Howard Campbell, Senior Gleaner Writer
SINCE THE early 1990s when dancehall music took off in the United States, the local music scene has been transformed from a hand-to-mouth hustle to a multi-million dollar business that employs hundreds of persons.
Bob Marley's rise on the world stage during the 1970s enabled him to expand his Tuff Gong company to meet international standards, but it was not until 10 years after his death that the Jamaican beat found new heroes who have helped make entertainment arguably one of the most vibrant enterprises in this country.
Deejay Shabba Ranks' Grammy Awards triumphs with the major label Epic Records in the early 1990s was a turning point. With his albums selling gold (500,000 copies), he was able to employ a professional organisation that included a full-time manager, a publicist and his own designer.
Some of the artistes who followed in Ranks' footsteps, like Shaggy, Beenie Man and Buju Banton, have gone a step further. Their respective production companies, Big Yard, Shocking Vibes and Gargamel, employ staff that includes everyone from office managers to studio engineers and bearers.
In addition, constant overseas tours by these performers keep musicians, publicists and road managers on the payroll.
Jerome Hamilton, an entertainment consultant who has been involved in the music business for 14 years, credits the current boom to aggressive entrepreneurship.
VIBRANT INDUSTRIES
"It's one of the most vibrant industries in Jamaica today. It doesn't depend on Government or subsidies to sustain itself and is seen worldwide as a worldwide force," said Mr. Hamilton. "Presently there is a lot of encouragement to get in the business with the current overseas' interest in dancehall."
Evidence of these flourishing times can be seen throughout Jamaica, particularly in Kingston where there are many recording studios and production companies. Also, many Jamaicans still earn their keep from live shows and dances a source of income from as far back as the late 1940s either from spinning records for a sound system, stacking speaker boxes or pasting up flyers to promote an upcoming dance.
While not as lucrative, theatre is holding its own with several players reaping the rewards of their labour. Among them is Jambiz International Limited, the only company in Jamaica that promotes plays on a full-time basis.
Jambiz was launched in 1997 by Lenny Salmon, Patrick Brown and Trevor Nairne, who remain its principals. Thanks to a string of successful plays including Oliver and Pinnochio and Christopher Cum Buck Us, the company presently employs eight persons including an administrative assistant and a production assistant.
According to Mr. Salmon, presenting productions that are consistent crowd-pullers is vital to Jambiz' existence. "It's the plays that keep the staff paid, it's a constant struggle to keep our heads above water but we try to introduce innovative stuff, what we call surreal theatre, to attract crowds," he said.
Jambiz International produces a maximum of three plays annually, each having four-month runs divided between Kingston, rural parishes and overseas.
