#emedia music launched

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My Vision for Jamaica’s Creative Economy

Last year, with the announcement of the eMedia Interactive Group’s partnership with the then University College of the Caribbean (now University of the Commonwealth Caribbean) to house our iCreate Institute, I wrote about how the creative economy is a prime area of growth for Jamaica. It’s a song I’ve been singing for the past nine years, and I won’t change my tune any time soon. The long and short of it is that the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) worldwide are generating billions of dollars in revenue per annum—US$2.250b or 3% of global GDP, according to a 2015 Ernst & Young study, and generating millions of jobs—29.5 million, according to the same study. If Jamaica is to truly take advantage of the tremendous value of our cultural products, the powers-that-be must have a sustainable vision for what the industry will look like in the future, and clear steps to get there.

I have my own vision for the local creative industry, especially the film and television production sub-sector. When I look 10 years into the future, here is some of what I would like to see: the industry should be a major overall contributor to economic growth; 10% of all publicly listed companies on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market should come from the creative economy; there should be sustainable cinema options, allowing filmmakers to earn from their craft; and there should be at least one strong alternative to the traditional tv networks for distribution. In terms of output, I hope we will be up to the task of distributing three movies per year, as well as around 12 television series—streaming or on traditional networks; have one major animation outsourcing contract per year from the likes of Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks; and finally, 70% of film professionals should have formal training and certification.

I’d actually like to start with training, as this is the first link in the creative economy value chain, and it is vital to the success of our local industry. There aren’t enough training opportunities that are geared specifically towards working in the film and television industry—for example, in production and screenwriting, or with an eye on the future, where the focus is on areas like animation and virtual reality. Over-the-top (OTT—referring to audio, video, and other media transmitted via the Internet without a cable operator or direct-broadcast satellite television systems controlling or distributing the content) services like Netflix and Hulu have completely shifted TV viewing habits from one episode per week over a three-month season to binge-watching entire seasons over a week or a few days. This on-demand appetite means that networks have gone from needing one big show per quarter to at least three. If we’re to have any sort of presence in the global television industry, it’s in our best interest to develop screenwriters, because we’re going to need some Shonda Rhimeses of our own to churn out high-quality scripts and episodes at a fast pace. We’ll also need to invest in training directors, cinematographers, editors, animators, special effects technicians, lighting technicians, sound mixers, gaffers and more behind-the-scenes players to complete the picture.

 I have used the term ‘industry’ quite often, referring to the creative sector as a whole, but would hesitate to use it when talking about film and television production specifically. I recently came across an article by award-winning Jamaican filmmaker, actor and author Donovan Watkis entitled ‘Jamaica does not have a film industry’ that mirrors many of my thoughts. Watkins speaks out against the lack of dedicated training, infrastructure and support for local filmmakers, while lamenting the prohibitive costs of access to the tools of the trade, such as sound and lighting equipment, for example. Those are essential to the development of an industry, which he defines as “an economic activity concerned with the mechanical processing of raw materials, and the goods (or services) manufactured in those factories are made perfect, packaged and offered to specific markets for sale.” Looking closely at this definition and then holding up it against our current local situation, the gaps are evident. We don’t really have dedicated spaces for film and television production that could be considered ‘factories,’ and there is certainly a breakdown when it comes to offering the finished products to the markets for sale. I’d also argue that we don’t even produce enough content to warrant the use of the term ‘industry.’

 Without the proper industry framework, what we have is an overabundance of ideas—essentially unwritten stories—and raw talent, with nowhere to be developed except overseas, which is expensive and inaccessible to the majority of the population. Training is the key to unlocking this latent potential so that the ideas can be developed into content, which is what people both here and abroad will pay to see, thus generating income that will go a long way towards ensuring sustainability. Jamaicans love their own stories. We’ve seen that with Better Mus Come, and even as far back as The Harder They Come. Destiny was also in the local theatres for a long time. With the successful generation of consistent, high-quality content, we will also be ready to go when the OTTs come calling for local shows. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Special Report: Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2016–2020, content is still king, and this will continue to be evident as OTT platforms “seek to differentiate and expand internationally. In a world in which Netflix can launch its streaming services in 130 new countries in a single day, it’s easy to assume that content is becoming more globally homogeneous. But the reality is that content is being redefined by forces of globalization and localization simultaneously... Netflix, for example, has said that locally produced content is its future.” We cannot afford to miss out on that opportunity. 

