In the aftermath of Usain Bolt's 'gully creeping' after his 200m victory at the Olympics in Beijing, THE STAR carried a story in which dancer Ice complained that he has not been getting his just rewards for the popular dance. He said that while deejay Elephant Man has been profiting greatly from the song promoting the dance, he has not.

Of course, Ele gave his point of view and the cass cass continues.

It is, of course, not an unusual scenario, where the creator of something does not get his or her just rewards for their intellectual property. In fact, it also happens in other spheres of life; the farmer sells cheaply to a middle man who then puts a huge mark-up on the item and sells it back to the public. Did the middle man put a single seedling into the ground? Not at all.

As popular as the Island Records albums are, from the 1972 Catch a Fire through to the posthumous releases, including Confrontation, I have read more than one account of Bob Marley itching to finish his contract with Blackwell so that he could strike out on his own and cut out the middle man. In fact his sons, notably Stephen with Mind Control, said that it was their father's ambition to own his work totally and also distribute it. In other words, he wanted complete control of his creative endeavour and the financial returns from it.

They have, in large part, fulfilled that dream for themselves.

A few years ago, another man who travelled the Studio One through to Island Records route like Marley, Burning Spear, announced that he was embarking on a project to buy the rights to all his work. Recently, it was announced that he has almost finished doing so. Now, Spear is not a youngster, and he is not short of concert appearances, touring constantly and earning from it. But he wants the rights to his music so he can have control and earn more.

So that he can cut out the middle man.

Self-marketing

How does all this relate to Ice and the 'Gully creeper?' Next time he creates a dance he should not wait on a deejay to make it popular in song. He should get a song written and recorded by someone he chooses. Even if it does not hit, when the hugely popular one comes out he can piggyback on it and make everyone know that he is the originator. And the understanding would be that he would travel and dance with the performer.

In addition he (and all dancers) should keep the name of the dance to themselves until they release the entire package. Instead of going to various dances and giving away their creativity for a quick hype, they should hold a press conference and release a dance, a video and a song, one time.

I know this will sound ridiculous to some, but this is just what is done with an album or a book, or when an event is being launched. They are all creative endeavours.

It is time the dancers stop looking to hype up in front of the camera and make a business out of what they do.