Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 2016 - 2017

TRADE & EXPORT HOT SPOTS

Brazilian musicians. By creating exchanges with an agency like BMX, national agencies can provide their country’s musical acts with a facilitated entry into the Brazilian market and access to Brazilian acts with which to forge alliances and partnerships. For those interested in electronic music, Porto Digital may provide an avenue to connect with the cutting edge of Brazilian talent. Over the next year, a constant stream of activities will present opportunities for Caribbean artists to perform in Brazil. Past Olympic Games have been used as an opportunity by many participating nations to create brand awareness

and to promote goods, services and culture. Lazabeam recounts a similar experience during the last Olympic Games. “During the month-long festivities, each nation will be bringing with it some sort of cultural contingent, whether by private or governmental sponsorship. I have experienced this in London during the Olympics, even being an envoy for my nation’s music at the Olympic Village.” He cautions, however, that these opportunities are best seized by both artists and promoters early, as a lack of proper publicity leads to an act only capturing local traffic.

With all the excellent music being produced in the Caribbean at the moment, and with the digital tools in place to allow musical acts to chart their own destiny, Brazil presents an opportunity that must be exploited. Useful Websites: Jus Now (soundcloud.com/jusnow) A.MA.SSA (soundcloud.com/amassa) BMX (bma.org.br/brmusicexchange) Porto Digital (portodigital.org/home)

Shyamal Chandradathsingh is the Vice President of Investor Sourcing at InvesTT Trinidad and Tobago. He is also a professional musician and audio engineer, having worked with many top shelf artists in Trinidad and Tobago. Having lived and worked in the United States, Canada, India and China, Shyamal has a wealth international experience and language skills which he brings to bear in his professional capacity.

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