International Reggae Day (IRD) is Tuesday July 1st and Jamaicans and reggae fans around the world are invited to recognize and honour Jamaica’s biggest export Reggae music. Produced annually as a virtual media reggae festival hosted by Jamaica, IRD seeks to combine the power of music, media and technology to celebrate and highlight the power and impact of Jamaican culture around the world as a marketing platform for Jamaica’s creativity.

IRD 2008 joins with the Toots Foundation in a one year campaign to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Reggae as defined by the 1968 recording of Do the Reggae by Toots and the Maytals produced by Leslie Kong and released on Beverly’s Records, which is credited with giving the genre its name. On A special rererecording of the song produced by Toots will be available for free download online from the Toots Foundation on July 1 for International Reggae Day at myspace.com/jahreggaeday and tootsandthemaytals.com. The day will be driven by media programming and website activities as IRD focuses on the broadcast and online media experience as part of an interactive development model for the festival.

Special IRD programming will include features on Toots and the Maytals, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, Peter Tosh, Garnet Silk, Culture, documentaries, past IRD concerts and tributes. Participating stations will be linking with media and reggae ambassadors on tour from Marcia Griffiths to Luciano. Media Partners CTV will air 3 special artiste features on Sly & Robbie, Tarrus Riley and Tessanne Chin on July 1 while IRIE FM will close its 24 hour IRD special with Reggae 40, a three hour feature celebrating 40 Years of Reggae hosted by Elise Kelly and Big A. Guests include Sly Dunbar, Dermott Hussey, Winston Merritone Blake, Copeland Forbes, Herbie Miller, Roger Steffens, Wayne Jobson, Mutabaruka, Wayne Chen, Chris Edmonds and others to discuss the development and future of Reggae music.

JAMAICAN MEDIA FESTIVAL PARTNERS

The virtual reggae festival will be anchored online at www.IRDMedia.tv , the new interactive tv website being launched by IRD on July 1 which will offer a menu of features, music videos and documentaries for a global Reggae audience. The site will offer artistes, labels and fans an opportunity to post their own videos similar to you tube and between June 28-July 2, free mp3 downloads of exclusive IRD live tracks and new releases from label partners Taxi Records and Arrows Recording will be available on the .tv and www.myspace.com/jahreggaeday sites while the www.internationalreggaeday.net site continues to anchor the festival’s archives.

International media participating range in size from stations to programmes such as XM Satellite reggae radio station The Joint, syndicated reggae programme Kulckashok heard in over 88 markets worldwide, US radio station WUSB which coordinates the annual college reggae radio marathon in July, JWave in Japan to the Bahamas’ hottest radio personality the Natural Empress on 100 Jamz and countless internet radio stations.

Jamaica Arts Holdings in partnership with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) will present a free forum on Copyright at the Terra Nova at 9:00 am on Tuesday July 1. The IRD Copyright Forum will highlight the recent findings of the WIPO commissioned study on the contribution of the copyright sector to Jamaica’s national economy and global trends in collaterizing IP value and Brand Jamaica’s potential in this regard. Proposed amendments to Jamaica’s Copyright Act will also be heard including the IRD proposal to extend the copyright protection term from 50 to 100 years.

COPYRIGHT FORUM SPONSORS

This project is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Jamaica The Reggae Studies Unit at the University of the West Indies will also host a forum on the Development of Reggae Music in recognition of International Reggae Day at the Undercroft on July 1 at 6:00 pm. The festival’s edutainment objectives have in the past been reflected in various elements of the annual celebration including a film directors workshop with acclaimed director Little X, Reggae Though Marley Lecture by international archivist Roger Steffens, a Business of Music Forum, Creative Industries Forum, Institute of Jamaica Lunchtime Lecture with L’Antoinette Stines on the history of Jamaican music through Dance, as well as media and artiste workshops and co-production of various radio and television programmes on Reggae music and Jamaican culture. Produced annually as a media festival by Jamaica Arts Holdings since 1994 and officially proclaimed by the Governor General in 2000, IRD has been supported over the years by a wide range of sponsor partners and organizations as varied versions of the IRD marketing blueprint were produced including concert festivals, expos, film festival, awards, workshops and special media programming.

