Entertainment Industry Urges Stakeholders to Level Up during COVID-19 Downtime

Entertainment Industry Urges Stakeholders to Level Up during COVID-19 Downtime

April 4, 2020

Television Jamaica aired a special programme on April 3 called “COVID and Entertainment the Beat Goes On” where Silver Cat opened with his Corona single and upcoming performer D’Yani closed the show, performing live on recorded tracks in an attractively lit studio.

Host Talia Soares with co-host Craigy T, engaged medical doctor and performance poet Michael Abrahams; journalist Dennis Brooks; international reggae artiste, Tarrus Riley; Chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Council of the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sport, Howard McIntosh; and producer, artiste manager and promoter, Skatta Burrell.

As expected, the programme highlighted the impact across the sector, and considered actions that and opportunities that are presenting themselves for industry leaders and workers.

When asked if it was reasonable for artistes to be creating music related to the pandemic. Abrahams said that we are all living through this and it was ok to hear different perspectives, many humorous, as it will help people who are going through anxiety and depression to get through this uncertain time. Mr Vegas, Silver Cat, and Chris Martin have released music related to the COVID-19 virus.

Brooks highlighted the importance of social media in staying connected and that it was in fact displaying how some events are resilient to this and is transforming business interactions.

Silver Cat said that now he can mix a song to a digital platform and he can reach a producer without having to wait on being attended to by a producer.

Tarrus Riley said that separation is making people realise how much they appreciate each other. Experiencing an event can never be fully replicated over a digital device, he said, and urged artistes and athletes to stay clean and be ready to pick up when the pandemic is over. Tarrus Riley regretted that Bob Andy was not going to receive an official funeral as he had given so much through his writing and performance to the development of reggae music. Survival depends on each other, he stressed.

McIntosh said that the ministry is reaching out to stakeholders to find ways to support each other. He noted that employment in the tourism and events industry needed help and that the ministry was looking at ways to help these workers. He said that they were urging all, at every level, to use the time to get certified through online platforms as this is the way that the world was going.

There will be a new world order, said McIntosh, noting the importance of networking and joining industry associations and enhancing careers through certification as the importance of certification is going to grow. He explained that these new skills will help to maximise the opportunities on the digital platforms. He also said that processes will become more standardized and learn towards efficiency such as holding meetings on digital platforms rather than travelling to attend meetings.

Skatta Burrell also urged young artistes to use the time to grow. He advised that they should listen to more music and different kinds of music, broaden horizons, arm themselves with information and reduce general ignorance of how societies outside of their experience operate. He said that they should educate and lift themselves to another level as this will save their careers in the long run.

Going forward, McIntosh said that international recording reggae artiste Chris Martin was planning a telethon for Easter Sunday specifically to help industry workers who cannot earn if events are not held.

Skatta Burrell explained that social media was an important way to for artistes to promote material on streaming platforms, and that he had been informed that these platforms had been growing. He highlighted that selector Tony Matterhorn had been hosting an online dance where patrons pay small funds to keep the music going. The programme ended with optimism that the industry would rebound.

Theatre practitioners were not on the panel, but the 2018 Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica has the clearest representation of the scope of activity over other kinds of entertainment productions. It comprehensively says that 15 plays opened in 2017 and 17 plays opened in 2018, reliable data on their activities.

Stage shows, street parades and dance party type events do not find their way into this official report, and the suggestion for members of the panel like McIntosh and Skatta Burrell for levelling-up may apply as it is published figures that support transparency and veracity.

Even as the country is focused on handling the immediate health emergency, it is useful to note that there are 113 persons assigned to central and local government agencies trained in post disaster needs assessment for the cultural industries.

This is noted in the 2018 Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica. This corps of persons can assist to assess the impact of a disaster and define a strategy for recovery. It pulls together information on economic damages and losses, as well as highlights priorities from a human development perspective.

Another area that the industry could be examining is the access that its players will have to financial assistance from commercial entities. The ESSJ notes that loans to the industry had been in decline and at the end of December 2018, the outstanding stock of loans and advances to the Entertainment industry at Commercial Banks is 0.3 per cent of the total stock; in 2017 it was 0.7 per cent of the total stock.

Jamaica has highlighted the cultural industries as an area for growth but expansion of the loan base in 2018 occurred for the industries Transport, Storage & Communication 38.9 per cent; Electricity, Gas & Water, 13.3 per cent; and Distribution, 8.6 per cent. Entertainment went down down 44.5 per cent, Professional & Other Services down 18.2 per cent and a continued reduction in the crowding out effect of Government borrowing, down 16.9 per cent. Consumer Loans increased by 3.5% and accounted for 55.5 per cent of the total stock of loans & advances.

The 2018/2019 budget for art and culture was J$1.7 billion, included in this would be investments by JAMPRO of $408 million. The promotion of the industry will need increased support after the pandemic has passed.

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