According to the UK-based performance rights organisation Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) over the last 7 years “UK usage of Jamaican recorded music generated, on average, around £500,000 a year for Jamaican performers.” i.e 2015-2021.
Additionally PPL said outside of the U.K. & Jamaica, “Jamaican recorded music across the same period generated, on average, £600,000 a year for Jamaican performers.”
In the statement issued to The Voice UK they indicated that they are working closely with the Jamaican performance rights organization JAMMS to ensure reggae performers and recording rights-holders are efficiently paid.
JAMMS and PPL forged a historic partnership last year that saw a surge in membership in Jamaica.
Evon Mulling Managing Director of JAMMS told World Music Views that since 2009 the organization Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS) has collected a total amount of J$200,000,000 for rights holders in Jamaica. JAMMS has been in operation since 2007 and General Manager Evon Mullings is tasked with organizing a seamless machinery locally and internationally, to collect royalties on behalf of its members, while playing an active role in improving the perception of Jamaica’s music business.
Evon said the largest check he has paid out is J$2 million.
PPL said: “Both JAMMS and PPL collect revenues for the use of recorded music on radio, television and in public places, such as restaurants, clubs, bars, retail stores, hotels, and other venues.
“While the overall industry has also grown over that period, this increase in international collections outstrips the underlying industry growth rate, pointing to the sums that previously may have gone uncollected,” PPL said.
As some artist struggle to understand the music business and how they get paid, Mullings told WMV last year that he’s aware of the gaps and his organization is working to bring about more focus on the business of the industry.
“I think we have a huge role to play to help how Jamaicans view and participate in the music business. There is some inertia and we haven’t learned as much as we should. We are researching and doing the development. We want to bring about a more business focus and we have seen some change where hundreds of people have decided to join and say they want us to do their business,” he said.
In 2012 Sound Exchange, released an artist list it says had unclaimed digital performance royalties, among them is the deceased Garnet Silk. Other artists on the list include Natural Vibrations, Tanya Stephens, G-Whizz and more. It is not known if those artists had collected the monies owed as they had until October of that year to sign up with a performance rights society and make their claim.
Still even had suggested that artists find a team and build a catalogue of music that will last.
“Build your catalogue. Find a team of writers. Have a good team around you and once you reach a certain level get a manager. Be willing and open to allow for people to invest in your career, be open to partnerships. Make songs with shelf life somewhere in the world,” he said.
Mullings told Anthony Miller of ER that much more royalties remain uncollected.
“There could literally be four to 5000 artists who are currently unrepresented, producers significantly less, because we are already covering the vast majority of producers. So maybe a few hundred producers who are not yet (members)…and those would be the lower tier producers who are probably just coming into the marketplace,” Mullings told Miller.
“We are already covering the well-established producers and so forth, so the market is really wide open for artists and musicians who are unrepresented to be part of a structured system like this,” he added.
Currently there are 1400 members signed up with JAMMS. JAMMS and PPL collect revenues in their respective countries for recorded music used on radio, television and public places, bars, retail stores, hotels.
