Trinidad's [and Caribbean] music not adequately classified on international media players, compilation charts or download sites

 No appropriate ‘genre’ classifications for kaiso /calypso, chutney,soca music nor even our steel pan  

Try looking up your favourite calypso/soca or chutney artist. Feel homesick for some steel pan music and you will discover that many of the top international download sites and media players don’t have Trinidad’s music appropriately classified or for that matter classified at all.  So you want to create an mp3 or mpeg video file. Try classifying them in Winamp or or many other media players. Check out if you will, music and download sites for Trinidad’s soca or chutney music. Your options are to search for them under ‘World Music’, ‘Dance’ or ‘Reggae’ – which Soca is not !! Calypso has been around at least 50 years before reggae. Interestingly we can find the genre ‘Reggae’ on all the internet download sites. Thank you Bob Marley! 

So what exactly are top Tourism Ministry and Copyright officials in Trinidad doing about correcting this situation?  Obviously nothing that has yielded results as yet. We are great at handing out annual awards, promoting T&T Carnival abroad and representing artists’ ‘rights’ but apparently not so good at classifying the genre that is Calypso, or Chutney, Parang, Soca etc., so that the visitor that has bought a local CD at Piarco or at his favourite European music store can look up more from Trinidad on the many internet sites offering music and videos. Think about the youngster in Australia, India or China discovering for the first time our Culture. How does he ‘tune in’ to ‘Rapso’ or ‘Pan Jazz’  or any of our other music ‘genres’ if he cant look them up or download them ? 

Here are some of Trinidad’s Music categories not (appropriately) represented on media players and download sites  

Calypso / Kaiso

Chutney

Soca

Steel Pan

Pan Jazz

Rapso

Parang

Tassa

Classical Pan

[Caribbean] Folk Music

Etc. Etc.  

Trinidadculture.com is championing the movement to have our local and Caribbean music correctly and appropriately classified on international websites, compilation charts and media players.

Our contribution in the Caribbean to the world music scene is unparalleled. That is the challenge for local and international ‘movers and shakers’ of the music and culture business interested in promoting Trinidad and Tobago’s [and the Caribbean’s] legacy to the world. 

Remember, before you can be recognized as a serious art form you need to be identified!

 Trinidadculture.com    ‘ … Is We Self ‘         .