The ‘Payola Pride’ effect – Part 2

Jamaican money
Jamaican money (Photo credit: Backstreet nomad)

Someone who is involved in the Jamaican music business, primarily as a promoter of new songs, once remarked to me that the wickedest thing someone can do to themself is tell themself a lie and believe it. He was referring to a vocalist who he had heard declare he was never involved in payola, but they were together in the promotion process when the cash was being handed out to media personnel in support of what became the all-important breakthrough song. I strongly suspect that it is not a unique or even unusual situation, as there is a version of payola pride that simultaneously mystifies and amazes me, which is the celebration of purchased publicity as genuine success.

It is fascinating to see someone move from aspiring entertainer to getting positive media coverage, having popular songs and making stage appearances, the process paid for under the table all the way, to publicly declaring themself a star and seeming convinced that it is a genuine, sustainable achievement. And the curious thing is that it works like the behaviour of many people who acquire wealth illegally, falling under the very broad title of ‘businessmen’, who do their best to be seen and heard wherever they go (and then complain bitterly that they are getting a ‘fight’ when the law cracks down on them). It is those who have the most to hide who try hardest to bring attention to themselves and, while it seems to work for a while, invariably it fades with spectacular abruptness.

The great thing for lawyers who represent said ‘businessmen’ regularly is that there is an endless supply of customers, for as one goes by way of prison, gunshot, getting hooked on their own product or relocating suddenly when the lawmen or younger blood out to make a name are closing in, here comes another. There is no great harm done, as the legal system needs wrongdoers in order to function, so life goes in as usual. However, it is not the case with Jamaican popular music. When someone who, by virtue of the sheer volume and content of our press coverage is signaled as being among the best of what the country has to offer, delivers a performance or puts out a record that falls way short of the expectations that were created, we, the media, have helped to diminish our standing in the very music we have created. This does not, I am sure, initially matter much to those performers who have a sense of pride in the payola they may have forgotten paved their path, or persons in their camp who are now making some money from the situation. But then comes the measure of external approval, which does not seem as easy to purchase. And that is the point at which there are bitter complaints about foreigners getting more out of Jamaican music than Jamaicans do.

Although my specific knowledge of payola is very limited (part one indicated many of the situations I have first-hand knowledge of), I know enough to recognize that Payola Pride – the celebration of mediocrity inflicted on the public through bribing music journalists and broadcasters – is a very real issue. So, when next you hear a tale of woe about cultural appropriation related to Jamaican popular music, ask yourself which performer we can suggest as a viable alternative to the foreigner who is being accused of poaching on Jamaican popular music. And, this is in terms of delivery, lyrics, quality of the music, song composition and even topic, not clothes and hairstyle and car which, like airplay and lavishly glowing write-ups, can be bought without demonstrating excellence. If you find yourself relying on patriotism to support an assertion that ‘dem tief we music’, you may consider if you really want to misplace your pride in a payola performer, but simply can’t bring yourself to do so.

Mel Cooke covered Jamaican entertainment as a print journalist for almost two decades, overlapping with his MPhil research on dancehall and experiential marketing with the Institute of Caribbean Studies, UWI, Mona, where he is now working on a PhD while lecturing in the Bachelor of Arts, Communication Arts and Technology (BACAT) programme at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Ja.).

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