The Editor, Sir:

I read with amazement the recent Gleaner article regarding Jamaica Tourist Board/Tourism Enhancement Fund support of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues event. The Jazz and Blues Festival is a very important event and should by no means be allowed to die. The promoters of this event have worked hard to make this venture into the success that it is, and they should be commended.

I would, however, like to add to this debate, which should actually be about two very important issues:

1. Government support of entertainment events as a means of promoting tourism, and

2. Government support for the development of our local music industry.

Global appeal

Without a vibrant local music industry, our tourism product will not maintain the global appeal it now enjoys.

My comments here are made as the chairman of the Reggae Academy and against the background of the recent decision of the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica/RIAJam to postpone the staging of the Reggae Academy Awards. The awards was successfully staged for the first time in February 2008 and was highly regarded locally and internationally as a signal event of the Reggae Month celebrations, officially proclaimed by the governor general in early 2008.

My understanding is that the Government was committed to supporting the annual Reggae Month celebrations to be held every February with the objective of creating a major worldwide annual attraction. Reggae Month was, in fact, initiated at the written request of the RIAJam, based on a suggestion made by its then marketing consultant Jackie Knight Campbell.

Today, the word on the street, however, is that private investor and locally based music entrepreneur Josef Bogdanovich of Downsound Records and RIAJam have not been able to secure any Government or private sponsorship support for the Reggae Academy Awards 2009, hence its postponement.

Support mechanisms

In my view, the Government needs to rationalise and streamline its fun-ding and support mechanisms that are now spread throughout Ministers Grange, Bartlett and Samuda's respective ministries. Rather than collaborating, these ministries seem to be competing when it comes to music industry support.

This is not good for our music industry and only serves to discourage effort on the part of hard-working industry personnel.

I am, etc.,

LLOYD STANBURY

lloydstanbury@hotmail.com

Kingston 5