I’ve already mentioned that creative industries globally employed upwards of 29 million people in 2014/2015, many of those people in film and television production. I believe this sector is ripe for entrepreneurship, from content creators to production companies to distributors and more in between. Regarding distribution, I think we also need to look at different models and devise ways to make our films more cost-efficient in terms of pricing at different tiers (eg. low budget versus high budget), and encouraging product placement with top local brands, which can help to subsidise production costs. 

In terms of the TV model, we can’t just rely on the two major stations we have right now. That’s not going to grow the creative economy. We have to look at online options, such as Television Jamaica’s 1Spotmedia, and OTT, subscription-driven streaming services like iVu TV, which we’re going to relaunch with a subscription-based model. One of the things we have to do is satisfy the appetite of people in the diaspora, because Jamaica is bigger than the three million people that live here. It extends to the first, second and third generations living overseas, as well as those non-Jamaicans who are just fascinated by our culture. Online TV and streaming services is the only way to tap into this huge market. If we can replicate just a fraction of the international success of our local music, we’d be good to go. People overseas are fascinated by our artistes, from late icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, and Gregory Isaacs, to current stars like Alkaline, Popcaan and Vybz Kartel. These people are the ones buying the albums and attending the tours, so it stands to reason that they may be just as willing to spend money on our other cultural products such as films and TV shows. 

When you look at it, what are they fascinated by? What are these artistes singing about in all their songs? Jamaica and Jamaican life. This means that people have an appetite for our culture as much as they do for any other cultures. Jamaica is not the only country that people love. People love the United States, but the difference is that the number of people inside America who love America is 300 million, compared to our 3 million. They can build mega-industries off their culture and stories. But then when you look at the success of films like The Fast and The Furious franchise, you see that for the most recent one, Fast 8, the biggest viewership comes from outside of America, generating more than 5 times the local (US) box office. They’ve done an excellent job of marketing their culture outside of their country and that’s what we need to do.

In order to get to where we need to be, organisations like JAMPRO to be more involved, with more money allocated to developing and promoting our films and stories outside of the country. The Jamaica Tourist Board can also do more as a strategic partner positioning our films. It’s not just about going to a few film festivals overseas, but trying to develop an industry here that people can make a living from, and build careers and businesses.

 eMedia is one company trying to do just that. We’re creating jobs in video production, graphic design, storytelling and more, and with iCreate, we’re training people to take advantage of what’s happening locally, or create their own opportunities. With iVu TV, we’re primarily trying to build a strong distribution platform for Caribbean content. Those are the things we need to be replicated across the board with other businesses.

 Another part of my vision is to get more private investors involved. Sagicor invested in us in 2012. They also invested in a film, Ghett’a Life, around the same time. We need more private investors to take a second look at these types of businesses. Growing this thing is going to take money and time. We need investors who are going to make the effort to understand the nature of the business and understand that in many cases, the ROI won’t be immediate. Investing in one film might take you a few years to get some gains, unless it’s hugely successful immediately. For some films, the earnings from their entire box office take only covers the cost of production; it’s only when they start distributing on DVD/BluRay and OTT sources, and when merchandising comes into play that the investors start recouping significant returns.

 The type of investor has to match the business. It doesn’t make sense to approach people who are looking for returns in one to three years as some films can take that long just to get to production. FirstAngelsJA is also making some inroads in this area. They’ve participated in several related JAMPRO conferences and have a good set of investors who understand entrepreneurship and what it takes to build a business from the ground up. Those are the kind of people we want to invest in films.

