AFTER an almost five-month process, four methods of evaluation, and three days of waiting (subsequent to my final assessment) I have joined a world of creatives to lead the business effort that ensures greater financial benefit to songwriters, composers and music publishers.
As a number of persons throughout the region are aware, I am the relatively new CEO at the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organization (ECCO Inc.) and these past 42 days have been as much of a lesson in the Caribbean psyche as it has been about the music industry.
My business profile is readily available on LinkedIn, so I thought it would be beneficial to share some more personal information and perspectives with you.
I am from a creative and musical family in which the best known of us is Jason C Joseph—one of St. Lucia’s former Calypso Kings. (And I confess, for introduction purposes, being his brother does make my job a whole lot easier…)
Over the years, I have penned a number of songs — persuading my melodies to fit within the limited chord progression that I knew. I had “discovered” that I had the talent to direct the flow of thought and emotion with well-crafted phrases after one very talented and dedicated Trinidadian musician,
Maureen Clement randomly selected me to write a Summer Camp song. Since then, I have tried to immortalize a few songs by visiting the studios of T.C. Browne, Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson and the late Francis ‘Leebo’ De Lima… (I would love to draw on simplicity and say, well, somehow, it just didn’t work out…)
My single aim for attempting to record those songs was to generate experience I could draw on as part of my intended venture into Talent Management. That was many years ago. Recently, though, I have analyzed the reasons for my failure and they were following:
1. It was only a peripheral dream that I could forego for more “serious” endeavours if push came to shove; 2. I was clueless of the process — as to what it took to make that dream happen; 3. I was missing financial and professional support– someone like a producer; and 4. I was unable to secure the collaboration of more established singers that I needed to be part of my dream.
In looking back, I can clearly see that it was not my calling to gain any luster as a recording artiste —not with nerves that altered the quality of my vocal renditions and certainly not when I would sway off track — even with my own songs — if not heavily subsidized by the music.
I would later discover that my true calling would be to create symphonies from disparate and parallel ideas (whether channeled through faint or loud voices, dramatic or dissenting articulations) for the overarching purpose of producing a shared master that is bigger than any single motive or collection of voices.
It is amazing how we instinctively know what we want to do, but the ‘how’ commonly eludes us. I have always wanted to make a contribution to St. Lucia, the Caribbean — and why not, the planet!
I do confess: I thought this would have come from my aspirations to one day become Prime Minister.