Ministry Aloun Assamba - file

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Near the end of her address at the Palace Cineplex, Sovereign Centre, St. Andrew, yesterday morning, Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture Aloun Ndombet Assamba, referred to another meeting a few days earlier.

She noted that at that meeting, for the first time she heard people in the industry speaking out against payola.

Illegal or illegal

Payola is the practice of giving journalists and disc jockeys money or favours in exchange for favourable coverage and airplay.

"I heard somebody ask whether or not it is illegal and I held my tongue then," Assamba said.

On this occasion, though, she pointed out that "one thing we can thank Philip Paulwell (Minister of Industry, Technology and Commerce) for is the passing of laws that speak to competitiveness and fair competition". Assamba pointed out that under the Fair Trade Act there is the facility for dealing with the issue of payola.

"I would like to throw it back in your laps," Assamba said, referring to persons involved in the music industry. "If you think it is a problem, you deal with it. The government has set up the facilities for dealing with it," she said.

Those gathered at the Cineplex yesterday morning came for the launch of the Anti-Piracy Public Education Media Campaign, the curtains on the big screen rolling back for four 30-second spots that specifically addressed piracy of music, film, books and computer software. They will be shown on a number of Jamaican television stations, in Palace cinemas and by Starcom Barbados.

Carol Newman, who chairs the Jamaica Anti-Piracy Alliance, pointed out that in addition to the economic losses from piracy, "if we are not careful, creeping piracy will over time rob our nation of its indigenous culture and identity".

Assamba said that while she had heard it said "two TV ad cyaan do nutten", if it is true that lewd images and negative messages in the media have an impact, "we cannot say that positive images have no impact".

Paulwell pointed to estimates that the Jamaican economy could expand by 10 per cent if the country could capture all the earnings of reggae worldwide.

Death to piracy

And although the emphasis on the launch was on public education, Paulwell declared death to piracy, Assamba burned a fire on the practice and Superintendent Matthews of the Organised Crime Division of the police force expressed the lawmen's commitment to the fight against intellectual property theft and copyright breaches. He accepted a gift of computers and software to the Division to help in the effort.

Ronald Young, vice-chairman of JAPA, hosted the event, with Natalie Corthesy, senior director, Entertainment Policy, Entertain-ment and Culture Division, gave a comprehensive thank you.