Caribbean Music Exposition - Jamaica

The worldwide popularity of Caribbean music genres such as salsa and reggae proves that there is an enthusiastic global market for this type of music. Yet so far the Caribbean music industry has struggled to represent, develop and promote its own music. As a result, the region has systematically failed to reap any financial rewards from its own music sales. The Caribbean Music Expo (CME) aims to address this problem by acting as a tool to develop music industry enterprises in the Dutch, French, English and Spanish-speaking territories of the Caribbean and promoting their music worldwide. Launched in 1999, this annual international four-day music industry trade show aims to be the world's leading Caribbean music event. Its multi-faceted format, with live concerts, an exhibition, business seminars, awards and a search for emerging talent provides an excellent showcase for the Caribbean music industry. As the first event of its kind in the region it is also an ideal platform through which the industry's many stakeholders can network, exchange information and present their latest products and services.

The music and entertainment sector is one of Jamaica’s key socio-economic leverage sectors.

Read more about IICD's Jamaica Country Programme.

CME has in later years (2005 and beyond) linked up with UNESCO. Also, the CME's Manager, Lloyd Stanbury, was part of Jamaica’s Leading Delegation to MIDEM (an event for professionals in every sector of the music industry, who create and use music in all its forms) in 2005.

CME was effectively used as marketing and communications tool (‘front office’) for the Caribbeat project (‘back office’). CME resulted in the identification of new successful artist, such as Abidjah.

CME set out to bring the Caribbean music industry in line with the standards set by today's global market. Recognizing that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the cornerstone of today's music industry, its driving theme over the past three years has therefore been: The Internet, E-commerce, and Music-Industry Development. Its five key objectives are to:

• Promote and facilitate deal-making between Caribbean music producers and others in the global music market
• Diversify and improve the quality of the region's music products and services through exposure to the latest technologies in music production and distribution
• Increase the contribution of music to the economies of Caribbean countries
• Facilitate complimentary linkages between tourism and the music industry in the Caribbean
• Increase the awareness and enforcement capabilities of Caribbean music producers in copyright administration

CME attracts many different groups from the Caribbean music industry, from artists, music producers and publishers to festival organisers, entertainment attorneys and Internet and web-based service providers. This in itself will produce a wide range of broad-based, long-term development impacts. The entertainment side of the event will boost tourism and employment, while the high-tech professional programme will lay the foundation for the integration of ICT into the Caribbean music industry. The new ICT skills and competences offered by CME will help to enhance the quality of the region's music products and increase the speed and volume of sales.

The region's existing ICT knowledge base will also flourish. The intellectual property rights of those active in the industry will be better protected due to CME's activities to raise awareness of legal issues. Networking facilities to encourage information exchange and collaboration will generate new markets and business opportunities. The live concerts and awards will give exposure to established and upcoming artists. Finally, the project will also highlight the commodity-value of the region's entertainment sector to Caribbean governments and corporate bodies by demonstrating how entertainment and cultural products can be successfully developed, marketed and packaged to benefit the economy.

Read more about IICD's approach towards Livelihoods.

Overly strong individual ownership may hamper openness, learning and collaboration.

In the dotCom euphoric era, IICD and project partners set overly ambitious goals, resulting in low rates of success. Project objectives should be based on accurate judgment of realities – not aspired ones.

Caribbean Music Exposition (CME) is an internet based marketing company for artists from the Caribbean artists. The company is  owned by CME Conventions Ltd. CME provides a platform for talented young performers both in Jamaica and in other parts of the Caribbean.