Greater international prospects for Caribbean music

By Michelle Nurse Last updated Apr 10, 2015

Growing the multi-million dollar Caribbean Music Industry will be a major focus of the 3rd CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum which will be held April 15-16 at the Hilton Rose Hall, Montego Bay Jamaica.

[su_pullquote]“The strength of our Caribbean artistes in live performances on the lucrative summer music festival scene in Europe is an avenue for greater opportunity. There is also an increasing appetite from Europeans for our music especially in clubs. It is my belief that we also need to further leverage technological advancements in the industry and the ever expanding distribution channels in digital music.” – Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Caribbean Export Executive Director[/su_pullquote]David Sanders, Producer at Coke Studio Africa, Eldar Ástþórsson, Senior PR Manager – Europe, CCP Games and Ylir Music Fund, Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, Performer/Artiste and Jeffrey ‘Assassin’ Campbell, Jamaican/International Reggae Entertainer are among the experts who will be leading the discussions on opportunities to be further explored under the European Partnership Agreement (EPA) and some of the challenges facing the industry including intellectual property considerations. Optimising the industry’s close linkages with tourism development and other key sectors will also be among the matters to be explored.

The Forum which is being hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, (Caribbean Export) is expected to attract some 150 key stakeholders from the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Pacific. It will also unveil sector study findings, propose potential value propositions for the industry and explore competitive advantages to make for greater strengthening of linkages between major players in the region and international partners.