I have been called old many times by my younger colleagues. They think it a poke in my rib. I see it as a compliment. Unlike them, I have lived in one era, I am living in the current and can therefore compare the two. My memories of the past are definitely richer than the reality that exists today. I can lean in many directions with this decree. I will, however, focus on our Soca music which prevails daily as the Carnival season ensues. Frankly, the music is generally in a mess and needs help. The advertising industry is a good place to summon the cavalry.
“Awful Sameness” vs Product Differentiation
One of the first things that we learn in advertising is to differentiate our clients’ products from others. We need to focus on that unique selling point which will make product X stand out against product Y resulting in increased market share. This is not the case with much of the offering from both the veterans and the up-and-coming Soca artists today. Yearly, the lyrical content is focused on a wine, a wave, a chook, or the not so clever sexual songs with the unimaginative double entendre which is more like “single entendre” to me. Then there is that tragic trend adopted from Jamaica of riding the rhythm. Here the producer comes up with a catchy rhythm then several singers “put down” their song on this same rhythm. The unwise thought by the singers wishing to make it on the Soca scene is that they could piggy back on the rhythm which one of the big name artists have made popular. My experience with this is that when I hear the rhythm, I think that it is the song that I like and mentally plan to “brok out” until the singing starts and I realise that it is “that other song that I don’t like that much.” I find this extremely annoying. Over the last few years, I found the Soca swill so full of sameness that I have stopped going to the fetes. If some of these singers desire longevity and by longevity I mean even right after the Carnival season, they need to borrow a page from us in the marketing field.
Variety is the Spice of…
When I was growing up, Soca was burgeoning so there was a healthy mixture on the airwaves of the traditional Calypso and the new kid on the block. The styles, themes and personas varied. I candidly remember Maestro’s futuristic “Six Million Dollar Man”, Rose’s prophetic “Her Majesty”, Shadow’s incorporeal delight “Bassman”, Valentino’s exploration of the human condition with “Life is a Stage”, Maestro’s historical documentation of Hasely Crawford’s 1976 Olympic win with “Gold”, Kitchener’s proud tribute to Penny with “Miss Universe”, Explainer’s sacrifice of romantic love for his love of culture in “Lorraine” and so many more gems which live on years after their first release. The compositions were wide and varied. Some were fast, some were slow. We reflected with some, and we danced to others. Each performer had a unique voice and a unique image which separated them, making the field dynamic and rich. Like in the world of business in which we in advertising co-exist, each one of the greats I mentioned provided a variety of choice to the public. Not so with today’s Soca.
If the Soca arena was like the business world, it would be as though there were several fast food outlets in the city with the majority selling two pieces of chicken and fries. Each competitor’s meal comes in the same shaped box with the same colours and design. This is a very bland landscape. The one who will succeed will obviously be the one with a difference. If the majority of our Soca practitioners had an advertising mindset, then the music would be richer and both performer and listener would benefit greatly.
So, to my younger counterparts, I am fortunate. I can reminisce and I can’t be duped.
26 January, 2011, 5:48 pm
I certainly share those sentiments having also experienced old and new era music……. It seems that faster the music gets, the less substance is there within. There are so many topic about the globe that can be incorporate into our artistic expression yet these so call “Artistic Educators” chose to resign to wine,jam and the lateest craze-SEX…………They should really take a page out of advertising world because we fed up with the chicken and fries…………….
26 January, 2011, 6:44 pm
Please remember it shows not only what is going on within the music industry. It is a reflection of the inability of the education system to help people to think. Additionally, some are saying soca is evolving , well I can say it should be classified as degenerating. Until we can get writers who can think out side of the box then and only well will soca be taken seriously. Besides the repetition , image management is another major problem in the industry. If you look at Singing Sandra, Sugar Aloes , Machael Montano, Iwer George etc, they have all been looking the same for the past God knows how long. he industry needs to be over hauled and no one can deny that.
27 January, 2011, 1:22 am
Great blog EBAR – I enjoyed reading it thoroughly and compliments to your writing style which had me engaged from start to finish. I consider myself really lucky, being born into an extremely musical family. Although you may have a few years on me (cough) I still appreciate the musical styling of the past and enjoy listening to the “old time” calypso and soca from my father’s time to this day. Every night of life (and this is still very true today) my father played the pan (double tenor) which accompanied a pre-recorded track. Songs like “Jeane and Dinah” “Yellow Bird” “Ah lizard crawl up she dress and disappear” “Congo Man” etc.. resonated throughout our house. These songs are so legendary, each tell a story on their own and still hold strong to this day. It really is very sad that these relics in music history have not transgressed into the new generation but rather, de-volved into the “chook and wine” sessions we have today.
27 January, 2011, 12:25 pm
29 January, 2011, 3:25 am
Is it an ad agency that soca needs?… or does soca really need a new manufacturing plant. Advertising cannot save a bad product, in fact, it can hasten its demise by creating more interest for something sub-standard. And who says soca needs help any way? What happened to market forces? Maybe the market like easy wine and jam hooks and don’t want complex narratives. Either way I don’t think it’s an advertising thing. I think it’s a product thing. Some think the current is garbage. Some love it. There is no wrong answer.
31 January, 2011, 2:08 pm
Er…this piece is figurative. It implies that if Soca uses the differentiation approach that is applied in advertising, then the product would be much better. As for “the market like easy wine and jam hooks and don’t want complex narratives,” that’s simply making excuses mediocrity.
1 February, 2011, 2:46 pm
Maybe I misunderstood the blog- but it seems to me that, the writer was simply suggesting that the soca fraternity needs to adopt an approach similar to that of an advertising agency where one of the main aims is to have its client products and services be easily recognised, distinguished and therefore stand out from that of its competitors thereby setting the stage for an improved culture, filled with variety, individuality, uniqueness etc…… rather than an “awful sameness.”