For the first time in 30 years, the man who bears the dark stage name of Shadow will not contribute a single new recording to Carnival celebrations.
Shadow, real name Winston Bailey, said he has had enough of the high levels of piracy allowed to flourish on the streets and was consequently withholding any new releases as a form of protest.
?It?s an international problem,? Bailey said during a telephone interview yesterday.
?We make CDs and everybody else sells it and we get nothing.?
The former calypso monarch said he had reached a point where he felt it was a waste of time and money to invest in recordings.
?Nobody can?t do anything to stop piracy,? he said.
?I know that, but no attempt is being made to stop those thieves who sell the music on the street.?
Earlier this month at the Copyright Organisation?s annual music awards ceremony, CEO Cristophe Grant said he was disappointed at the lack of support from local law enforcement officers for Cott?s fight against piracy.
?We will continue to wage a relentless war and keep a vigilant watch on the pirates that hawk our wares on the streets of the nation,? he said.
Yesterday, Grant said that position had not changed.
?Only a small core of police recognise piracy as an offence,? he said.
?There is need for increased public awareness of the offence.
?People might say a man selling burned CDs trying to make an honest dollar?but how could breaking a law be a form of honesty??
Bailey said in his 2004 selection, Sing Boy Sing, he took an ironic look at the piracy situation.
?That song was about a young man entering the music arena and realising everyone eating off his work and he starving,? he said.
?I was then saying to him just keep singing, ?cause you have nothing to get.?
However, Bailey said he had grown weary of highlighting the problem in hope of redress.
?I feel confused,? he said.
?Is only a set of talk and no action.
?Everybody have my head confused.?
?Boy, when I hear that I just get a bad feeling,? he said.
?I say, boy, take a rest.?
However, Bailey said he has not ruled out the possibility of appearing in a calypso tent during the season.
?I really don?t know at this stage. I might, you never know,? he said.
Minister of Legal Affairs Danny Montano said yesterday that he was disheartened to learn of the stance taken by Shadow.
?It?s a loss to the festivities, the country and to Shadow himself,? Montano said.
He said an amended version of the copyright bill was recently approved by Cabinet and was soon to go before Parliament.
?The problem with the legislation was, once one is held with pirated material, every single song pirated along with the artiste has to be recorded in order to charge the offender.
?Just imagine someone being held with 10,000 pirated CDs with ten songs on each CD,? Montano said.
?That?s 100,000 songs and artistes the arresting officer has to document.?
Montano said he hoped Shadow and other local artistes would take heart at the knowledge of the impending revised legislation.
?I really hope he would rethink the situation and I want all our artistes to know the Legal Affairs office is on their side,? he said.
