Trinidad and Tobago Music Company

MusicTT

Agency overview
Formed	2014
Jurisdiction	Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Headquarters	47 Long Circular Road, St James
Parent agency	CreativeTT, Ministry of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago
Website	http://www.musictt.co.tt/

The Trinidad and Tobago Music Company Limited (MusicTT) was established in 2014. As a subsidiary of Trinidad and Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited (CreativeTT), MusicTT’s mandate is "to stimulate and facilitate the business development and export activity of the music industry in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth."^[1] As such, MusicTT provides industry-wide strategic and action plans toward the development of the music industry as well as guidance and access to music education and capacity development.

MusicTT and Economic Diversification

The government has identified the music industry as one of three pioneering sectors that are pivotal to long-term economic sustainability because of dropping prices of oil and gas, Trinidad and Tobago's main export. The other two sectors identified for development are fashion and film. ^[2] To permanently implant T&T’s musical talents in international circles, MusicTT’s has established an online music showcase featuring local artists. This showcase promotes and exposes the world to Trinbagonian musical creativity.

Projects/Initiatives

Songwriting and Production Camp

MusicTT’s Song Writing and Production Workshop gave Trinidad and Tobago’s creative practitioners access to international markets and the opportunity to build capacity to an international standard. Participants obtained knowledge of international best practices in an interactive, hands-on workshop while familiarizing international music industry professionals with up and coming Trinidad and Tobago artistes, songwriters and producers. Entertainment Management Quarters Limited led by their CEO Mr. Simon Baptiste was awarded the tender for the Provision of the Design, Facilitation and Delivery of an Advanced Song Writing and Production Camp. They contracted Grammy-nominated team, Weirdo Workshop, inclusive of CEO/songwriter/vocalist Claude Kelly, co-CEO/producer/musician Chuck Harmony as well as their sound engineer Michael Piazza and their creative director Evan Vogul. Weirdo Workshop gave an assignment of producing a song which will be submitted for potential placement in commercials, movies or for a signed artiste.

Music Publishing Camp

Held in 2015, this workshop educated participants on the functions of a music publisher, the income sources possible for a song (inclusive of getting songs into commercials, movies/films and to signed artists), the art of intellectual property exploitation and licensing, collaborations & remixes, song quality checklists, the role of performing rights organizations in publishing and access to the international music industry. Facilitators for this workshop include Marcus Spence, Senior Vice President A&R, Mosley Music Group LLC; Sean Mulligan, Vice President, Film, TV & Media, Rock Steady Music; Vivian Barclay, General Manager, Warner Chappell Music Publishing and Jennifer Beavis, Director Publishing, Copyright & Royalty Administration, BMG Chrysalis.^[3]

Music IP Valuation Workshop

This workshop explored the basic concepts of how to protect Intellectual Property and methods used in the valuation of intellectual property with regards to music, and the true collateral value of a song and its artist(s) when approaching investors. The feature speaker was entertainment attorney, Carla Parris, who has operated as a consultant for World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) projects and participated in over twelve local and regional conferences in the areas of Intellectual Property law and the creative sector. Heather Baldwin-Mc Dowell, Intellectual Property and Public Relations Practitioner, was a guest speaker.

General Manager of MusicTT, Jeanelle Frontin, emphasized the pressing need for this workshop. “There are two major challenges that must be overcome locally: firstly, there needs to be a cultural shift towards valuing the written word over the spoken word and secondly, people need to intimately get to know what they don’t know about their intellectual property rights. Why? Because the majority of music revenue can only be accessed through the leveraging of those IP rights, and half the battle is having those rights put down in black-and-white,” Frontin explained.^[4]

Songwriting, Production, Mixing and Mastering Workshop

This four-day workshop covered the four important elements within the music industry.

• Songwriting - the basics of songwriting (from melody to lyrics to arrangement); tips for demos; how to collaborate; tips for getting your songs heard and placed; understanding publishing deals.
• Production – importance of the type of equipment being used; how to create your song structure (layout and drops); basics of production; how to set up your studio; how to craft what an artist needs.
• Mixing – the basics of being an audio engineer and the daily routine; the anatomy of a great mix; Pro Tools routing; how to communicate with clients; how to market and brand yourself as a music professional.
• Mastering - understanding of the tools and techniques involved in mastering for electronic productions of all kinds; business knowledge for electronic music producers, self-producing artists, composers for visuals, songwriters, engineers, producers, and hobbyists.

Facilitators included Michelle Bell, Singer-songwriter and Record Producer, Kobalt Music Group; 88-Keys, Grammy Award-winning producer, Keys Open Doors LLC; Dana Shayegan, Vice President of Music at the premium content network, Studio71; IRKO, Multi-platinum Award winning audio engineer, Audio Nutrition LLC and Jeremy Harding, 2 Hard Studios.^[5][6]

Open Call for Proposals

In 2015, music industry stakeholders were invited biannually to submit proposals that fit into any of the following categories: build capacity for individual local music stakeholders; build community/capacity of the entire Trinidad and Tobago music ecosystem or facilitate international exposure of local music stakeholders.^[7]

National Strategic Action Plan

MusicTT is currently working with UK-based consultants Sound Diplomacy to develop a national strategic action plan for the music industry of Trinidad and Tobago. Sound Diplomacy is the leading global advisor on music cities and market development and as strategists for cities, developers, large private sector organisations and governments, Sound Diplomacy provides research and market expertise in increasing the value of the music and music business economies in state, city, region and development plans.

The plan, which is estimated to be completed by April 2017, aims to guide the future direction of the local music industry consistent with the needs of the country and provide Trinidad and Tobago’s music industry with a competitive advantage. It seeks to uncover penetrable areas in the international market, guide the sales, marketing, distribution efforts and generate revenue for local talent.^[8][9]

References