50% LOCAL CONTENT IN RADIO & TV IN T&T

At present the Creative & Cultural Sector of Trinidad & Tobago earns about $1.9 billion for the local economy. The Artists' Coalition of Trinidad & Tobago (ACTT) believes that this sector can earn over $6 billion annually within 4 years if certain programmes are implemented. One of the most important of these interventions is the passing of 50% local content quotas on all Broadcast media in this our 50th year of Independence. 50/50- or 50 for 50!

In March 2001 the Recording Industry Association of Trinidad and Tobago (RIATT)- an organisation representing the interests of individuals and entities involved in the recording of all genres of local music, organised a march in downtown Port of Spain, to protest the lack of airplay for locally produced music. In 2003 and 2004 marches followed led by the Entertainment Industry Coalition- the original name for ACTT. Since the 1970s strong articulate lobbies existed for local content in television led by advocates such as Christopher Laird of Banyan and Fred Thornhill of Advance Dynamics. To date, various cultural activists and Interest groups have consistently pleaded for 50% local content- to no avail.

These protests articulated the need to pass local content quotas- just as countries such as Canada, Brazil, France and Northern Ireland have done to protect their cultural identity and products. Most countries in the world now are passing local content legislation and making it the foundation of the building of their Creative Industries- the 2nd largest industries in the world, worth trillions. We are certain when local content legislation is passed in Trinidad and Tobago, it will foster an economic and creative Renaissance- as well as strengthen our cultural sovereignty and national pride.

One of the principal misconceptions faced by the cultural fraternity is what constitutes 'local content'. Many believe we are asking to have legislation passed for radio stations to play ‘wine and jam’ music all day long. On the contrary, local content is not limited to only indigenous musical forms such as soca, chutney, parang, rapso, calypso and so on; but includes other genres of locally produced music such as hip hop, rock ,r n b, pop, jazz and gospel to name a few. There is more than enough quality music recorded in all these genres to fulfill any radio playlist...

Local content legislation will also provide the opportunity for increased revenue collected by Local Copyright Management Organisations (CMO’s). The greater part of this revenue collected from broadcasters will remain within the local economic system rather than be exported to owners and creators of foreign content. This will subsequently lead to an Increase in royalty distribution to local artistes.

Increased paid content in local TV and film will also result in downstream expansions in local theatre, fashion, visual arts, and other forms and be the arrowhead of exporting our Creative Industries to the world. The local Oil and Gas sector has local content quotas and the architectural and consulting sectors are also battling for local content in their sectors as well.