Enough is enough and it is time for a change. This is the stance of several Barbadian artistes and supporters who believe that respect is due to local artistes and that increased airplay of Barbadian music on the airways is long overdue.
So fed up were these people that they established a Facebook page, F3P (Fighting For Fair Play), and are agitating for at least 50 per cent local content on radio stations.
“The focus isn’t about a war or us against politicians, government or radio deejays [and radio managers]. We feel it is time Bajan artistes get fair play. Too much of the money collected through royalties is going out of the island [and] depleting our foreign exchange, when that same money, or at least some of it, should be going to our very own Barbadian entertainers,” said veteran entertainer Anderson Blood Armstrong.
He added: “Rather it is going to persons who have three or four cars when some of our artistes can’t afford one. When some of our artistes can’t afford to have a house, when some are struggling to pay rent. While all of that money going out of the island when it could be kept here for our artistes who will then have a greater spending power to support [themselves] and in turn, indirectly aid our economic and cultural growth as a nation.”
Armstrong and soca artiste David Davis are co-creators of F3P.
Stressing he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc. (COSCAP), Armstrong, a music producer and the new chairman of COSCAP, said the effort was not to assist soca artistes solely, but all Barbadian artistes who had sacrificed money, time and much effort just to ensure their talents shone.
Armstrong further explained that the idea behind F3P was to build awareness of the serious issues entertainers faced in regards to how much is invested with little or no return. This, he believed, was due to the lack of sufficient airplay, and hence opportunities Barbadian writers, performers, producers and poets and so on, received on a daily basis.
Acknowledging this was not the first time that Bajan artistes had called for “fair” airplay, the chief executive officer of Reddhead Records Inc. was of the opinion that people were now more serious than ever before. This was due to the fact, he said, that the financial impact on the artistes had become too unbearable.
“For years we have been calling for more airplay and for years it has been denied us because of the lack of information and facts, in some cases,” Armstrong said. “There has always been the passion and love for what we do, but not always enough evidence to prove the negative impact on the economy, foreign exchange and livelihood of our people. It was serious then and it is serious now. However, a splash or a flash in the pan is definitely not what we intend F3P to be. We will agitate until they legislate. A change must come.” (SDB Media)
