Music producers voice off on Broadcasting Commission ban Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

Local music producers are not expecting much if any, financial fallout for the industry from the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica’s (BCJ) ban on radio broadcasts of songs that promote or glorify illegal activity.

In fact, they are suggesting radio stations will feel the financial pinch when they are unable to play songs that are burning up streaming platforms and are making waves “in the streets.”

The BCJ has issued a directive requiring broadcasters to prevent the transmission of any recorded material that promotes or glorifies illegal activity, with immediate effect.

But Billboard charting dancehall producer NotNice, born Ainsley Morris, reckons that the radio stations themselves may end up losing out financially.

“Most artistes’ income comes from stage shows and dubplates so it will affect the radio stations and maybe sponsors,” he told Loop News.

For example, “If you are going to run some ads on the radio for an event and you see that the demographic that you trying to reach [is] not listening to the radio anymore, you will be wasting money to advertise.”

“Most of the songs they ban, actually get their break outside of radio. Radio stations try to catch up so they go and get the songs to play,” he said of the dynamics of the industry.

“It will more affect them and their listenership,” the producer said.

Dancehall artistes also do not make much in royalties from having their music played on radio, he said.

“Most new artistes not even sign up with collection agent to get royalties from radio, so they not going to lose out,” he reasoned.

For music producer Jahsnowcone, whose given name is Rohan Fuller, while the ban may “hurt those youths who sing those songs,” it will not bring any financial loss to the industry.

“Not everybody sings those kinds of songs. The majority not singing songs like that,” he reasoned.

He expressed similar sentiments as Notnice that since radio is no longer the ‘go-to’ for consuming musical content anymore, artistes still have the option of cashing in on other platforms.

Jahsnowcone suggested, however, that the ban may inspire creativity among proponents of the dancehall industry.

“A man nah go just sit down a say, “I’m not going to make any money,” so he’s going to try something else,” he said.

The BCJ has prohibited the broadcasting of “any audio or video recording, live song, or speech which promotes and/or glorifies scamming, illegal use or abuse of drugs, (e.g. ‘Molly’), illegal or harmful use of guns or other offensive weapons, “jungle justice” or any other form of illegal or criminal activity,” among other things.

By Tameka Gordon

NewsAmericasNow.com