IRD COPYRIGHT FORUM 2008 PRESENTERS:
 

Professor Laurent Manderieux   Dr. Vanus James   Andrea Davis

Professor Laurent Manderieux

- Professor of Intellectual Property Law at L. Bocconi University
of Milan, Italy. Professor Manderieux developed the’ WIPO
Outreach Plan For Strengthening Public Awareness Of
Intellectual Property Rights At A National Level in Jamaica’, as
well as the Outreach Plan For Strengthening Public Awareness
Of Intellectual Property Rights in the Caribbean. In addition to
his IP teaching and IP research activities, he is Senior
Intellectual Property Expert for various international
Organisations (WIPO, UNCITRAL, UNDP, EPO, OIF, IDLO, etc) and Governments around the world.

Dr. Vanus James

- Currently a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University
of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Dr. James is a graduate of
the University of the West Indies, where he obtained his B.A in
Economics. He earned his Masters in Economics and his Ph.D
degrees at the New School for Social Research in New York. His
post-doctoral studies were pursued at the University of Michigan,
USA, Auburn University, Auburn, Montgomery, Alabama and
Hofstra University, New York. In addition to Dr. James’ work in
the area of education and economics, he recently authored the
WIPO commissioned study on the contribution of Copyright and
related rights to the Jamaican economy.

Andrea Davis

- Founder and Producer of the International Reggae Day
Festival. As a Creative industries consultant she has worked
with the United Nations Development Programme South South
Unit (UNDP SSC), Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery
(CRNM), European Union and locally with Ministry of Tourism on
the development of Jamaica’s Entertainment Policy and Jampro
(JTI) to produce the Five Year Strategic Plan for Jamaican
Music, the Sounds of Jamaica Directory and MIDEM branding
campaign and Reggae Boyz theme song Rise Up. Ms. Davis
creative brand clients include Toots & The Maytals, Diana King,
Marcia Griffiths, Morgan Heritage, Luciano, Junior Kelly, East
Fest, Bridget Sandals, CPTC, Anchor Recording and others. Ms.
Davis holds a Masters of Science in Criminology from Florida
International University and a Business BA from the University of
Western Ontario.

JULY 1 INTERNATIONAL REGGAE DAY FOCUSES ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Kingston, Jamaica – June 23, 2008

International Reggae Day (IRD) is Tuesday July 1st. Produced annually as a virtual media reggae festival hosted by Jamaica, IRD seeks to combine the power of music, media and technology to celebrate and highlight the power and impact of Jamaican culture around the world. IRD 2008 joins with the Toots Foundation in a one-year campaign to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Reggae as defined by the 1968 recording of Do the Reggae by Toots and the Maytals, which is credited with giving the genre its name.

In recognition of International Reggae Day, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) in association with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Jamaica Arts Holdings (JAH) and the Jamaica Trade & Invest (JTI), present the IRD Copyright Forum at the Terra Nova Hotel on July 1st.

JIPO’s ongoing work to heighten public awareness on the importance and economic value of Intellectual Property Rights and the need for the protection of these rights, will gain momentum and additional support with the July 1st forum which is open to the public.

According to JIPO’s Executive Director, Ms. Carol Simpson, “JIPO is the Government agency responsible for managing the intellectual property system in Jamaica and one of our objectives for the forum is update the business, financial and creative communities on the developments in the copyright sector, nationally and internationally. “

Participants at the forum will have an opportunity to hear the important findings of the recently released WIPO Report on the contribution of the Jamaican Copyright to the national economy from its author, UWI Lecturer and Economist Dr. Vanus James.

