Twenty performers from across the Caribbean had an exclusive opportunity to gain first-hand industry knowledge from global entertainment industry ‘big-wigs’ Cristy Barber, Mikey Bennet, Mounia Aram and Seani B.

In the Industry Talk event, held on September 16 at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) in Kingston, the four keynote speakers from across the world shared insider insight with Caribbean Rhythm Showcase performers ahead of the Caribbean Rhythm Showcase grand staging on September 18.

The first speaker of the morning, Grafton Studios CEO and songwriting expert, Mikey Bennett,
took the performers through the fundamentals of a good song in a live coaching session. While
A&R Consultant, Barbershop Entertainment, Cristy Barber offered the artistes a chance to question her vast experiential knowledge of international record labels.

As an unseen twist for the entertainers, Mounia Aram, founder and president, Mounia Aram Company, introduced the performers to an additional avenue for income generation in the entertainment field.

Aram, who specialises in animation in underrepresented groups, highlighted the impactful role music plays in the world of animation, particularly for children. No stranger to Jamaica or Caribbean culture, Seani B from BBC 1Xtra, highlighted persistent networking as another major key to opening doors in the entertainment industry.

Seani exampled his history of meeting now popular acts years prior to their cultural prominence through networking.

Excited to be feted for the weekend, the Reggae songstress from Guyana, Jackie Jaxx soaked up the expertise in the room.

“I’m happy for the opportunity to be here. I’ve always wanted to visit Jamaica and I’ve always been encouraged to do so since my genre is reggae and Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae. But this is a great platform and I’m planning to take back as much as I can to Guyana,” Jaxx shared.

The Industry Talk event, hosted by Headline Entertainment and The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), in cooperation with the European Union, is part of the three-day Caribbean Rhythm Showcase experience. The Showcase introduces a unique platform for performing artistes across the region to demonstrate their craft and creativity virtually.

Carlette DeLeon, administrative manager, Headline Jamaica, acknowledges the impact smaller, intimate gatherings have on the musicians and other stakeholders in this kind of event.

“I believed it was important to have the Industry Talks as part of the experience to provide both the buyers and the talent and buyers an opportunity to learn from each other and exchange information, knowledge and insight,” DeLeon said.

“The whole purpose of the showcase was to provide a platform for emerging Caribbean talent to meet the world. Whereas an actual performance on stage is important, sometimes it’s the performance offstage that can make all the difference.

“Being able to act in an environment that is friendly and welcoming and knowledge-based and
enriching and enhancing only propels that goal even further.”

The Caribbean Rhythm Showcase culminated in a night of style and creativity as 20 acts
representing 13 countries delivered a showcase of the best of Caribbean music at The Jamaica
Pegasus hotel on Sunday, September 18 in New Kingston.