Music Ambassador Shyne Barrow is the CEO of BSCAP (BEE-SCAP) the Belizean Society of composers, Authors and Publishers.  He’s in the new news  tonight because in a letter dated March 13th, he's urging music creators to protest against businesses who don't pay rights fees for using their music.  Shyne says, quote, “be prepared to engage in protests of all businesses nationwide who are violating the copyright act and chancing our members….if all of our members come together and take action in the form of nationwide demonstrations our voices will be heard and businesses will comply.” End quote. 

Here’s what he's talking about: under the copyright law, anyone who plays music in public should pay a royalty fee to the creator or publisher of that song.  So, if you hear, let’s say, Supra G’s “Party Insane” playing in a nightclub, in a store, or on the radio, Supra G should get a few cents everytime it plays.  Shyne is trying to get local businesses to sign license agreements with BSCAP to pay a monthly user fee, but so far only a literally handful have signed on.  

And so, facing widespread noncompliance, he’s urging music creators to protest against these big businesses that want to sign.  We asked him about it today when we found him in the Mesopotamia area:….

Shyne Barrow - Music Ambassador
"It is not a matter of just coming out saying we are going to protest and we're going to demonstrate. There has been a deliberate consistent attempt to educate these music users of their violation and the need for it in a very polite, in a very gentle manner. There were no demands, there was just this is a matter of moral turpitude and I said it over and over again on the television networks when promoting BSCAP, workshops, when promoting the PSA I sent you. Cooperation that uses music have to have some type of moral obligation to pay music users for their music. Now particularly the Belizean music users, copyright laws in this country are skirted but the time has come for that to stop."

Jules Vasquez
"You didn't name them but the radio stations are the biggest violations."

Shyne Barrow
"Certainly, Wave needs to pay, I've tried to talk to the managers at Wave, their response was well we no wa play their music but they don't understand that they can't play any music. So I hope again we can only sue so many people at a time and I would hope that Wave and Love and the other radio stations, Positive Vibes - all of them would come on board before it gets to the point of nationwide demonstrations and boycotts but this is how it happens. So I'm just preparing my members that we need to act, we have seen what action has done in this country and until you get up and you stand up and you fight for justice, nobody no wa give it to you."

Jules Vasquez
"But at the same time sir, you are a part of the establishment, you are appointed by the ruling government. Your father is the prime minister, you deh inna no rock the boat situation, why you the encourage people to protest?"

Shyne Barrow
"No, no, no, no, no. The prime minister is a very honourable and a man of the highest integrity, my appointment had nothing to do with being his son, my appointment had to do with me selling million and millions of albums from you mi deh da St. John's Jules. My success qualifies me to be music ambassador."

Jules Vasquez
"But I'm saying sir you are a UDP, you are seeking office in the UDP, we are standing on a red basketball court. The rule is when you party deh in, don't rock the boat."

Shyne Barrow
"But how am I rocking the boat, I would think-"

Jules Vasquez
"But how can you seek to protest against businesses, these are the same businesses who will give you a lee hands out and help you when you the run your campaign. Why are you encouraging people to protest against business?"

Shyne Barrow
"It doesn't work like that, the question you should be asking is why are people violating the copyright act Jules. I'm surprised at you, don't turn this around, you are a smart guy but I am smarter. The question you should be asking is why are people violating the copyright act? I didn't create a situation, I am merely standing up for the vulnerable, for the have nots and the people without a voice. So this is not about a campaign and getting support for a campaign, this is about doing what is right and what is right is the copyright act. Your expressing more outrage at me standing up for people that don't have, that are being taken advantage of than the big cooperation and da no million dollars we di ask for. We are asking for the fair price to use music in this country, we are taking all of the measures to avoid having to go down that route but there will come a time where talk will not mean anything and we will have to take action and we have to stand up for what we believe in."

So far, 7 businesses have signed up with BSCAP, most notably Harvest Caye which signed to a seventeen thousand dollar annual fee with retroactive payment to November 2016. In his letter to members Shyne says the BSCAP has engaged the law firm of Barrow & Co. to pursue payment from Ramada Belize City Princess Hotel, and to, quote, “pursue claims against all businesses who insist on continuing to use music but refuse to pay for permission to do so.”