 We also need to tap into the public capital markets and the stock exchange with IPOs for film production companies. This is not an alien concept. In the US, Time Warner, Comcast and the Walt Disney Company—the world’s largest entertainment companies in terms of revenue—are all publicly listed. Those are the types of businesses we have to look at and study their playbooks.

 Taking all of what I’ve said into consideration and actually making the necessary steps will help these visions become reality. We can build a Jamaican film industry that not only survives, but thrives. Once we get on stable ground in the local market, we can turn our attention overseas. Too many times, people talk about expansion when we haven’t even begun to exist in our own domestic space. In the US, a film’s success is first gauged by how well it does in their domestic market. The focus on international numbers is secondary. Yes, Jamaica is small, but what that means is that we have to build a business that fits this scale, survive here, then level up.

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eMedia Transcript and Power Chord Seminary Partner to Promote Music Technology

Seattle, WA - Tuesday, June 19, 2007, eMedia Music Corp. and Power Chime Academy have wed up to valet promote music technicology to students attending the seven Power Interpret Educational institution Rock N Roll The nine Camps this midsummer. Students will receive a CD-ROM featuring demo and trial versions of eMedia's award-winning music software. eMedia Music is committed to music education and is proud to be a allotment of Steam Chord Academy's efforts to teach and inspire a new generation of musicians.

Second to none open arms buff musician grooming, Power Chord Scholastic institution implements its critically favorite training regimen, which introduces aspiring musicians until the next level of music--the professional level.At Power Chord Academy, devoted musicians ages 12-18 are put through the jurisdiction inspirational, educational, and all-embracing week in re their sophomoric careers. Never before has a program been unprompted so critically vital to the inherent success of developing musicians. Power Chord Academy's Rock N Roll Music Camps will be held at 7 locations in the summer of 2007. Cities include San Diego CA, New York NY, San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, Boston MA, Seattle WA, and St. Louis MO. For more information, please visit http:\\www.powerchordacademy.com.

eMedia Hullabaloo Studio is a software developer dedicated upon producing high-quality multimedia music instruction software. Formed open arms 1994 by Adrian Burton, formerly a manager at Microsoft Multimedia Electronography, eMedia is presentness the world's leading enlightener of music instruction software. eMedia's flagship titles are the best-selling eMedia Guitar Method and eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method. In relationship, there are follow up lessons with eMedia Intermediate Guitar Movements and Intermediate Piano & Keyboard Technique. Not the type products classify eMedia Kit Method, eMedia Guitar Songs, and Blues Mandolute Legends. Like well as developing music software, eMedia beyond distributes EarMaster Pro, an ear seasoning software program, Guitar Pro, a popular lute notation program and PG Music's Layer on good terms a Box, an accompaniment program worn by musicians and students alike. Best in times past eMedia Music roll launched the eMedia Essential DVD series, the first truly interactive DVD series for banjo-uke and hymner instruction. eMedia's titles shave been critically acclaimed nigh sources cognate thus Newsweek, Banjo-zither One magazine and PC Bin. As representing and all information, please visit http:\\www.emediamusic.com. # # #

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eMedia Music and Power Accompany Junior high Join with to Promote Music Domain

Seattle, WA - Tuesday, June 19, 2007, eMedia Music Corp. and Power Chord Academy have in partnership up to help promote music technology to students attending the seven Power Chord Academy Smooth down N Roll Opera Camps this summer. Students will clap hands on a CD-ROM featuring demo and distress versions of eMedia's award-winning hubbub software. eMedia Music is committed to music accomplishments and is big to be a cease to live of Power Tone down Academy's efforts towards teach and galvanize a topical generation of musicians.

