Disc jockeys in T&T argue that soca artistes need to step up their game. "They only produce music seasonally, so after Carnival, there's no soca music to play from the artistes," is a common argument.
Soca artistes argue that the urban frequency leaders, which command the masses, refuse to play their music-this after spending thousands of dollars on production costs and other fees. They say it has nothing to do with the quality of their production or the lyrical content of the music, but rather what is preferred by the DJ's and programme directors. The question is, who really has the authority to say that one song is better than another? Is it the DJ, the announcer, the programme director, or is it really the listener?
Are we brainwashed? It could easily be argued that if an artiste's track doesn't receive a fair chance to be heard across the airwaves, especially on radio stations that command the masses, there's no way that that artiste's music will ever blow up. Equally, if an artiste has been a part of the industry for more than a decade, is considered one of the top guns in the business, and whose music is always on urban rotation, even if his music is less that worthy, it will eventually become a hit. That is considered the brainwash strategy.
Carnival coming again
We're in the middle of the year, and already there's talk of YUMA Vibe's Carnival band launch on August 13. It's safe to say that we are a Carnival people and we love our culture. But the question is, do we stand by the stakeholders of our culture-the people who work arduously to give us beats, rhythms, melodies and collaborations soca-style so that come Carnival time, our smiles are bright and our moods joyous? When the season ends each February or March, what do we give back to these artistes, producers and music writers who ensure that we have just what we need each year? Each Ash Wednesday, the music makes a total 360 degree turn from soca to dancehall, R&B and hip hop. And while it is understandable that the music must be altered to suit the rest of the year, soca is oftentime sent to the back of the rotation list, with programme directors allegedly mandating that only the best of the best be played.
In T&T, there's no recording industry format where airplay would drive record sales. Airplay in this country simply allows for an artistes to get a platform for their music to be heard by promoters, and possible scouts who may visit the island looking for new talent from the Caribbean. If such is the case, then what's really in it for DJs and radio bosses who insist on rotating the music of a select few after the season? According to radio personality and blossoming soca artiste, Devon Matthews, artistes in T&T do not receive a fair amount of airplay across the airwaves. "The usual four or five get the rotation year round-Machel, Destra, Bunji, Iwer, Blaxx and this year, Kees," he pondered.
"What song won Groovy Soca Monarch last year?" he asked rhetorically. "Shurwayne won with Murdah," he affirmed, adding that even after that win, Shurwayne Winchester's efforts were shown no appreciation on the radio when the season had ended. Matthews admitted that it was hard to determine the real reason behind this harsh reality. "I work on air, and I can't say that by us the programme director tells us what soca to play," he said, questioning whether corporate society had some part to play in the problem. "Look at Iwer's soca station. It started off as all soca, now they're playing dancehall too. If they're not getting corporate T&T to buy into their programming, they will flop, so they have to switch."
But his argument of an all soca station switching to a more urban format, does not explain why four or five soca artistes are on constant rotation year round, when the industry has countless other entertainers. He argued that even dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel often time released "crap" music, but because of who he was and the audience he commanded, his music was played and eventually absorbed regardless. "We are all brainwashed," confirmed Matthews.
Who will carry soca?
Unfortunately for soca, such a practice could mean the detriment of the genre, since we are yet to be acknowledged as a force on the international music scene. If we continue playing only the five "big name" artistes in the industry, when these artistes become old, both in image and content, who then will we look to to promote the genre? If, hypothetically speaking, Machel doesn't make that breakthrough we need to get soca accepted worldwide, what happens next? These questions are all provoked by the fact that we have placed our music squarely on the shoulders of a select few, when there are many others who are capable but have not been given a real chance.
