Adapting to the New Entertainment Landscape
Navigating challenges and opportunities in Jamaica's evolving tourism entertainment industry
How international hotel brands are reshaping demand from resident bands to versatile solo musicians who master dining-friendly instruments for intimate, multi-venue performances.
The Shift from Resident Bands
With the advent of large international brands hotels, the need for resident bands have become less of a priority. Our entertainment product cannot exist without live bands but their residency has diminished. The opportunity that now exist however is that there is a higher demand for solo musicians as these hotels require small pockets of entertainment in multiple areas on their properties. The challenge is that musicians must take on the challenge to learn new instruments as strings and air instruments are more dining friendly and easier to creatively present than the popular instruments used to present our Reggae music.
Market Competition
Currently the niche is being filled by Cubans and Dominicans who claim to be companies even when they are the sole employee to said company. The other opportunity this provides for them is with loyalty of familiar language and birth place, they often obtain contracts which they then outsource at lower rates to the Jamaicans.
Cultural Challenges
We must sit in reality and create opportunities for what seem an atrocity. Foreigners taking over what was naturally Jamaican, Entertainment and Culture. It became easy when tourism was sold to dominantly Spanish investors, who seem to put their interest and likes ahead of the guests. They present their culture and preferred entertainment and treat Brand Jamaica, even though it is a way more internationally demanded brand, as a token courtesy.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
While the landscape presents significant challenges, these obstacles serve as catalysts for innovation and improvement in Jamaica's entertainment industry.
Building Resilience
But challenges are to make us stronger, so we must keep improving our brand Jamaica culture and entertainment to an undeniable international standard that must be engaged.
Training the Next Generation
Empowering Jamaican musicians with new skills and instruments to thrive in the evolving entertainment landscape
Innovation Through Education
ShowJam will be embarking for the next quarter to start a training camp for established Jamaican musicians to learn new instruments. We must not see lack of innovative spirit as a negative but we the innovators need to lead. With a centrally located space, new instruments and trained tutors; ShowJam is poised to take on this challenge of training.