Speaking to the growing practice of using Intellectual Property as an asset for accessing loans and venture capital will be WIPO guest speaker, Laurent Manderieux, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at L. Bocconi University of Milan, Italy, Associate Professor of Copyright Law at the University of Francophone States, and Visiting Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Trento, Italy.

No stranger to Jamaica, Professor Manderieux developed the’ WIPO Outreach Plan For Strengthening Public Awareness Of Intellectual Property Rights At A National Level in Jamaica’, as well as the Outreach Plan For Strengthening Public Awareness Of Intellectual Property Rights in the Caribbean. In addition to his IP teaching and IP research activities, he is Senior Intellectual Property Expert for various international Organisations (WIPO, UNCITRAL, UNDP, EPO, OIF, IDLO, etc) and Governments around the world.

In confirming WIPO’s decision to co-sponsor the IRD Copyright Forum, Ms. Francesca Toso, Senior Counsellor in the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau at WIPO stated that “It is a part of WIPO’s mandate to assist all nations, particularly developing and least developed countries, in using the intellectual property (IP) system to promote their economic, social and cultural development. In this respect, WIPO is pleased to support JIPO and by extension, the Jamaican creative and business communities, in facilitating the discussions taking place on International Reggae Day. It is hoped that the forum will promote a greater understanding of the value of Intellectual Property as assets and how they may be better exploited to achieve individual and national economic benefits.”

Brief presentations will also be made by copyright stakeholders on proposals for amendments to Jamaica’s Copyright Act.

Admission to the forum is free of cost and interested persons may contact JIPO at 754-6360, 754-6350, or info@jipo.gov.jm to register. For Interviews and additional International Reggae Day Festival information contact:

Reggae in Japan

Reggae: The End?

Throughout the '80s and '90s, massive reggae festivals became an indispensable feature of summer in Japan. Reggae Sunsplash Japan and Reggae Japansplash drew hordes of young Japanese dreadlocks to groove to the sounds of big Jamaican names such as Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Inner Circle. But with the end of Reggae Sunsplash Japan a few years ago, and promoter Tomorrow World throwing in the towel on Reggae Japansplash this year, this summer will be the first in memory without any major reggae festival. As none of the promoters contacted by TC are planning any in the future, the so-called "reggae boom" in Japan may have finally run its course. Fans will have to content themselves with occasional smaller concerts at venues such as Liquid Room, and Tokyo's still numerous collection of reggae bars.

Yokosuka Reggae Super Bash

Japansplash is reinvented with a controversial cast of dancehall artists

Assassin

Ever since Bob Marley began to draw Japanese converts in the late '70s, reggae has had a special place in Japanese hearts and minds. Reggae bars sprouted in the most unlikely areas, and Japanese youth had their stubbornly straight hair done in impossibly expensive Rasta-style dreadlock permanents.

Essential to the reggae boom has been the annual Reggae Japansplash, which was the music festival of the summer in the days before Fuji Rock. But in recent years, as the audience for roots reggae in Japan waned as it has elsewhere, Japansplash has had mixed fortunes. After a few on and off years in the late '90s and a brief revival in 2002-2003, the sponsor pulled out and Japansplash was consigned to history.

In the meantime, a whole new generation has adopted the newer sounds of dancehall reggae emanating from Japan as its own. In recent years, the Yokohama Reggae Festival has taken

Sizzla

Beenie Man

Buju Banton

over as summer's premiere reggae event, with younger artists like Moomin, Pushim and Mighty Crown creating their own form of Japa-reggae replete with Japanese lyrics that kids can get their heads around.

With this weekend's Reggae Super Bash, the international reggae festival baton is passed from the roots reggae legends, who brought reggae to Japan, to Jamaica's younger dancehall artists, who create the music on which the current Japa-reggae wave is based. The promoter, Tomorrow House, which used to handle Japansplash, says it changed its approach and the name of the festival when previous sponsor, cigarette brand Kool, pulled out.

