PROBLEMS STEELBANDS FACE IN THE MECCA...

As we speak somewhere the leader of a steelband is trying to find the finances to equip his band for next panorama. Every time a steelband leave the yard there is a cost factor and this has nothing to do with paying players. It looks most steelbands are putting out more than they are bringing in.

How many steelbands are self sufficient, it seems like we have reach the point where someone has to look behind the scenes and find out how these bands operate.

I was told that only the arranger and tuner make money in a steelband, yet they look negatively upon the panist that play with more than one band.

Is anyone talking about the problems that steelbands face in the Mecca today?

There are some topics that has to remain in the fore-front, this is one.   

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  • Reposting comment :

    Reply by oswald alexander on August 20, 2015 at 10:11pm

    Cecil

    Small Band (60 players)

    57 bands competed ---- 10 in Final.....

    $400,000 1st

    $350,000 2nd

    $300,000 3rd

    4th - 10th - $100.000

    10% of Prize to PT

    --------------------------

    Expenses (60 players)

    Arranger = $30,000

    Tuner/s = $ 30,000

    20 contracted players = 500 x 3 rounds = $ 30,000

    Drummer = 4000 x 3 rounds = 12,000

    39 players = GROTT $1000.00 checks + ????

    Transport,refreshments,paint,T-Shirts and etc = 20,000

    Very conservative Approx Expenditure = $122,000

    Lets say band came 10th and receives $100,000 - PT 10% = $ 90,000

    Profit from venture: - $32,000 =  snowcone without ice.

    47 bands eh even get this far.

    Many have never failed at this task,because they have never TRIED......probably they are just wiser than those who do it,year after year after year.

    • odw, Donald Trump will say shut it down, the cost is too high to operate....................BUT?

      • Nuff respect to all those who have been making "snowcone without ice" year after year after year.

        • Claude,

          That’s not the reality I see happening, your comment “Plenty executives retiring from their high level jobs and shifting their energies to PAN. Doh talk about what is happening at UWI with PAN. And more and more millions being in pumped in from all directions.”

          1st Who are these executives that are coming into the pan movement to offer their expertise for PAN, what’s their track record?  Too Big to Fail concept has shown when money is thrown at organizations like “banks” to keep them afloat, the money is never used for the intended purpose. Look what the bail-out produced in the housing crisis, the “home-owners” saw very little from the billions awarded the banks, in fact the majority lost their homes.

          2nd UWI with PAN historically has shown the real beneficiaries of government funding for research and development for PAN are a few select individuals NOT the steel bands, follow the history….

          1973 thru 1977 Anthony Williams and "Bertie" Marshall was on the ( CARIRI ) projects UWI St Augustine, hard at work untill Mr Rudolph Charles showed up, Williams files of schematic diagrams and other documents started to disappear, and his work sabotage, he knew who it was when, a drum he was making for a piece by Johann Strauss called "Die Def ledmus" ? where a bat leave it's cave at night to feed, something like a "Vampire Bat" flapping it's wings sound came out of the drum with a cone shape end, the next thing Williams heard was that, Rudolph Charles had invented a "Rocket Bass", then Williams Quadrophonic diagram also disappeared, Williams went and told Dr Eric Williams what was happening and that he was leaving the project, that was when Dr Williams shut down the project, that was Y he shoot down "Bertie" Marshall idea of the Government funding another project, they had already done that”.

          “Ever since 2005 when the former PM Patrick Manning gave a mandate to Brian Copeland, Clement Imbert, Junia Regrello, to creat a new family of pans, based on the tenor pan, "But pans to be developed must be in the 4ths & 5ths model or the spider-web design, and it must be patented", Anthony Williams derived  the technology 1950 while in St James North Stars, developed it through the years, and Design, Patent, and Trademarked where Moral and Copyright is automatic upon registration on  the 18th September 1963, so they have already "Willfully Infringed", where they knew that it was already Internationally Patented in T&T, so they went to the US, revoked the Trevor King 2002 patent, implementing tampering and interference where U cannot revoke a patent that IS NOT your own, who had also infringed said technology not knowing that it had been Copyrighted through the US Library of Congress WashingtonD.C., at this  present time a US Supreme Court Indictment is in progress for INFRINGMENT, which seems as a decoy, as this infringement was not about the instrument's technology it self, but instead it was about MONEY, $81.5 million US dollars total.

          The pans was used  as a "Camouflage or Laundry Soap to launder the money, "where the former AG Ramlogan disclose $34.5 million in NEWSDAY Newspapers page 3 Saturday July 9th 2011,  headlined "We are instructed  that you have wrongfully registered the patent jointly in your name and that of others",   we at SNSE was the one's who corresponded /disclose said  proof to the AG's office, and the October 2014 budget disclosed. $4.7 million every year since 2005, totaling to date $81.5 million US of pan people dollars, plus the countries highest award the ROTT”.

          We all know WHAT HAPPENS when lawyers get involve in the litigation process. Pan still suffering in T&T

          Source , Juanitto Jordano Jorda'ninho

           

           

          • Sir, please engage in sensible discussion and stop writing crap.  Not relevant at all

            • Sir,

              Please help me engage in sensible discussion. What's your definition of sensible and crap? What is relevant?

              Much respect.

      • Cecil: Yuh hear about all dem big corporations in America that they describe as TOO BIG TO FAIL. Well, my brother, PAN IS TOO BIG TO FAIL. Especially now in Trinidad where Dick, Tom, Harry and Jane jumping on the bandwagon. Plenty executives retiring from their high level jobs and shifting their energies to PAN. Doh talk about what is happening at UWI with PAN. And more and more millions being in pumped in from all directions.

        Steelbands will come and steelbands will go but the STEELBAND MOVEMENT will FOREVER GROW.

        Speaking about growing!!!! Since you are the MAN IN CHARGE on this FORUM see if you could arrange for WST to do an interview with ANSEL JOSEPH (aka Charlene Lusk) so that he can tell the world about WEST COAST PAN.

  • I’m a disciple of economist Lloyd Best, he believes Pan Yards should become economic centers within their communities, without a sense of business thinking and strategic planning they are left to continue their dependence on government and sponsors for financial assistance.

                                                                            
    The promotion and marketing of steel band events to provide some year round employment for pan musicians should be coordinated between Pan Trinbago and other government entities. I believe now is the time for all stake holders to come up with solutions to address these problems. I’m sure the recently concluded International Conference and Panorama will have papers to provide a start.

    • odw, we have too many Historians and too little Visionaries.

      • Permit me to add here that Massy All Stars don't seem to have the problems other bands do, I wonder why?

        THIS IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE SAYING IT CAN"T BE DONE, WATCH SOMEONE DOING IT.

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