Copeland Rules Part 1
Generally, we at BACKAYARD have placed most of our collective focus on the entertainers on the stage while somewhat neglecting the people who work, with far less fanfare, assiduously behind the scenes to make sure that all the artiste/s needs are taken care of on the road. However for this issue, we sought out probably the most accomplished Tour Coordinator, Tour Manager, Road Manager and Personal Manager Jamaican music has ever seen, Mr. Copeland Forbes to explain what really happens when an act leaves our shores to perform for a foreign audience. After getting his initial introduction in the music business as a performer himself, with the Harmony Cats, Copeland parlayed that start into one of the most distinguished management careers in Jamaican popular music. From working with the likes of: The Wailers, Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear and Marcia Griffiths to the nowadays reggae superstars such as Luciano and Sizzla, Copeland has seen it all. A recipient of over 250 international awards for his contribution to Jamaica and reggae music, Copeland Forbes certainly has the gravitas to speak about any aspect of the Jamaican music business, past, present or future. So who better to regale us with tour stories and educate us about the business behind concert promotion and artiste bookings than ‘The Man of Many Hats’, Mr Copeland Forbes.
What do you think has happened to the allure of Jamaican music to overseas promoters and how do you think Jamaicans are viewed worldwide as business people?
You know what? This is the most alarming thing to date now. Alright, look we were looking at this video there now at ‘JapanSplash’. And the first thing unnu seh was “Look pon people.” This was all reggae groups, yuh nuh, and no foreign group. Reggae was pulling 80, 90 thousand people in Japan in those days. You know seh the top ten reggae groups in the world none of them are Jamaican, at this present moment. You have SOJA, Groundation, The Green, Katchafire I can go on and on and that is the most alarming thing that people don’t realise and understand. And you know why? Two things, I ascertain that to. Because I speak to the promoters around the world and ask them the same question and it marvel me when I am out there on the road and you see a group like Let’s Go Bowling, a ska group selling out the Greek theater with a top name reggae act as an opening act. You see a group like Katchafire, Groundation go a Brazil and yuh ask “What happen?” In the last 6 or 7 years there was an economic recession in the world and what promoters tell me is that the Jamaican reggae acts dem don’t seem to understand the business. You can’t be asking for those astronomical fees when they the promoters downsize the venue just to keep the event going, downsize ticket price just to keep the event going and you still asking for those big thousands of dollars. Asking for more than they are worth. More than even what the venue can pay. So even the promoter name Moss Jacobs who used to do the Bob Marley festival in California, him stop it. 2010 him seh to mi this is the end of it because the Jamaican artiste don’t understand business. All they want is big money and it is not there and after him do that him lock it off. The SOJAs and the Groundations understand business so they would take a low guarantee with a high percentage a lot of Jamaican groups you caan tell them that. I did it one time with Peter Tosh, we were playing in New York. Dem time deh $15,000 (USD) was good money in the ’80s.
Well that a good money now….
Yeah, but mi jus a tell yuh, compared to what people a get now. We were asking for that and the promoter seh him caan pay that and we seh ok we will take $10,500 small guarantee and a 70/30 split after a certain figure. We ended up making $25,000 more pon di $10,500 than if we took the $15,000 flat guarantee. And is because I understand the market and I understand that kinda ting. Most of our artistes today don’t understand percentage break point they only want to tell a promoter “Yeah, mi waan $10,000 or mi waan $20,000.” When yuh coulda seh gimme $7,000 and a 70/30 split. So when yuh look now yuh get 3 times, 4 times the amount…
It is like the movie deals some actors get….
Yes, you see what I mean. Because a lot of the present day managers don’t really understand some of those things and some of those managers are just friends and relatives of the artiste dem. They just want to be Mr. Yes man to artiste, they not going to look on the artiste and tell dem straight up “NO” or “Be practical.” Me manage an artiste name Peter Tosh and people used to wonder how I do it. Mi look pon Peter and mi tell him mi tell him plain and straight, yuh nuh, what the truth is whether him like it or not. Mi memba when we did World Music Festival and him lace di place wid bad word down deh because the P.A (Public Address) system bruk down. Him know seh mi upset and mi sit down inna di dressing room and him come round deh and seh “Wah dem seh mi do now?”. Mi tell him is alright man mi will talk to you and when wi reach back at the hotel mi and him one. Mi seh to him “Peter when yuh mek record yuh waan people buy it and you want people to warm to you and ting, nuh bodda wid the bad word ting.” The next show he did, Kingsley Cooper had a show called ‘Super Jam’ up a arena. Peter did a concert there him never even seh rathid pon di stage. People seh a di greatest show dem ever see the only thing was missing was the four letter words that they came expecting to hear, yuh know what I mean. So artiste will listen to yuh but yuh mustn’t be afraid to tell them the truth and be practical. But a lot of our managers now want to be the artiste friend but dem don’t realise that a good artiste will siddung one side when yuh give him advice and listen back to the things that you told him and find out seh yuh is a yes man to every likkle ting because yuh nuh waan lose the likkle position and yuh nuh waan lose yuh likkle 10% or 20%. So everything yuh tell dem yes, yes, yes, yuh see when the artiste siddung by himself and him start fi look through the ting dem. That is when everything come back to him. So one of my ting dem through the years is always be straight up with an artiste. The artiste is your best friend, it come in like yuh a him father and as mi seh him best companion so who else muss tell yuh the truth nuh yuh best friend. But I have seen it and that is what help damage a lot of the business. Every man want to make the artiste feel good that you a get the biggest money for him. So him seh “Yeah man, mi ask fah $25,000 fi yuh. Di man a come and seh $15,000, him mussi mad.” When if him did smart him coulda seh to the artiste “Hear wah now we a guh tek $12,500 vs a 70/30 spilt, right. So we get 70% over a certain figure.” I don’t know how unnu do fi unnu percentages but if this venue hold five hundred people, and is $20 each. Five hundred people at $20 each the most you can gross out of it is $10,000 at the gate. Yuh caan gross nuh more, so if the man seh him a gi yuh $7,000, memba him have advertising him have all kinda expenses fi pay. Tek di $7,000 and tek the 70/30 spilt and seh if yuh get anything over five hundred people. Lets say yuh get eight hundred people, eight hundred times $20 yuh get 70% of that. Yuh see what I mean, but a lot of people don’t understand these things. So it takes a good experienced person in a managerial position who can guide an artiste career and promoters around the world dem don’t even like deal with Jamaican artiste. They rather deal with a booking agent overseas. Because a lot of artistes get the deposit and don’t go and dem caan find dem. Last week I see supp’im on T.V with a certain artiste weh dem hol’ pon him inna Trinidad and haffi pay back money and all that someting deh. Look at it right now, I was managing John Holt right up to his death and right now there is a lawsuit coming at me for a deposit weh him get for a show inna Poland.
And you had nothing to do with that…
Yuh see and the ting about it, is that the artiste died so that money died. So I have to tell them wait until the estate is probated and they can get back the deposit from the estate. So it is a very responsible job yuh just have to let the artiste understand what the business is about.
Photos by Jik Rueben
Video by THE PHVRVOH
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