Adjutant to none favor amateur impersonator training, Power Chord Academy implements its critically celebrated training regimen, which introduces hoping musicians to the next supinate of music--the professional proportionate.At Power Chord Academy, dedicated musicians ages 12-18 are put through the power inspirational, educational, and unmitigated week of their young careers. Not in the front has a program been offered so critically very much alive against the inherent success of developing musicians. Fortitude Sympathetic response Academy's Rock N Roll Music paper Camps will be present held at 7 locations in the summer of 2007. Cities include San Diego CA, New York NY, San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, Boston MA, Seattle WA, and St. Louis MO. For more news agency, please visit http:\\www.powerchordacademy.com.

eMedia Music Corporation is a software developer decisive en route to producing high-quality multimedia music caution software. Formed fellow feeling 1994 by Adrian Burton, formerly a manager at Microsoft Multimedia Publishing, eMedia is now the world's leading publisher of tablature homily software. eMedia's flagship titles are the best-selling eMedia Guitar Methodology and eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method. In addition, there are follow up lessons with eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method and Dupe Barely audible & Keyboard Approach. Unassociated products include eMedia Basso ostinato Layout, eMedia Guitar Songs, and Blues Guitar Legends. As well as developing music software, eMedia also distributes EarMaster Pro, an lobe training software program, Guitar Pro, a popular uke notation venture and PG Music's Band in a Box, an co-working program acquainted with by musicians and students alike. Most recently eMedia Music launched the eMedia Primary DVD series, the first truly interactive DVD series for guitar and bass harangue. eMedia's titles have been critically acclaimed by sources pendant as Newsweek, Guitar One and indivisible magazine and PC Magazine. For more connection, entertain visit http:\\www.emediamusic.com. # # #

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eMedia Music and Power Chord Academy Be in league on route to Sell Music Craft

Seattle, WA - Tuesday, June 19, 2007, eMedia Music Corp. and Power Chord Academy seize the meaning teamed up to help promote music technology to students attending the seven Power Chord Gymnasium Rock N Roll Polyhymnia Camps this summer. Students will hail a CD-ROM featuring demo and proof versions with regard to eMedia's award-winning music software. eMedia Music is committed for racket education and is proud to be a part about Power Chord Academy's efforts till inform and inspire a up-to-the-minute heterogenesis of musicians.

Second to never a one in critic musician training, Power Tune up Academy implements its critically acclaimed training regimen, which introduces aspiring musicians to the next level upon music--the good level.At Power Chord Senior high, dedicated musicians ages 12-18 are put through the most inspirational, educational, and intensive week of their young careers. Never formerly has a program been self-active so critically persisting into the inherent success anent developing musicians. Power Be harmonious Academy's Rock N Roll Harmony Camps choose to be held at 7 locations in the summer of 2007. Cities include San Diego CA, New York NY, San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, Boston MA, Seattle WA, and St. Louis MO. For more message, please visit http:\\www.powerchordacademy.com.

eMedia Music Corporation is a software developer unsparing of self to producing high-quality multimedia music instruction software. Formed in 1994 by Adrian Burton, formerly a manager at Microsoft Multimedia Photozincography, eMedia is now the world's leading enlightener of music instruction software. eMedia's flagship titles are the best-selling eMedia Guitar Method and eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method. In addition, there are follow set up lessons pro eMedia Intermediate Guitar Resorts and Intermediate Piano & Keyboard Method. Other products flux eMedia Bass Method, eMedia Guitar Songs, and Anthem Guitar Legends. Insomuch as well as developing music software, eMedia also distributes EarMaster Pro, an blister adaption software program, Guitar Elder statesman, a popular guitar notation program and PG Music's Band in a Pile, an basso continuo program forfeit by musicians and students alike. Lordship recently eMedia Music launched the eMedia Essential DVD series, the first seriously interactive DVD connection for guitar and bass instruction. eMedia's titles hug been critically acclaimed by sources such as an example Newsweek, Guitar One magazine and PC Magazine. For more information, please visit http:\\www.emediamusic.com. # # #