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Local artistes are contributing to the foreign exchange drain by registering thousands of songs overseas. Overseas registration is so prevalent that many artistes catalogue their entire discography with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or the Performing Right Society (PRS) in the UK, instead of the Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS) and the Jamaica Association of Composers and Authors and Publishers (JACAP). It results in royalties derived from local radio play and show performances being sent overseas. "Yes, we are losing foreign exchange," said Clevand Brownie who sits on the JAMMS and the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica boards. "A lot of artistes and writers generally do not have...

Jervis Constantine Clarke Aka “Spugy B” is a multitalented and humble youth out of Trench Town, “Rema”. He has been making his presence felt in the entertainment scene and his talent is uniquely jaw dropping, excitement packed and creativity is displayed in his every move. Jervis Constantine Darrel Clarke was born on the 7th of December 1983; he is the second of three brothers and three sisters and resides in Trench Town, Kingston, Jamaica. He started singing at the tender age of 5. He was inspired by his father and some of the artist in the music industry, such as, Buju Banton, Beenie man, Bob Marley and Sanchez. In august 2005 a fellow friend ‘Badd Indyan’ introduces Spugy B to a producer, Phil Mathias from ‘Revue Music’. This...

The year 1993 also saw the staging of the historic Sting musical confrontation between himself and nemesis Beenie Man. In the build-up to the show, Bounty Killer was not amused by Beenie's acts of lyrical piracy, at a time when they were both just taking hold of the cut-throat world of dancehall. Bounty Killer's victory at Sting confirmed him as the heir to Ninjaman's throne in the lyrical theatre of war, something he continues to prove to this day. His battle cry "peeeeeople dead" set off a slew of slangs and phrases that instantly caught on, and to this day, has become part of the Jamaican dialect - slangs such as "boung bang," "bullet!" and "connect!" Bounty Killer began to broaden his subject matter into streetwise...

Soca artiste Machel Montano recently launched his new album Heavenly. It features collaborations with Collie Buddz, Busy Signal, Chinese Laundry, Umi Marcano, and Len Boogsie Sharpe. Also on the album is the track Wild Antz which placed third in the 2009 Road March Competition while another track, Magic Drumz, played by the Phase 2 Steel Orchestra, placed second in the "Large Bands" category at the Panorama Finals steelpan competition at Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.

Cherine Anderson makes Billboard debut on Michael Franti's Say Hey (I Love You) Cherine Anderson has joined a growing list of Jamaican performers who have been making moves on the Billboard charts in America within the past year. She is credited as a featured performer on Michael Franti and Spearhead's Say Hey (I Love You) single. The track moved from 43 to 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. It is also moving up Billboard's Pop 100, Adult Top 40 and Pop 100 Airplay charts. While this is the first ever Billboard chart entry for Anderson, it is Franti's third time on any Billboard listing. He had previously charted with two albums, namely Yell Fire and All Rebel Rockers. This is, however, Franti's first time on any Billboard...

Contagious the new album from singer Tarrus Riley is charting on popular online music store iTunes four days after its official release, signalling that the album could register on the Billboard charts next week. The album is currently number 7 and 10 on iTunes in Sweden and the US, respectively. However, it is too early for the album to register on the major music chart Billboard, as it is less than a week old. As usual iTunes reggae album charts are dominated by reggae icon Bob Marley, whose albums currently top 19 of the 22 countries listed on iTunes. Contagious is expected to surpass the chart success of previous albums due to the increased buzz Riley has received following his hit single, She's Royal, which was arguably the...

ReggaeMe would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of Wycliffe 'Steely' Johnson one half of the outstanding dancehall production duo Steely & Clevie. Steelie passed away in a Long Island hospital earlier today.

Wycliffe 'Steely' Johnson, of Steely and Clevie fame, is in critical condition at a New York hospital but the music fraternity has been praying for his recovery. Johnson is suffering from pneumonia having recovered from kidney compilations in December. Steely started his career as the original keyboard player with the Roots Radix Band which backed Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer and numerous other artistes both on tour and in the recording studio, and also played on a number of hit recordings for various producers in the 70s. Steely also played on a large number of hit recordings for various artistes. Noted as the pioneers of dancehall, but certainly not limited to this genre, Steely and Clevie have worked together for 30 years...

Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD (Kingston, Jamaica, January 26, 1932 – May 5, 2004) was a record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, '60s and beyond. He received his nickname "Coxsone" at school: because of his teenage talent as a cricketer, his friends compared him to Alec Coxon, a member of the famous 1940s Yorkshire County Cricket Club team. Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, who has died of a heart attack aged 72, nurtured the career of nearly every internationally renowned reggae artist. He was one of the first to record local talent, and an integral force in the development of ska. Having been involved in the development of reggae for more than 50 years, his contribution to the...

More Buju Banton shows have been cancelled due to pressure from gay and lesbian activists in the United States. A short release from Live Nation Inc, the company that was putting on the shows, announced on Thursday that it has cancelled all previously scheduled concerts by Buju Banton. These include four shows that should have been held at House of Blues locations in Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston and Dallas in October. The release also said that ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase. When pressed for the reason for the cancellation, Crystal Lafata, executive assistant in communications at Live Nation Inc, was very tight-lipped. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times: 'Buju Banton's October show draws...

