Welcome to Music Matters: The Caribbean Edition

The podcast series featuring news, interviews and analysis of all the music from the islands.
Music business conversations with hosts Laura and Nigel focused on the Caribbean.

This podcast is not associated or affiliated with Music Matters on BBC3.

Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes here.

Episode 14:
The Soca Sessions #4: Soca in the Global Digital Marketplace

February 21, 2019 | 41 minutes
Laura and Nigel speak with UK-born Trinidadian music industry professional Keith Kirk about the prospects of soca in the global digital marketplace. Keith keeps it real and give a direct analysis of what is happening now and what has to be done.

Episode 13:
The Soca Sessions #3:Soca Management and Marketing

January 29, 2019 | 46 minutes
Laura and Nigel have a wide ranging discussion with Simon Baptiste, CEO of Question Mark Entertainment of Trinidad, and manager of Kes The Band among others, about the possibilities for the spread of soca music in the global marketplace.

Episode 12:
The Soca Sessions #2: Defining and Marketing Soca Globally

January 17, 2019 | 47 minutes
Laura and Nigel continue, in the The Soca Sessions, the conversation on what is soca and what needs to be done to increase global uptake. Music producers Martin 'Mice' Raymond and Keshav Chandradathsingh give input along with sound engineer Robin Foster on what still needs to be done.

Episode 11:
The Soca Sessions #1: What is Soca?

January 06, 2019 | 43 minutes
Laura and Nigel ask "What is soca? How is it defined?" In the first edition of our Carnival special The Soca Sessions we discuss soca, its roots and surprising similarities to today's trends with one of the rising producers in the artform and veterans who worked with the inventor of Soca, Ras Shorty I.

Episode 10:
Public Money, Commercial Music

November 8, 2018 | 39 minutes
Laura and Nigel have a candid conversation with Melissa Jiménez, General Manager of the Trinidad & Tobago Music Company Ltd., as a follow-up to the Live Music District in T&T episode. The State's track record on the new initiatives to incentivise the T&T music industry is reviewed.

Episode 9:
The Business of Calypso in the 21st century

October 16, 2018 | 40 minutes
Laura and Nigel chat with Meagan Sylvester of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation (TUCO) about the role and business of calypso in the 21st century. A modern perspective from an official source is given to identify a calypso renaissance both artistically and commercially, and the work being done towards that end.

Episode 8:
The New Breed: Soca 3.0

September 16, 2018 | 38 minutes
Laura and Nigel discuss this new generation's efforts at breaking soca and calypso into the international marketplace. They chat with artist/songwriter Jimmy October about his "New Calypso" and producer David 'Millbeatz' Millien about his "Caribbean Wave" as genres and new ways of defining Caribbean music.

Episode 7:
The Bajan Soca Industry

August 5, 2018 | 49 minutes
Laura and Nigel chat about the Bajan soca industry after the recent Crop Over on the island of Barbados. As a conclusion to the cycle of 2018 Caribbean Carnivals, they have a better overview of soca in the Caribbean. Includes a wide-ranging interview with legendary Bajan soca star Red Plastic Bag.

Episode 6:
A Conversation with Freetown Collective

July 12, 2018 | 41 minutes
Laura and Nigel sit down with Muhammad Muwakil and Lou Lyons of FREETOWN Collective to discuss their new album, Born In Darkness, and to chat about that album in the context of the modern music industry. As a bellwether of new full length album production in T&T, Muhammad and Lou explain how this project interacts with the current music ecosystem.

Episode 5:
The Live Music Industry in the Islands

June 16, 2018 | 40 minutes
Laura and Nigel discuss the state of the live music industry in Trinidad and Tobago in the context of the government's plan to create a Live Music District in Port of Spain to act as a tourism magnet for visitors to the island. The experience and results of the State's efforts are gauged to derive the roles of the private sector and the State sector in developing the industry.

Episode 4:
Caribbean music, broadcast and IP

April 14, 2018 | 41 minutes
Laura and Nigel chat about the reality of the slightly behind-the-curve business models and thinking about broadcast media and its role in distributing music and creating economic rights for artists, composers, producers and performers in the Caribbean.

Episode 3:
A Conversation with Josanne Leonard

March 3, 2018 | 36 minutes
Laura and Nigel chat with Josanne Leonard, regional music industry expert, on the music industry in Trinidad and Tobago with links to the wider Caribbean music industry and preferred strategies going forward in light of the ongoing state-dominated industry thrust toward its further development.

Episode 2:
The Globalisation of Soca

February 9, 2018 | 30 minutes
Laura and Nigel continue the discussion on the relative global spread of this music born in Trinidad. The wider international thrust by singers, DJs and producers from America, Europe and Africa to put the music on the same public consciousness as reggae and dancehall, for example, is considered.

Episode 1:
SOCA: A Caribbean Phenomenon

January 9, 2018 | 37 minutes
Laura and Nigel discuss the spread of soca music from its base in Trinidad and Tobago to encompass rhythms and musical cues from other islands in the Caribbean. Producers, singers and fans from all the islands make this music more than Trinidad Carnival music.

Show Hosts

Laura Dowrich-Phillips is the regional lifestyle editor at LoopTT and the premier entertainment reporter in Trinidad and Tobago.

Follow Laura at:

Nigel A. Campbell writes on music and the business of music. He is the founder of iRADIO.tt

Follow Nigel at:

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