Allegations of Corrupt Producers.

Thursday 17th December 2009

The Recording Industry Association of Trinidad and Tobago (RIATT) support some of the statements made by the Artiste Bunji Garlin that suggests there are unethical and questionable activities within the Music Industry that has to be addressed. We admire his initiative in publicly addressing his concerns regarding the lack of proper industry protocol.

However we are hesitant to support the allegations made by Mr. Garlin that some music producers are somewhat corrupt and greedy. This is a serious issue of contention, one that requires professional arbitration to determine who the real victims are. This situation sets the stage for dialogue to begin among industry stakeholders.

Local producers should not remain silent on this matter and should see this as a wakeup call to be proactive and form themselves into an organization to advocate for proper agreements between record producer and artiste that are in keeping with successful international models.

In our professional opinion, the real challenge here is clarifying and defining ownership of recordings. The point of view that a receipt of payment entitles one to full ownership of master recordings is a misconception that needs to be rectified.
We would like to see a continuous harmonious business relationship among producers and artistes alike and are ready to be actively engaged in any further initiatives to this effect.

For further information contact:
Fabien Alfonso
Email: info@riatt.org
1-868- 707-0400