Port of Spain, 22nd September 2022: The Trinidad and Tobago Music Company Limited (MusicTT) has once again partnered with Island Wave for the Music Matters 2022 conference and festival which kicks off from 23rd to 28th September in Orchard, Singapore. There will be 38 bands representing 12 countries. MusicTT has sponsored the Island Wave stage which will feature local artistes such as Kalpee, Rhys Thompson and Kwami Morrison.
“Island Wave” is a platform which not only provides funding to Caribbean artistes to be able to showcase internationally but also creates spaces on other stages which would not usually cater for a line-up of established and talented emerging Caribbean musical acts. Island Wave, founded by local artiste Kalpee, is dedicated to bringing music of the Caribbean to the forefront of the international music scene. The Island Wave stage was launched at the first ever fully digital version of South by South West (SXSW) in 2021. The stage then took part again in SXSW 2022 featuring top acts from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Island Wave stage will now grace Music Matters, a subset of All That Matters and a global platform representing the Asia Pacific music industry and a gateway for artists looking to break into the world’s most populated region. Dubbed “TED meets SXSW”, the award-winning Music Matters is the only event in Asia that gathers the entire music and entertainment industry in one place. It will feature conferences, international music festival and creative academies; affording the opportunity for business and cultural music connections. Now in its 16th year, the event has reached over 2 million viewers.
“I am so very appreciative of all the experiences I have been blessed with, in being able to travel internationally as part of my musical career. Through my travels, I came to understand that what is lacking in the West Indies, is structure and resources into the creative arts for us to compete with the rest of the world. This is how “Island Wave” came to be, as I realized that by coming together to represent Caribbean music with my peers, we can showcase our heritage, musical genres and individuality.” – Kalpee
MusicTT’s General Manager, Melissa Jimenez, will also be attending this year’s Music Matters festival to support the Island Wave stage and the conference where she will aim to connect with other music industry colleagues to better expand and support local efforts which will assist with programmes; can help influence and shape policy decisions; learn about music technology, innovation; and promote MusicTT amongst connections made fostering future partnerships and collaborations.
“MusicTT is thrilled to continue this partnership with Island Wave to ensure that our local artistes are showcased at Music festivals globally. We have such an extensive range of talent and genres and it is our mission to share them with the world through this export and promotional initiative. I look forward to learning, networking and creating pathways for collaborations with our Asian musical counterparts and transferring the knowledge gained upon return; all towards helping to help propel our music industry forward. We sincerely encourage and hope that artistes afforded the opportunity to take part in these global initiatives use it to their advantage – to build their contacts through networking which can potentially lead to job opportunities, sponsorships, endorsement deals and music collaborations. Network, network, network.” Melissa Jimenez.
For more information, visit www.izaislandwave.com. To keep up to date with this and other MusicTT news, follow @musicoftt on Instagram and Facebook.
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