Beenie Man (left) and Bounty Killer.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

While some artistes have not readily accepted the helping hand of corporate sponsors, others like Bounty Killer and Beenie Man know their importance, but say more could still be done to help reggae/dancehall music.

When The Sunday Gleaner spoke with Beenie Man recently at the launch of Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, he had his usual high expectations for the event, but said a lot more could be done generally by corporate sponsors.

"Yuh si Sumfest is a different show. Wi expec di best an wi jus want everybody fi turn out an be at their best and the fans fi be there an be at their best to. Is one a di biggest festivals in the country," Beenie Man said.

But when questioned about the role of corporate sponsors, he said "Corporate sponsors could do more fi di music in every way, 'cause if is a Beenie did a keep Sumfest, yuh wouldn't have suh much sponsors."

However, Maxine Whittingham, head of corporate relations at Red Stripe, said "Red Stripe has been one of the most consistent sponsors in the Jamaican landscape. One can always say that more could be done, but we have done quite a lot and have used the Jamaican talent and music to promote our brand."

She added "we are so intertwined in the music, so I don't see why one would say that. We have always been very supportive of the music industry."

Bounty Killer also felt that corporate sponsors should increase the variety of events they support and not just concentrate on the major ones.

"Di financial aspect, definitely di private sector did haffi come in, but I wish they did it for more events on the magnitude like Sting," Bounty Killer said. He also added that some corporate sponsors were "foreign minded", as they were attracted "only when there were foreign acts. But they need to start in Jamaica".

We try

Wayne Lawrence, marketing manager at Red Stripe, said "from a Red Stripe perspective we try and get involved with reggae and dancehall events that we believe are appropriate for the particular brand, meaning the image of the event and their target audience."

As it relates to supporting only major events, Lawrence said "we have been involved at all levels. For example, we did Assassin's Infiltration album launch, 'Summer Sizzle' and 'It's Tha Party'. So we always get involved once we see the benefit for our brand and consumers. Large or small we will continue to be involved, but in the final analysis it still boils down to limited resources, so we still have to make a choice."

From a broader corporate standpoint, Lawrence said "we (Red Stripe) may have an advantage because we have been involved consistently, so we have an idea of which promoters to expect from. However, others (corporate sponsors) might be at a disadvantage because they might be unsure as to which promoters can deliver and so they stick to the major events that they are accustomed to."