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Kurt Danlaw Anderson. – Photo: Christopher Tobutt
Caymanian reggae singer and musician Kurt Danlaw Anderson, known on stage as Jah Rover, has copyrighted two of his original songs, enabling him to collect royalties for those recordings.
“I’m happy that I will finally be able to be paid for my music. I’ve been in this game for years and I didn’t know this was possible until now,” Anderson told the Cayman Compass.
Anderson solidified the copyrights to his new songs ‘Ten Guitars’ and ‘Zion…She’s a Keeper’ earlier this month. The songs are the latest to be added to his collection of original music, which spans more than four decades.
He got his start in music in the 1980s, playing for local bands like Thanks and Praise, Odyssey Band, and The Chosen Few. As a solo artist, his music blends reggae beats with socially conscious lyrics, including in the songs ‘Like a Lion’, ‘Fallen’, and ‘Rocky Road to Zion’.
“I was in a little lull after COVID-19 pandemic, and I have been writing for a little while and was held back,” Anderson said.
“I put myself back together again and I recorded four songs and got someone to help sponsor them. When my sponsor had listened to the songs, he encouraged me to copyright the songs. So, I went ahead with the process.”
‘I want to do this right’
Anderson, who had been living in UK for 10 years, composed several songs while building skills in sound systems. His song ‘Like a Lion’ made the rounds across the UK.
“I made some handy cash over there … some dosh as they call it [in the UK] … but I wasn’t collecting the kind of money that I could’ve collected if I had the copyright. I know this now, but I didn’t know this then,” he said.
“I could’ve collected 10 times the money, but here’s a chance for me to do things right and I want to do this right.”
Kurt Danlaw Anderson – Photos: Supplied
Anderson said the music he’s done over the years has travelled all around the world.
“I met people from Israel and they’re hard-core fans! I toured England and Wales, building myself up, so this is important to me. We talk music but we don’t always talk about copyrights or the importance of protecting what’s ours,” Anderson said.
Noting the size of Cayman, he said, “We are a little nation of very talented individuals, and we are visited by people all over the world. They’re looking for something and into something new. That is where it is essential to have this because if it’s picked up by anyone, you can be protected. It gives me a good feeling. It makes me feel safe as an artist.”
Anderson added, “It’s very good that we have the resources and facilities to do this here, and I would encourage not only the musicians, but other artists to get their work protected. There [is] a lot of illegal stuff and people are ‘coining’ from you, and you don’t even realise that they’re doing it.”
Beneil Miller
Local artist Beneil Miller has been producing and recording his original music for more than five years. The singer, songwriter and recording artist told the Compass, “It is very important to protect your intellectual property.”
The shifting gears of the music industry is cause for concern for Miller, specifically when it comes to sampling music.
“I think if local artists need to be 1,000% secure in their work, they can surely go through with it, but my understanding is, whoever records it first has a legal right to it and in that case, you’re definitely covered,” Miller said.
“People should avoid sampling and using other people’s work within their work because if they don’t get proper clearance for that, it can lead to you not having future earnings, depending on what deal you strike.”
Local artist Rico Rolando told the Compass, “For someone who has been in the industry for more than a decade, it’s definitely important for me personally to have more knowledge. I find that as a Caymanian artist, we’re not really aware in terms of how it all works.
Rico Rolando
“Sometimes it really costs money to put in all this work and all this time and you don’t necessarily make that money back, or even to get your music copyrighted … and for someone to have that in place, especially for the arts in Cayman. We are definitely not aware, and there should be more knowledge, especially for someone who is trying to make it in the music industry.”
Weighing in on the matter, Grammy award winner and Caymanian music producer Jason ‘JG’ Gilbert told the Compass, “It’s definitely important to copyright your music as it’s a formal way to protect your intellectual property. Most creatives usually don’t want to be bogged down with properly registering and copyrighting their music, which is why publishers/lawyers usually handle this process.
Grammy award-winner and Caymanian music producer Jason Gilbert
“However, independent creatives just starting out may not [be] a publisher and have to do this themselves, which can be tedious,” Gilbert said.
“Not registering your music properly and not copyrighting your music can cause a creative to lose out big if someone plagiarises their work or in many cases may hinder licensing deals. You also miss out on royalties if your music is not correctly registered. Copyrighting also gives collaborators the opportunity to work out splits (percentage or ownership).”
Gilbert, who is currently studying law, added, “This is definitely an area I’d like to get familiar with in Cayman.”
More information on copyright protection in Cayman can be found on the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office website.
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