In his debut work, Essential Notes: A Glimpse into the Reality of the Music Industry, Demonie “Squidell” Wilson pens a treatise that is explanatory, revelatory, historical, educational and autobiographical. For a music industry that is more than 50 years old, we have long needed a book that is Jamaican, which speaks to the realities of the careers of the artistes; the demands of the industry on the artistes and their families, and also on the various professionals who must be a part of the artiste’s life. We have long needed a book that provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on how one becomes an artiste; how one balances that career along with the other demands of family, friends, fans, females and other people who will become a part of your life once “yuh buss” as we say in Jamaica; and give useful suggestions as to how one can maintain this career and ensure that you wring from it all the benefits possible. We have long needed a book from the Jamaican experience that provides tips on how artistes can maintain a career and build a legacy for their family and for their children, beyond that first volcanic moment when they burst into fame. Essential Notes is this long-awaited book. It provides a backstage, front-of-stage, and centre stage, viewpoint of the Jamaican music industry, standing as a Jamaican “bible” in this instance, and as a companion work to Daniel Passman’s renowned book, All You Need to Know About the Music Business.
Essential Notes provides in-depth and intricately woven material that is simultaneously professional and personal, (and for me, at times emotionally wrenching), about how artistes (mainly men) navigate careers in the music industry in contemporary Jamaica. It maps out a path through the personal, financial, contractual, legal, emotional and physical minefield of this industry, providing the reader with essential guides for the way forward. This is a 21st century work that tackles this era when careers in music reach a frenetic peak and droves of young men and women jostle for space in a lucrative and highly publicized frontier, many living lives in the full glare of their publics via social media and various cyberspace portals. Though positioned in the contemporary space, Squidell pulls stories from different eras in Jamaican music, including Reggae and first-generation dancehall, as well as from other music industries, like hip hop in the USA, lodging caveats and underscoring the gems of knowledge in this book. The reader is constantly reminded throughout that a career in the music industry is a “business”, and must be approached professionally.
The book is divided into 13 chapters with specific titles including Family, Community, Females, Friends, Entourage, Social Media, Education, Money, and so on; and each chapter is divided into multiple sections. Even while some areas can be generalized across genders, the book comes from a masculine perspective and, thus, often speaks specifically to men in the music industry. Have you ever wondered if male artistes really need “ah bag ah man” walking behind them at every turn? Read Chapter 5 on Entourage. Why do artistes feel obligated to their immediate and extended family members, and how do they navigate this contested terrain? Read Chapter 1 on Family. The subsection “A Day in the Life of a Dancehall Artiste” (pp. 269-272) in the Money Chapter will give you an idea of how and why some male dancehall artistes feel compelled to spend up to US$6,000.00 of their money in a single day. This same Money chapter underscores the need for the kind of Financial Literacy and Legacy Planning that Squidell clamors for in his Essential Notes.
This book is covered with personal narratives and stories rendered in the first person. Names have been obscured so that the essence of the messages are aptly delivered; while guiding aspirants through a volcanic and tempestuous industry where hopefuls often go to their bed as nonentities and wake up the next day as celebrities, tasked to perform on international stages and being called to interviews on high profile traditional and social media programs all over the world. The author consistently encourages artistes to strive for professionalism, and to rigorously select and upgrade their teams as their careers advance. I found Chapter 13 on Mental Health to be simultaneously poignant and valuable as this is an area that is very rarely discussed during the careers of Jamaican artistes. In addition, the intertwined discussions about the travails of traversing social and geographical borders that flit through the work speak volumes. Jamaica’s rigid class system has tackled many, including our great Usain Bolt, and many artistes speak of the perils they face in navigating the classist rejection of their own people. In the same instance, people of African descent continue to battle the white supremacist structures that exist globally, including during travel across borders. Artistes and their teams must travel for work and sometimes face long hauls at various ports as they are tasked to declare their worth and identity. Essential Notes provides a glimpse into these border-crossings that Jamaican artistes, black men and women, face as they ply their trade.
Demonie Squidell Wilson’s work is a labour of love, which in his own words “took four years to complete”. It is moreso a work that I know demanded immense bravery, determination, and foresight, because he pens and publishes Essential Notes at a specific point in time that connects his life as a Jamaican man from the working classes to his career and trajectory of success in the same music industry that he discusses. Thus, whether by accident or design, Essential Notes is also autobiographical and very inspirational. We traverse the pages with Squidell as he moves from being another Jamaican who is born and lives within the country’s pervasive musical soundscape, to spinning records on his uncle’s sound system, to being caught up in the nexus of the industry, first as the older brother of one of Jamaica’s most popular and renowned musical artiste’s Popcaan, to fulfilling multiple roles. He takes us along with him as he skilfully crafts his way forward and upward, outlining his multifaceted career that includes being a Booking Agent, Tour Manager, Road Manager, Personal Manager, and Music Producer. We join him at this point where he manages two of our very popular artists, Chi Ching and Govana; and holds an A&P post with Atlantic Records (UK). Squidell’s ongoing journey through Jamaica’s music industry makes him a fitting scribe for this work. His is the voice of experience and expertise, whilst he remains connected from the ground up to an immense and impressive network of professionals in the music industry, at all levels, across the world. In all of this, Demonie “Squidell” Wilson continues to mentor and share with others, while holding firm to his strong family values and spiritual beliefs.
Essential Notes covers many audiences. First, it is essential reading for anyone who desires to become an artiste, as the pitfalls and perils of this career are many, even while the rewards can be immense. Second, it is for anyone who is interested in becoming a part of the team of any artiste, or a part of the music industry. This includes roles as diverse as booking agent, manager, personal manager, professional manager, public relations manager, accountant, attorney at law, musician, promoter, producer, songwriter, partner, spouse, wife, or husband. Third, it is for anyone who has an interest in understanding the Jamaican music and culture industries in their contemporary form, whether as a researcher, writer, teacher, student or fan. Fourth, the work provides gems for persons who wish to delve into the intricacies of black masculinities in the Caribbean, in particular as they intersect with the burgeoning waves of capitalism and its attendant promises in today’s cultural and creative industries. I recommend this work as essential reading for my students at the University of the West Indies, and for students at all our universities, colleges and schools, who are pursuing various programs or courses that intersect with the music, culture, creative and performing industries, popular music, popular culture, and black masculinities. Yes, Essential Notes orchestrates and delivers a solid performance that will resonate with many as it has with me.
Keywords: music industry, artiste, artis
te management, career, professionals, Dancehall, Jamaica, essential, culture, music, students
Essential Notes: A Glimpse into the Reality of the Music Industry, by Demonie “Squidell” Wilson, Apt. 10 Publishing, 2024, 308pp.
