge as it was before because people can just download music to their phones,” he said.

He noted that the sale of CDs has also decreased. However, he said, CDs are still bought by the younger demographic, who don’t have credit cards, and older persons, who have little or no knowledge of how to buymusic online.

“Reggae will never stop selling. You have a lot of groups in California who are doing traditional reggae and they are touring and selling CDs and merchandise at their concerts. Those bands are up here and they are touring. They are doing what rock groups used to do,” Edwards toldThe Sunday Gleaner.

He said they start out performing to small audiences and grow gradually to thousands of patrons. He also blamed the poor sales on the inability of many Jamaican artists to tour some countries with large markets.

THE VISA SITUATION

“What is hurting sales, too, is the visa situation. Some of the ones who can sell out venues don’t have visas. To crossover into the market, you have to be in their faces. You have to be at the venue and do the radio interviews,” he said.

Admitting that music does not sell as much as it used to, Edwards also blamed the economic downturns for some of the shortfall.

But with this new digital age, he said record companies have to adjust to what is going on. As a result, he says labels are now very active on social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Despite the sometimes poor sales and the economic downturn, Edwards says there is definitely a need for labels.

“There is so much music out there. I think you need a record label to organise and take it from one part of the world to the next. We do need it. For instance, if you are not a big R&B fan, how are you going to know who is coming out with an album or a single?” he questioned.

Although VP Records also sells albums online, executive vice-president for 21st/Hapilos International Digital Distribution, Johnny Wonder, explained that more artists are turning to him for the distribution of their songs and albums.

“We take everything, we don’t pick and choose. It all starts through us. We get the momentum going. A lot of stuff work and they get big and viral,” Wonder told The Sunday Gleaner.

“We give people a chance, we give them a company. If they voice their brother we put it out for them. We don’t discriminate, we give them the opportunity.”

With the digital distribution taking over in recent times, Wonder said it became pointless for him to make the physical CDs.

“I’ve tried to put out CDs and I couldn’t even get no orders even with the hottest stuff. People go online and buy music, nobody goes to the stores. They are so conditioned to download. Nobody will go in line and buy records on a Saturday. It is 2013. We don’t do physical CDs, it’s very costly and you don’t make any money. In New York, there used to be hundreds of record shops and there are three left,” he said.

STILL DOING WELL

Although there have been complaints of poor sales for reggae and dancehall, Wonder is adamant that these genres are still doing well.

“I know it is selling. I sit here and watch it everyday,” he said, laughing.

“Like anything, it has to be good to sell. Every month people get money (from his distribution company). It is selling and it is selling very well, it’s just that the industry is not controlled. Dancehall is doing all right, I wouldn’t say it is doing great.”

However, Wonder is peeved by the many Jamaican artists who, he says, give away their music for free and then refer to it as ‘promotion’.

“I think it needs some exclusivity. Stop making every Tom, Dick and Harry have access to the music for free and maybe it will sell more. We have to stop giving stuff away,” he lamented.

Producers also feel the pinch, according to Germaine Clarke, owner of the record label Blaqk Sheep Music. He says albums are still relevant but the producers don’t always benefit.

“Albums are relevant. You will have artists doing songs, but you would really like to hear an entire compilation. Some artists only tour when dem have album. It necessary fi have it, but is just the way we as musicians, producers and artists deal with it. We just need to be more professional,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

NO PAY FOR PRODUCERS

He explained that artistes will get money from the labels they are signed to, but refuse to pay producers. And based on the informal nature of the industry, he said contracts are not always signed.

“Sometimes you just get up and hear seh a man have an album, and yuh hear seh yuh song deh pon it,” he said.

“Producers nah benefit one dollar unless the person weh you a do the album for is signed to a major label. Nutt’n nuh wrong with doing albums, is just the right way of getting it done. You need to negotiate how the splits going to go and do the paperwork.”

Clarke says money from royalties and publishing are usually seen in the long term. However, in the short term, he says money is not received unless the artiste pays money upfront for the production or the producer works as ‘musician for hire’.