Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The trio Voicemail. - Contributed

You do music ... are you joking? That's not a job ... is it?

Imagine having your profession put under the fire of close scrutiny and burnt to a crisp with scorn. The music business, to a number of persons, is looked on as a small child crying for attention who no one takes seriously. But for a large section of society music is life.

Artistes, sound systems and producers all constitute an integral part of a multimillion-dollar entertainment business. They may not work the typical 9-5, shut in an office, doing the daily 'rat race' as Bob Marley termed it, but that doesn't mean they do not do work. Music is what helped to put Jamaica on the world map since the destruction of Port Royal. However, despite the place of respect that they deserve in society, a number of entertainers complain of not being taken seriously.

A marketable profession

Matthew Gray, a member of Coppershot Disco, believes his sound system is an all-consuming, marketable profession. "Music is my life. I don't look at it as something that is purely for recreation. It's what I do all day long, it's what pays me, music is everything," Gray says. But despite putting money, effort and skill into pleasing patrons at parties on a nightly basis, he is constantly confronted with criticisms.

"It irks me when people don't respect my profession. You might not make as much money as if you were a doctor or a lawyer, but it's what you do. I have people say to me 'why don't you find a more promising job? You don't do any 'real' work. How long do you think you can do this for'?" he said.

Others are put in similar situations. Voicemail is one of the most popular groups around, but it wasn't an easy road to success. Craig from Voicemail reminisces that "whole heap of times I've gotten negative responses from people, like why don't you find a 9-5 job. That's the one I remember the most. But anytime anyone says something negative, I take it as encouragement. It motivates me."

The centre of life

Like Gray, for Craig music is the centre of life. "Music is the reason why I'm here, to make music, to be good to people and live my life. I was given the opportunity to sing. Voicemail's music touches thousands of people. Music is my reason for living," he says.

Dancehall artiste, Vegas, has been in the industry for almost a decade; his tenure being testimony to the stability and longevity of the music industry. He can testify that "Music is something I've always enjoyed doing. I used to sing from I was in school at break time and I used to draw a crowd. Music is my life; I breathe music. After nine years in the business, I think people should take me seriously. It's obviously not a one-week career."

Richard Greenis a medical doctor and a producer and, according to him, it's only the ignorant who are unaware of the effort and potential of the music industry. "I don't think anyone could say that music is not big business. It's big business which takes full-time involvement. That's why I decided to focus on medicine; I couldn't do music and medicine 'cause I would not have been able to do music the justice it needs," he states.

"Some people do say cynical things. Most people who have any knowledge of music realise it's big business. It's not a joke thing like it might have been 30 years ago. It's one of the biggest businesses in the world," he said.

It seems that only industry insiders know the true story. Gray says "Coppershot gets a lot of respect from industry people, who know where we're coming from, what we've been through. Other people wonder what you doing, why don't you go and do a regular job. Now that we've reached a certain level, people know about us, people say that's good and can understand why you do it. But then they ask how long do you think it will last.

"I get this attitude from all generations, young and old. The younger generation think you're having fun; going out to parties is cool to them on that level, but they don't see the work, talent and skill in it. The older generations don't realise the impact that music has. I don't think they look on it as something stable; it's a respected profession in other places of the world," he said.

Problem of perception

One of the problems, therefore, may be the perception that persons have about being in music. Vegas explains that "Women don't like dating musicians 'cause of the so-called musician's character. Some people respect it, while some people see it as just pretty car, pretty jewels, frivolous."

Dr. Green says "My mother, she came from a different time and didn't really like the idea of me being a producer. She thought that doctors don't do X, Y and Z, other than being a doctor. The reaction was like 'how could you be a doctor and seh you a DJ?'. But now it's changing, perspective is changing."

Green attests that most persons don't even believe he's a doctor. "Most people readily believe I'm a producer. If dem see me outside the office dem seh 'you a doctor fi true?'. We're made to believe that doctors are to act a certain way and musicians too," he said.

In some cases, the pressure to conform to the rat race comes from the home. Craig says "My mother was always wid me, my pops wasn't wid me all the way. To me, it just goes in one ear and comes out the other. But now nobody can't seh noting."

Matthew Gray relates a similar experience. "My mother asked me if I had a back-up plan. She would have preferred if I did something else," he says.

Then there are those who come from a musical background and, as such, won't mind if their children pursue the same path. Vegas says "Music is born within me. I'm from a musical background. My mother is a singer in the choir, my father sings too. If I'm not singing, I might as well be in the studio producing. I have to be in music. I have kids, I have to be there for them, so if they want to be a DJ, they will have my years of experience."

Those who are musically-inclined, in whatever way, never see themselves abandoning the business for a more respected profession. According to Craig, "I plan to keep on doing this till Jesus come. After mi start music, mi neva waan do nothing else. Mi can't leave it. There must be a reason, like mi voice gone. Do you know how powerful music is? It makes you feel sad, happy, everything."

Gray concurs that "I always see myself in music, but not necessarily as a sound. Maybe one day I'll be an entertainment lawyer or a promoter. Right now, I try to market the sound outside of Jamaica, to be an ambassador of the music. I could have done lots of other things. I have a degree in international business. I was already in music when I started my degree and it doesn't make any sense to do a job that makes like $5 million and you are not happy. Music, especially in Jamaica, is an untapped resource that has a lot of potential. If there are more resources thrown into it, it could be a lot more profitable. People now look at it as a big hustle. Our music isn't packaged properly."

Music employs a variety of people in a surprising amount of ways, whether it is performing, television or even journalism. Dr. Green says "Music, and all of the other jobs created by entertainment, is the biggest industry in Jamaica, bigger than tourism. People in music mek a lot more than other professions."

That doesn't mean money is the ultimate goal. As with all jobs, it is best to do it if you love it. "Music is like all the same disciplines, same hard work, just different areas. If you going into the business for money first then you're gonna miss," Green said.

Name changed upon request.