Many producers have been claiming the limelight in the music business locally, yet there are still countless others who remain behind the scenes.
Stephen McGregor, Don Corleon, DASECA and Baby G have been hailed in the most popular songs, thus ensuring that their names are first and foremost recognised as rhythm producers.
However, there are some producers like dancehall artiste Demarco who has not fully established himself as a rhythm creator but has been making many rhythms for other people to claim as their own.
“I don’t sell the rhythm to them (other producers). I get the publishing rights. More time yuh can’t do everything fi yuhself, yuh haffi spread di thing. Dem might be able to voice somebody that you can’t,” said Demarco.
He added, “Dat mek yuh name get out there. When di producers put out things an’ mek it reach far, yuh get the credit.”
He says he has done rhythms for other people in the industry. He did the ‘Mission’, ‘Supercharge’ and ‘Gang War’, rhythms for Baby G. Gang War features Mavado’s The World Is Mine and ‘Supercharge’.
Demarco has also done rhythms for Jam 2 like ‘Sidewalk University’ which features Vybz Kartel’s Beyonce Wine as well as ‘Splash Out’ and ‘Blood City’ rhythms. He has also done the ‘Shoot Out’ rhythm for John John.
In addition, he did the ‘Warning’ rhythm for Shane Brown of Juke Boxx Productions. It features Demarco’s Sort Dem Out, Mavado’s Money Changer and Bounty Killer’s Dem Nuh Bad; along with Busy Signal’s single Unknown Number.
For those to whom he has sold rhythms, Demarco says the prices vary.
“It depends on what purpose. For big labels in the US (United States) yuh haffi deal wid it different. Like a local company a 2 or 3 grand (US dollars),” said Demarco who produced his single Fallen Soldiers and Busy Signal’s Wine Pon De Edge.
Serani of DASECA Production said the group has sold rhythms because people want rhythms from them and that is another way of making money. They sold ‘Wipe Out’ rhythm to Danger Zone and ‘Gully Creature’ rhythm, which features Mavado’s Touch The Road, to Foota Hype.
Despite selling the rhythm, DASECA maintains publishing and musician rights to it.
When asked about the price the rhythms are sold for, fellow producer Serani said, “Yuh pushing it now”.
Shane Brown says he has also bought rhythms but he does not sell rhythms. However, he is occasionally hired to produce songs for other artistes.
“Different people have different vibes and different concepts. As a producer, artiste manager (For Busy Signal) and engineer sometimes with the amount of work that comes in I can’t produce so much,” Brown told THE STAR.
When he buys the rhythms he says those who create them still get their publishing and writer’s rights.
Like Shane Brown, Adrian Locke of Truckback Records says he does not sell rhythms.
“We don’t do it as practice. Many Japanese producers want to get the real Jamaican beats so they would come here. I would produce the track for the artiste and they would put it on their album,” said Adrian whose Truckback Records produced the ‘Gearbox’ rhythm which featured Erup’s Click Mi Finger.
He added, “If I am to sell a beat it means that I sell my royalties, unless we work out something with them for the royalties like composership rights.”
Source: JamaicaStar
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