I've been reading some material examining dancehall production in Kingston, with the goal of providing some insight into the post-P2P, digital music industry - that is, examining a system built up around riddims, the blending and creative appropriation of others' music, rather than the Western-pop domination 'cult of personality', valorization of the romantic artist and so on.
Evidently, much of this sort of cut'n'mix culture is given space by the lax attitude to musical ownership and property rights in Jamaica, apparently tied in significant ways to Rastafarian belief structures and their embedded legacy within the musical tradition from roots through to dancehall. However, according to one article I've found, this original open structure is now in the process of being regulated to a much greater extent. Moving toward a more proprietary driven model, in particular;
"Recent generations of industry actors, often heavily influenced by US rap and hip-hop culture and role models, are most often highly motivated by the lure of financial rewards and are overwhelmingly in favour of the international model of musical production and copyright as it tends to secure much higher rewards for them."
Organizations such as the Jamaican Federation of Musicians and Affliated Artistes and the Jamaican Associations of Composers, Authors and Publishers are, apparently, working to 'improve' matters.
Some questions then - maybe Stelfox might be able to answer or point in the direction of some resources -
what specific aspects of Rastafarianism work against IP? To what extent do Rasta beliefs still play a role in contemporary Dancehall? What's the basic picture on producers being able to retain and secure sales or royalties?
Or, you know, just add general comments...
Evidently, much of this sort of cut'n'mix culture is given space by the lax attitude to musical ownership and property rights in Jamaica, apparently tied in significant ways to Rastafarian belief structures and their embedded legacy within the musical tradition from roots through to dancehall. However, according to one article I've found, this original open structure is now in the process of being regulated to a much greater extent. Moving toward a more proprietary driven model, in particular;
"Recent generations of industry actors, often heavily influenced by US rap and hip-hop culture and role models, are most often highly motivated by the lure of financial rewards and are overwhelmingly in favour of the international model of musical production and copyright as it tends to secure much higher rewards for them."
Organizations such as the Jamaican Federation of Musicians and Affliated Artistes and the Jamaican Associations of Composers, Authors and Publishers are, apparently, working to 'improve' matters.
Some questions then - maybe Stelfox might be able to answer or point in the direction of some resources -
what specific aspects of Rastafarianism work against IP? To what extent do Rasta beliefs still play a role in contemporary Dancehall? What's the basic picture on producers being able to retain and secure sales or royalties?
Or, you know, just add general comments...