Fostering and protecting creativity for 21 years

ON THIS special occasion of the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publisher’s (JACAP) 21st anniversary celebration, it is with great pleasure that I invite you, our esteemed members and users, and the public at large to celebrate with us under the theme ‘JACAP – Progressive Pioneers – 21 Years and Counting’. With this theme, we celebrate JACAP as being a pioneer. We are progressive, and we are passionate about what we do – the ‘3 Ps’, as some might call it. We take this time to note our achievements, as well as recognising how far we have come as a collective management organisation representing the primary creators of music, namely the authors, composers, and publishers of a song, without whom there would be no music industry.

We started with a few, but how we have grown, boasting upwards of 3,876 members to date. We have progressed not only in numbers but also in talent and creativity as our members’ works are known and played not only at home but worldwide. Through reciprocal agreements, we also enable the use of the worldwide repertoire in Jamaica that gives legitimacy to our compliant licensees. We started in 1998 with 25 licensees, but with passion and perseverance, we can now state that we have a 70 per cent market penetration ratio – now that’s progress – and we aim to continue being the passionate, progressive pioneers to all our stakeholders for many years to come. I wish to salute the founding members, without whom JACAP would not have been a reality – Gussie Clarke, Steve Golding, Desi Young, the Hon Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Lloyd Stanbury, Carl Ayton, the late Tony Laing and myself – who selflessly, in 1998, gave of their time and effort and some of who continue to contribute to the growth of JACAP as board directors.

It is important that I thank those who have contributed to our 21 years of success, most notably:

• The board of directors – without your guidance, decision-making on policies, and setting of world-class standards for the organisation, it would not have been possible to have all these successes throughout these years. The future is bright with such a world-class board.

• The staff, both past and present – thank you for your commitment to providing the firstclass service JACAP is known for. We are proud of your hard work and unconditional dedication and congratulate you for being part of the journey. With your continued high standard of work, success will always be achieved.

• The valued members of JACAP – thank you for believing in your national collective society to protect your creative rights, ensuring increased economic benefits and an optimum return on your works.

• Our affiliates – thank you for entrusting us with your members’ repertoire and its administration in Jamaica.

• The music users, our valued licensees – without you, this journey would not have been so epic. We are hopeful that you will continue to do right by music creators by acquiring the requisite licences and permits to use music legally.

• The legislators – we are thankful for the legislations crafted for the protection of our members’ intellectual property, and for you recognising the importance of our organisation to the development of the creative industries.

As JACAP continues its epic journey, our passion for copyright and protecting the interests of our members has no boundaries. Our commitment to innovation is timeless, and as our journey of corporate success continues in the coming years, we look forward to serving you, Jamaica.

LYDIA ROSE General Manager JACAP