Last week we told you how Belize's Music Ambassador, Shyne Barrow, resigned rather suddenly from his post as CEO of BSCAP, the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
This is the organization set up over 10 years ago to fight on behalf of Belizean artists so that whenever you hear their music on the radio, on TV, or being used by any company, that these artists are being paid for their creation.
But, Barrow resigned last week accusing the the Board of financial mismanagement, which he says is severely hurting the pockets of those artists who are trying to make a career off their craft.
His complaint is chiefly against Heather Cunningham, the Former CEO who he took over from. Copies of BSCAP's financials were leaked to the press shows that for the 4 consecutive of years of 2010 to 2014, she claimed a salary of 50,000, and each year her salary increased by $10,000, until her last year, when she was supposed to be paid $80,000. That's a total of $260,000 that she is claiming for salary, and the board has approved this. In addition, the financial report says that while she was in office, BSCAP spent a total of just over $389,000.
Now, those are two huge sums totaling just under 650,000 dollars, compared to the $2,500 dollars that the over 100 artists are being asked to share among themselves in distribution. So, Shyne says that this is grossly unfair to the artists, and so, he can no longer endorse the organization.
He called a press conference today to make the point, and here's an excerpt of his almost 20 minutes on the mic:
Shyne Barrow - Former CEO, BSCAP
"As CEO, I have collected not one penny. My salary was scheduled to be $36,000, but I was not in it for that. So, my salary was not going to be collected any time in this generation, because the fight for copyright compliance is a dogged fight. It's not something that was going to happen overnight, and I was prepared to go for as long as possible to get the country to be copyright compliant, and I was financing BSCAP, essentially paying for administrative costs, paying my own expenses. I think you guys noted that I went on a copyright tour this year. I paid for whatever costs I incurred. There were minimal costs incurred by an assistant there, which I paid for most of times, because that was my mindset. My mindset was to use BSCAP as I have used the office of the Music Ambassador, to empower the artists, to assist the artists, to help the artists. So, certainly, I wouldn't burden BSCAP as an organization with any hefty salary or any hefty expenses, or anything that would prevent the artists from getting maximum payout, especially knowing that it's an uphill battle to get people to be copyright compliant. We don't know when monies of any significance will be coming in, and certainly, I don't want to be the hurdle to artists getting maximum payout. Before I became the CEO, BSCAP was founded in 2004, and from 2004, to 2016, made absolutely no progress. Cunningham became CEO in 2010. I don't know who approved that she would get $50,000 in 2010, $60,000 in 2011, $70,000 in 2012, and $80,000 in 2013. I don't know who approved her expenses of $82,000 in 2010 - because an AGM is supposed to take place every year, to avoid this type of financial irresponsibility and mismanagement. I don't know who approved the $115,000 in 2011, the $85,000 in 2012, the $105,000 in 2013. I know for 2016, I spent $10,000 the most on expenses, and I believe that's an exaggeration, I am inflating the numbers If I say $10,000, so where they got those type of numbers from, I don't know.
"I hope they will explain, I hope that the members of BSCAP demand answers. I hope that you as the press demand answers. The nation should demand answers. It is not fair to use, which is what I did. I came on the merit of the work that I did with the artist, to say that we need to pay our artist. In my opinion I could be wrong, I doubt it - I get the feeling that they just come to collect. There is nothing that demonstrates any concern for their members or there would have involve their members in an AGM without a distribution. You don't have to have monies to distribute to have an AGM to keep your members involved to let them know listen, we hired this CEO, they racked up $82,000 in expenses and $50,000 for a salary with nothing to show. Should we continue with this CEO? Then you come back in 2011 examine the issue, come back in 2012, come back in 2013. There was no examination of this issue. Yet and still that bill remains. I am removing my endorsement and my support for this organization because I do not support that type of financial irresponsibility and mismanagement in my opinion. You cannot spend that type of money with absolutely nothing to show for it and all you will distribute to your artist is $2,500 after 13 years as an organization."
And he's not alone in the personal outrage against the organization set up to help struggling artists maintain themselves financially. Today, 4 well known artists, Tanya Carter, TR Shine, T-Y, and Cocono Bwai, showed their support for the stance he's making. Here's what they had to say:
Tanya Carter - Member, BSCAP
"I'm one of the members of BSCAP, and I've been a member for quite some time. And, to be honest with you, about maybe 5 or 6 years ago, we received a cheque for $20 dollars, and I didn't cash it because I think it was pittance. I left it right there, and from since then, with that CEO and the team that they had, there was no work being done, and BSCAP was not "cool", if I could say that. I was resigning in May. I was leaving, and I sent in a letter. I had a conversation and a meeting with Shyne, telling him that I am leaving. But, because of the efforts that I had seen that was happening with BSCAP, and I saw that there was a fight for the artists, and that only came about when Shyne became CEO. I wanted to leave and I stayed because this dude the change his mind. He's gonna become a member. This one is becoming a member, and we're all in it together because of what Shyne's doing. And now, I am hearing that I am going to get $12 (laughs). You've got to be kidding me, the amount of work we put in. My fellow brothers right here, if you see us, we're popping. BSCAP is popping. Everything was moving. Artists started getting in style again. People started respecting our work. People started doing things and realized that we actually are functioning money-making human beings. We're trying to be on a level where people don't disrespect us anymore. We're trying to be on a level where people respect us enough that we could actually be in line with the lawyers. We're trying to elevate ourselves, and that's what we believed in. That's what we believed that Shyne was doing for us. So, I only have one thing to say, if Shyne is leaving, I am leaving. That's done."
TY - Belizean Artist
"All that Shyne is doing is fighting to allow artists to get an income for their work and their craft. I see nothing wrong with that. This has nothing to do with politics. This has nothing to with the Prime Minister, nothing like that. All that we are trying to do is to get artists an income from their work. I really wanted to be a part of the organization because I felt like it was something that is good for Belizean artists, getting the work done, and getting compensated for their craft."
TR Shine - Belizean Artist
"Shyne actually asked me about a couple months ago to be an ambassador member of BSCAP. I was with it, but now, with all these discrepancies coming up, I could say that, safely, I am not going to be a part of it, not any time soon, until they straighten up whatever needs to be straightened up."
Cecil "Cocono Bwai" Jenkins Jr. - Belizean Artist
"Knowing that Tanya Carter has been in the business for so long, putting in huge investments, putting investments in music videos, touring, push yourself, marketing yourself, to be getting paid 12 dollars. That's small change."
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