Barbados’ composers should consider establishing international publishing links and seeking to air their music in movies and television shows.
This is the view of Julian “JJ” Poulter and Brian Marshall, members of the local rock band Kite whose music has been used in American prime time TV shows such as Degrassi, 90210 and Lincoln Heights as well as The Stone Angel movie trailer. According to Marshall, Barbadians tend to focus on international music-chart rankings rather than explore publishing opportunities.
“They often just think of it in terms of chart position and so forth, but that’s kind of bringing the whole of the music industry down to just one thing,” said Poulter during an interview with BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY last week at the duo’s Shoestring Studios in Rockley, Christ Church.
Poulter and Marshall, director of operations and production director, respectively, said living in Barbados was not a disadvantage for composers and it could even bring some benefits.
Poulter noted that residing outside the United States had initially been a major barrier to entry but the Internet had changed that.
“You can use your skills regardless of where you happen to live,” he said.
“I think living in Barbados has plusses too, when it comes to composing, because we tend to hear things differently and it comes out in the music unconsciously,” Marshall said.
He noted that the group had managed to do well even though many local composers struggled to penetrate international markets.
“We realized we were kind of peculiarly suited in the way that we wrote for all of these placements that we had . . . because we wrote the kind of music that seemed to really work in producing these emotional responses as a really good bed [for] these television shows and films,” he said.
Marshall stressed that composers had to make sure their music was professionally mixed and mastered, and choose strong publishers.
“They are not going to put it in a movie if the technical part is not right,” he said.
He advised composers to do thorough research before choosing a publishing company.
“Go online and look for music publishers, and it doesn’t have to be the big, major ones. It could be the ones in Los Angeles, because that is where most of the TV and film happens,” he said.
“Look at their track record and see what placements they’ve actually done and if they’re actually a reputable company. Then there’s a legal side to it as well, which is making sure that your intellectual property is looked after in the right way by these people,” he advised.
Poulter said local composers needed to understand the process involved in securing such placements.
“There are a lot of people who have skills that make them suitable for this kind of thing but they have to understand how to get from A to B so that they can get their product sold,” he said.Â
