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Is reggae dying a slow death?
Davina Hamiltonr
CLOSING: Body MusicThe upcoming closure of north London record shop Every Bodies Music suggests that reggae music is suffering a serious decline
ONCE A popular music genre, particularly during the late 1960s and 70s when it found favour amongst the white working class, reggae music has seen a rapid decline in popularity in Britain.
The upcoming closure of record shop Every Bodies Music (formerly known as Body Music) - the famed store in Tottenham, north London, best known for its extensive collection of reggae music - has sparked concern amongst reggae enthusiasts, while the decline in the music's sales is further indication that the genre which began in Jamaica is suffering.
"Satellite television and Internet communication has had a dramatic effect on the type of music that's being made in Jamaica," says veteran reggae DJ David Rodigan. "Producers out there are hearing music from America and thinking that they can create the next Usher or Ne-Yo record. As a result, very little reggae is being made by young producers in Jamaica.
"There's also no longer any reggae industry the way there was before, in terms of CD manufacturing and 12-inch singles; all that is more or less gone. Dynamic Studios [in Jamaica] was one of the biggest reggae distributors and they closed down. I heard they even melted all the vinyl they had in their storerooms.
“Record sales are really poor and record shops are finding it hard to survive as a result. [Former west London record shop] Dub Vendor is now a café at the front and a small record store at the back.
“We’re now at the point where some artists are releasing their music for free. Tanya Stevens put her last album out on the Internet, and it was available via [German magazine] Riddim as a free supplement.”
Fitzroy Sterling, director of Every Bodies Music confirms that poor sales have contributed to the store’s forthcoming closure.
“We have seen a steady decline in sales over the last five years and it’s at rock bottom at the present moment,” he says. “With new technology, the younger kids can download the music they want and the older folks have got enough music already. As a result, people just aren’t buying music. That’s what’s led to the current situation with the store, though we won’t be closing for now.”
Reggae journalist John Masouri says that the sales figures for recent reggae releases make “grim reading.”
“The last SoundScan figures I saw were for July/August. Damian Marley and Nas [with their collaborative album Distant Relatives] were way out front with around 120,000 sales, while Busy Signal sold just 400 copies of his last CD and Gyptian sold12,000 – and that was with help from a US Billboard hit.”
Emerging British reggae artist Solomon, son of Aswad star Drummie Zeb, feels the genre needs to evolve.
“I think people feel that in order for reggae to be authentic, it needs to sound like it was made at Studio One 20 years ago,” he says. “I think that’s rubbish. Hip hop has changed, r’n’b has changed, and even dancehall has changed, but reggae, to me, is stuck in this old sound. I think that’s part of reggae’s problem – it’s not evolving.”
But while the statistics might not look promising, some feel the music is more popular than ever. Reggae star Damian Marley says: “Traditionally, reggae music isn’t a music that sells a lot of copies in terms of CDs, but live shows have been the source for most reggae artists’ revenue. And now that the music industry in general is going back to that live music element, it’s a great time for reggae because we already have a head start.”
Journalist Chris Salewicz agrees. The acclaimed author of Bob Marley: The Untold Story and last year’s Keep on Running: The Story of Island Records feels that reggae is in a good place.
“What is interesting is that although reggae shops may be closing in the UK and Europe, reggae has never been more popular. A few weeks ago I went to the Rototom reggae festival near Valencia, a phenomenal event that had over 130,000 people attend over the course of eight days. Sometimes I feel that because reggae first broke out in the UK, people here have become tired and blasé about it.
“However, reggae rhythms and dub effects are omnipresent in other artists' tunes, and in TV and radio ads. I think reggae has become so much of the mainstream in the UK that we hardly notice its existence.
Davina Hamiltonr
CLOSING: Body MusicThe upcoming closure of north London record shop Every Bodies Music suggests that reggae music is suffering a serious declineONCE A popular music genre, particularly during the late 1960s and 70s when it found favour amongst the white working class, reggae music has seen a rapid decline in popularity in Britain.
The upcoming closure of record shop Every Bodies Music (formerly known as Body Music) - the famed store in Tottenham, north London, best known for its extensive collection of reggae music - has sparked concern amongst reggae enthusiasts, while the decline in the music's sales is further indication that the genre which began in Jamaica is suffering.
"Satellite television and Internet communication has had a dramatic effect on the type of music that's being made in Jamaica," says veteran reggae DJ David Rodigan. "Producers out there are hearing music from America and thinking that they can create the next Usher or Ne-Yo record. As a result, very little reggae is being made by young producers in Jamaica.
"There's also no longer any reggae industry the way there was before, in terms of CD manufacturing and 12-inch singles; all that is more or less gone. Dynamic Studios [in Jamaica] was one of the biggest reggae distributors and they closed down. I heard they even melted all the vinyl they had in their storerooms.
“Record sales are really poor and record shops are finding it hard to survive as a result. [Former west London record shop] Dub Vendor is now a café at the front and a small record store at the back.
“We’re now at the point where some artists are releasing their music for free. Tanya Stevens put her last album out on the Internet, and it was available via [German magazine] Riddim as a free supplement.”
Fitzroy Sterling, director of Every Bodies Music confirms that poor sales have contributed to the store’s forthcoming closure.
“We have seen a steady decline in sales over the last five years and it’s at rock bottom at the present moment,” he says. “With new technology, the younger kids can download the music they want and the older folks have got enough music already. As a result, people just aren’t buying music. That’s what’s led to the current situation with the store, though we won’t be closing for now.”
Reggae journalist John Masouri says that the sales figures for recent reggae releases make “grim reading.”
“The last SoundScan figures I saw were for July/August. Damian Marley and Nas [with their collaborative album Distant Relatives] were way out front with around 120,000 sales, while Busy Signal sold just 400 copies of his last CD and Gyptian sold12,000 – and that was with help from a US Billboard hit.”
Emerging British reggae artist Solomon, son of Aswad star Drummie Zeb, feels the genre needs to evolve.
“I think people feel that in order for reggae to be authentic, it needs to sound like it was made at Studio One 20 years ago,” he says. “I think that’s rubbish. Hip hop has changed, r’n’b has changed, and even dancehall has changed, but reggae, to me, is stuck in this old sound. I think that’s part of reggae’s problem – it’s not evolving.”
But while the statistics might not look promising, some feel the music is more popular than ever. Reggae star Damian Marley says: “Traditionally, reggae music isn’t a music that sells a lot of copies in terms of CDs, but live shows have been the source for most reggae artists’ revenue. And now that the music industry in general is going back to that live music element, it’s a great time for reggae because we already have a head start.”
Journalist Chris Salewicz agrees. The acclaimed author of Bob Marley: The Untold Story and last year’s Keep on Running: The Story of Island Records feels that reggae is in a good place.
“What is interesting is that although reggae shops may be closing in the UK and Europe, reggae has never been more popular. A few weeks ago I went to the Rototom reggae festival near Valencia, a phenomenal event that had over 130,000 people attend over the course of eight days. Sometimes I feel that because reggae first broke out in the UK, people here have become tired and blasé about it.
“However, reggae rhythms and dub effects are omnipresent in other artists' tunes, and in TV and radio ads. I think reggae has become so much of the mainstream in the UK that we hardly notice its existence.
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