LONDON, England (AP) - People who repeatedly download copyright-protected films and music could have their Internet connection cut off under proposed laws the British government unveiled yesterday to tackle illegal file-sharing. Treasury Minister Stephen Timms said that previous plans, which would only have restricted users' broadband speed, did not go far enough. That potential punishment remains under the new proposal, but is accompanied by the possibility of blocking offenders' access to download sites as well as banning them from the Internet altogether. Civil-rights groups and Internet service providers criticised the proposal as unnecessarily restricting users' rights without doing much to tackle online piracy. The...

Questions were raised when Elephant Man released a song called People, which is directed at Flippa Mafia and his 'money-throwing' ways. In the song, Elephant Man says: "People, unuh waan mi nil him?/ Unuh fi seh nil him/ A mi house, a mi business weh a running a dat a bun him/ Bout him a Mafia, da claffy yah/ People, unuh run him/ Bout yuh a dash weh money/ Yuh shoulda shame when a capture yuh madda capture piece a land pon the lane/ So wha happen to yuh babymother weh yuh lef a suffer/ All yuh sister weh live a Waterhouse inna di gutter/ She and yuh father a fight over dumpling and butter". Elephant Man goes further and accuses Flippa Mafia of 'informing' on several people so that he did not go to jail. He also calls Flippa...

Soca star Destra Garcia is pregnant and expects to deliver her baby sometime in January 2010. It will be the first child for her and the second for her boyfriend/manager/producer of the past nine years, Brian Morris. He is the father of a 13-year-old daughter who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Garcia, known for hits like Bonnie and Clyde, I Dare You and Carnival, said she had some "mixed emotions at first". The soca star, who is the face of Digicel in Trinidad and Tobago, said the news took her by surprise because there had been no morning sickness. Her stomach has only "just" started to show, she said. Contacted for a comment, sponsorship and PR manager for Digicel, Marita Laurent, extended congratulations to...

Grieving Father In Florida To Support Wife and Catch Daughter’s Killer Thriller U spoke to TV news reporters yesterday; His daughter Nikita was 15. “Just put yourself in my shoes, having someone you loved so dearly, someone that you grow from a baby, growing up so decent, to be murdered.” Those were the words of Eustis Hamilton, better known as Thriller U to reggae fans the world over. He flew from Jamaica to Florida to be with his wife Camille, who is now recovering from surgery, and to appeal for help in the search for his daughter’s killer. “My daughter Nikita was brutally murdered,” said the devoted father, his voice shaking with emotion. “And in my heart…. my heart can’t express the way I feel because my daughter...

Usain Bolt 200 meter 19.19 world record Berlin 2009 Usain Bolt Dashes To 200-Meter World Record Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt demolished another of his own world records Thursday, winning the men's 200-meter race in a torrid 19.19 seconds at the world track and championships in Berlin. The previous mark was 19.30 seconds. Gritting his teeth and pointing to the clock as soon as the time flashed, Bolt is now 5 for 5 in major sprint events. He has won a gold medal each time with a world mark. His time in the 200 at these world championships slashed 0.11 seconds off the record he set last year, four days after breaking his 100 mark by the same margin. Alonso Edward of Panama was second, a distant 0.62 seconds behind Bolt...

It was Beenie Man's desire to have members of the Alliance perform on his Beenie Sizzle show set for this Saturday at the National Stadium. However, this move as a mark of unity, may not become reality. According to Beenie Man, he attempted to approach the Alliance to do his Beenie Sizzle show as a sign of unity, especially at a time when Jamaica was doing so well on the international scene with the sprinting prowess of its athletes. Julian(Killer's manager) was asked if the artistes dem nah do the show, and him say the "artistes dem ah go Japan". The show, sponsored by corporate giants LIME, will feature musical heavyweights such as Rick Ross, Vybz Kartel and the Portmore Empire, Queen Ifrica, Sizzla, Destra, Jah Cure...

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16 August 2009 - Berlin, Germany – With a performance that defies the imagination, Usain Bolt set a new 100m World record of 9.58 on the second evening of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The 22-year-old Jamaican knocked a mind-numbing 0.11 second from the 9.69 record he set at the Olympic Games in Beijing exactly one year ago today. One can only imagine where he’ll be and how fast he’ll run on 16 August of next year. "I was definitely ready for the World record and I did it," Bolt said. "I didn't think I could run a tenth (of a second) faster than my World record, but for me, anything is possible." His was the largest chunk ever – by far – to be sliced from the 100m World...

After a two-year hiatus, the coveted Red Label Wine International Dancehall Queen title returned to Jamaica when Montegonian Tavia Morris, a 25-year-old nail technician, was crowned champion at the Pier One Complex on the Waterfront last Saturday, It was the 14th staging of the world's largest dancehall dancing competition. Last year, American Michelle Young upstaged the contestants who came from all over the world to secure the title and took the crown up North. The year before that Canadian Maude Francato won the contest. It was a great comeback for the nimble-footed Morris who last year made it to the top 10 after holding the patrons' attention with her tantalising moves. At the time, she seemed destined for the crown but fell...

The celebration of the 15-year anniversary of what is arguably the best reggae festival in Europe, Reggae Jam, was held in Bersenbrück, Germany on its usual grounds from July 31- August 2. It never disappointed its 45,000-plus fans with its star-studded line-up of over 40 reggae artistes and bands, which had critics in the music business showering it with accolades for having the best lineup of all the reggae festivals in Europe this summer. The festival featured headliners such as Ali Campbell (formerly of UB 40), Third World, Stitchie, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Mr Vegas, Anthony B, Burro Banton, Lady Saw, Lady G, Kirk Davis (formerly known as Little Kirk), Glen Washington, Papa San, Bunny General, Horace Andy, Ray Darwin, Daddy...