For an indication of the relative youth of the lineup, consider the fact that the dean of the lot, the sweet-voiced Buju Banton, didn't even debut until 1986, 20 years after Bob Marley made his first recordings. A popular dancehall artist of the late '80s, Banton converted to Rastafarianism after a controversy over his purportedly anti-gay lyrics and the murders of his DJs Pan Head and Dirtsman, issuing his best work in the mid-'90s.

In a sign of the preponderance of MCs over singers in today's Jamaican music scene, the only other singer on the bill mixes MC-style shouting with his melodies. Known for his "sing-jay" style, Sizzla had a run of successful singles in the late '90s and remains a contender on the Jamaican charts.

Familiar to many will be MC and Grammy nominee Beenie Man. After touring with Shabba Ranks in '94 raised his profile, Beenie Man began to appear on North American releases with artists like Wyclef Jean and the Neptunes. Interestingly, Beenie Man is now at the center of a controversy over anti-gay lyrics of his own, facing possible criminal prosecution in the UK for lyrics that allegedly incite violence against homosexuals.

The youngest artist on the bill, Assassin, was born in 1982-around the time when Japan's first reggae bars were opening. Considered one of Jamaica's most promising DJs, Assassin has also reached the charts in the US and England with "Dem Ting Deh" featuring Bounty Killer. His first full-length is due out later this year.

The token Japanese presence in the lineup comes in the form of Mighty Crown, who as it happens are also behind their hometown Yokohama Reggae Festival. Formed in '91 by brothers Masta Simon and Sami-T, the five-man group have mastered the difficult vocabulary of Jamaican patois. They became the world champions at the World Clash '99 held in Brooklyn, New York, defeating teams from the US and even Jamaica.

In an aside, the promoter states that Buju Banton may not be able to come due to a conviction for marijuana possession. While this didn't stop Paul McCartney from entering Japan, Tomorrow House explains that "Buju Banton has a problem to obtain the entry visa to Japan...therefore his appearance is to be confirmed. In the event his visa is rejected, his position will be replaced with another artist of the same rank."

And finally, for those for whom nothing will do but roots reggae, Jamaica's Skatalites, who helped to lay the foundation for reggae 40 years ago, will be in Tokyo next week for a solo tour of their own, while smooth UK reggae survivor Maxi Priest is at the Blue Note.

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Regional Journalists meet in Kingston, Jamaica to discuss the Business of Culture and the Media

Senior journalists and media professionals from around the region will gather in Kingston, Jamaica on 23-24 February for a Seminar "From Creativity to the Creative Economy - How to Get the Business of Culture into the Mainstream Media”. The working seminar for journalists, an initiative of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) will take place at the conference room of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation, JAMPRO, local partners for the event.

According to spokesperson for the CJA, Josanne Leonard, the Seminar aims to connect senior journalists and media professionals with trade officials, policy makers and entrepreneurs in the creative sectors with a view to shaping a robust public debate about the development of the creative industries in the Caribbean, not only as a source to promote cultural diversity and social inclusion but also as a tool for economic growth, job creation and export earnings.

The seminar will feature a number of key presentations dealing with issues ranging from Trade to Telecommunications, Media, Investment and Market Access and will present the unique opportunity for in-depth dialogue between journalists and leading entertainment industry experts and professionals. There will also be a roundtable discussion comprised of representatives of both groups that later will be made into a TV production for distribution around the region.

While in Jamaica, journalists will attend the Prime Minister's Business Development Forum on 23 February under the theme “Today's Strength, Tomorrow's Success” organised by the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO). “The timing of the CJA seminar fits in perfectly with our efforts at JAMPRO since Creative industries are among the key drivers of economic activity for Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. We’re delighted to have the regional media with us for both events” says Patricia Francis, President of JAMPRO.

The CJA seminar is being held with support from the Commonwealth Media Development Fund (CMDF) and is part of an on-going commitment by the CJA to provide training and professional development seminars for journalists in the Caribbean and wider Commonwealth.

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