Wednesday, March 8, 2010 - New York (NY):  The Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music (CPR) recently brought together an esteemed group of panelists and commentators to prime the discussion "The Buju Banter: Should communities defend or denounce accused artists before evidence and verdicts are known?" which was the season premier of the organization's Community Conversation Series.

The forum which came on the heels of a year of multiple cases of reggae and dancehall artists facing criminal charges was staged in collaboration with Reggae AMPPS (Reggae Artist, Musicians, Producers, Promoters and Songwriters).

The panel consisted of 4 stalwarts in Reggae, Dancehall, and the Caribbean community:  1) Jeff Barnes who graduated from Kingston College, worked at Radio Jamaica and The Jamaica Broadcasting Commission, prominent radio personality, and practicing attorney 2) Mystic Bowie who is a descendant of the Maroon Tribe and an internationally acclaimed reggae artist and native maroon 3) Maxine Stowe, a long time entertainment executive with over 30 years of experience in the industry. She has spent the last 8 years working on the integration and branding of our music and set to unveil a 50 year music/culture project to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Jamaica's Independence in 2012 4) Ed Robinson, a reggae veteran of 20 plus who has blessed the music industry with his talents before the mic and behind the scenes as a producer.  He is a key player in the diverse reggae genre and currently serves as the President of Reggae AMPPS.

In short, the panel discussion's aim was to focus on the Buju Banton saga, the on-going trend of artist arrests for a variety of crimes, and to shed light on the implications/ramifications on Reggae, Dancehall, and Jamaica as a whole.  The dialogue was not only informative, in fact, it was rather an enlightening.  If you are a true fan or reggae / dancehall, we strongly recommend you watch the discussion in its entirety.

Interested parties can view the discussion on CariVibez TV's "Center Stage" channel which is accessible via the following link:  http://www.carivibez.tv/online/index.php?channelid=18

About CPR:

The Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music (CPR) is a charitable organization working to raise the bar in the creation, development, promotion and presentation of reggae music. CPR conducts educational forums, presents music events and conducts research to codify, curate and disseminate information about reggae music.

About Reggae AMPPS:

REGGAE A.M.P.P.S (Reggae Artists, Musicians, Producers, Promoters & Songwriters) is a membership-based organization which represents the interests of professional reggae musicians. Reggae AMPPS is committed to organizing seminars and conferences to educate members on industry issues; negotiating fair agreements on their behalf; protecting ownership of their recorded music; and developing health care and pension schemes that benefit members.