The curtain has come down on Crop Over 2014. There is no doubt that the music this year was not just infectious but some of the best produced.
It was also the year when some of the most unusual suspects emerged as big winners, taking some of the most coveted titles of the festival.
In the Party Monarch competition, Gorg took home the winning car and trophy, while Biggie Irie copped the Sweet Soca title. Ian Webster was again crowned Pic-O-De-Crop king. Then Imani won the People’s Monarch, making her the first female to grab the title.
On Kadooment Day, Leadpipe & Saddis, also known as Porgie & Murda, won the Tune Of The Crop with their song Ah Feeling. Then there was Sanctuary, who although he didn’t place first in any of the competitions, produced a big tune for the season – Mega Monday.
These relatively new musicians and entertainers were able to showcase their creativity and talents and better hone their craft to help take Crop Over to a new level. With this young talent, there is comfort knowing that Barbados’ entertainment sector is in good hands.
However, the business of the industry is what local entertainers need to pay careful attention to if they are to reach their full potential and remain relevant. The music being created should be limitless, not restricted to these 166 square miles, and with no shelf life.
When entertainers create music, they need to be pitching their musical notes way past these shores and the Crop Over Fesitval and look to the world as their playground.
This becomes even more apparent since just a mere two weeks since the end of festival, the songs that made the airwaves daily have virtually disappeared and most stations have returned to regular airplay and a steady diet of international R&B.
Gone are the days when music is only made for a festival or a country. To safeguard livelihoods and make sure there is money in the bank, more entertainers also need to strike when the iron is hot to get their music on Itunes. This does not only prevent the nagging problem and pocket-draining issue of piracy, but it also gives the music the international exposure it needs.
Far too often, popular tunes which are big at festival time cannot be purchased on Itunes and downloaded by those who want to keep them in their musical libraries. Some of the thousands of visitors who come to these shores around Crop Over are also forced to return home without the songs that kept them entertained.
Musicians, take heed: it is time to take care of your business.
