I think if we could bypass the so-called, self-proclaimed or wannabe promoters in the Haitian music business, the tenure or image of the bands would be better off. These people, for the most part, are the reason why the consumers of Konpa music are being repulsive to some bands in the business.

People don’t go to sleep and wake up being certified event planners/organizers overnight. They actually receive some type of formal education. For some of us, going to school is just a waste of time. So long as the person has a few dollars somewhere in the bank, they think they can do anything. That is why most of what we do are done subpar and can only be bought and accepted by us Haitians.

I have come across “promoters” (I intentionally put the word in quotation marks) who would have on the ticket bands that have no knowledge of any prior deals with them to showcase at their events. This is a spiteful and deceitful tactic some in the Haitian music business use to hike the publicity for their events. For instance, they can have on the ticket Carimi and T-Vice. This is meant to be a sold-out event because they are two of the most popular bands in the world of Haitian music.

They know for a fact that Carimi will not be part of the show, yet they still run with the ticket. So the patrons end up being overcharged only to come see one band performing, just T-Vice. To clear up their reputation to the detriment of that of the phantom band, in this case, Carimi, they lamely want to make believe that they (Carimi) forfeited and called out at the very last minute. Now you have a condition where the patrons are furious and upset at none other than Carimi, a state of affairs that may or will put in jeopardy the band’s reputation. In such treacherous situation, two things will infuriate the fans:

1. They are overcharged as a result of a scam tactic, and the surcharge will not be refunded to them.

1. The diehard fans of Carimi (those who would probably have not come out, had Carimi not been put on the ticket), not only will they not see their band performing, they also get overcharged to come to a party which, otherwise, they probably would have not come out to support.

   I used Carimi and T-Vice as just an example to prove my point just like I could have used any other two bands.

   The bands don’t really need to do business with these irresponsible, so-called, self-proclaimed and wannabe event organizers or promoters. They can do without them, and their business will be more fruitful.

   Here is what I think the bands need to do. They need to hire official and qualified state representatives to represent them in each and every single state where there is a dense Haitian community. That in itself is a staff position. As long as the function or responsibility of the representative remains the same, and it is well defined and understood, it does not really matter what you call the person. The title should not really be a matter of concern.

   What will the responsibility of that staff member be? He or she will work in concert with the management team of the band to plan and organize in his/her state events that will put on stage the band he/she represents. These events will be financed by the band, and the return or loss on that invested capital will affect only the band’s bottom line. As a staff member, how and what that person is going to get paid will depend on whatever deal he/she and the band’s management agree upon.

   Until these wannabe, self-proclaimed, so-called promoters can get their acts together, to safeguard the image and business of the bands, they need to be kept at a distance and compelled to go do something else with the money they claim to have. We do NOT need them in the business because they are a bunch of business spoilers.