THE BEATUY QUEEN SPILLS THE BEANS ON TOURISM (Treats musicians badly)

There is a former Bahamian Beauty Queen, the writer of the song Fly Away With Me by Khiara Sherman, who is engaged in a bitter, public and acrimonious legal action with the Ministry of Tourism about the use of her music.  Try as the Ministry might to dismiss the matter, it continues to survive in the US Courts  Her point is that the Ministry is using her music without permission or paying royalties.  The Ministry says they are protected by a 2015 agreement for the Junkanoo Carnival which Ms. Sherman signed freeing them from any violation of copyright payments.  She is in court.  While, we are broadly sympathetic with her and her individual cause, she made a broader point in the press last week 6 November which is that the Ministry of Tourism abuses Bahamian musicians and former Beauty queens. That finds some traction with us because Ronnie Butler went to his grave complaining about the mistreatment of Bahamian musicians.  For example, we ask continually about the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band and the various Junkanoo groups playing the music of Bahamian musicians and no compensation or royalties for the musicians.  So good luck to the former beauty queen.