Jamaican reggae artistes overpriced

THE EDITOR, Sir: AS A booking agent, I have been noticing a trend that I think needs to be addressed. A lot of, if not all, Jamaican reggae and dancehall artistes seem to be pricing themselves out of the market.

I do bookings for a few events in Europe. Because I know that most reggae/dancehall acts look to that region for work, I always try to seek out Jamaican talent (both established and emerging) to try to get them on my shows. Sadly, their requirements have got so out of hand that I find myself hiring mostly UK and African entertainers.

Reggae and dancehall music is now being produced all over the world. Therefore, the industry is more competitive. Investors and promoters are no longer just looking to Jamaica for these genres. Granted, Jamaica is still considered the home/leader in the reggae/dancehall field, but artistes must realise that if their fees and entourage are too burdensome, promoters will look elsewhere.

Expecting a promoter to hire and pay you €2,000 and up, plus fly you, your manager and someone else, when you have no hit and, therefore, cannot bring out the crowd, is ridiculous.

I hope I have not offended anyone with this article, but I am currently in the process of booking for two upcoming events in that territory, and the requests I am getting are so far gone that I had to write this. MARIA JACKSON mariajackson27@yahoo.ca