In Saint Lucia and across the OECS, musicians are making waves on global stages, but many are still missing out on a critical revenue stream: royalties.
Despite the Caribbean music industry contributing an estimated US$104 million to the global US$29.6 billion haul in 2024, much of that value slips through the fingers of local creators.
The figure does not include royalties collected on behalf of composers from broadcasters, festivals and music users in the region, many of whom fail to pay for the music they use. In so doing, they flout copyright laws and short-change composers, songwriters and producers.
In the Eastern Caribbean, the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights (ECCO) is tasked with collecting and distributing royalties. But CEO Martin James says compliance remains a major hurdle.
Of Saint Lucia’s 24 radio stations, only five are licensed. In Grenada, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua, not a single station is compliant.
Too many music users are still not getting licences, James told St. Lucia Times. That’s money being left on the table that should be going to local creatives.
“Anyone hosting a festival or event has to get a licence for music use, notwithstanding the DJ and performers are being paid a fee to perform,” James explained. “That’s separate, because the performer may not necessarily be the one who wrote or composed the song.”
James, a composer himself, took charge of ECCO in 2023. He says the organisation’s mandate is clear: to manage the rights of its members and ensure they’re paid when their work is used – whether in a Gros Islet bar, a regional carnival, or a Tokyo nightclub.
Through reciprocal agreements with global collective management organisations (CMOs), ECCO also collects royalties for international artists played in the OECS, from Burning Flames to BTS.
But for local artists to benefit, they must be registered, and their works properly credited.
If a local song is being played in the US or Japan and the artist is not registered with ECCO or any CMO, that money sits in escrow for three years. After that, it’s redistributed elsewhere, James explained.
The problem is as much legal as cultural. James says more local content on airwaves would mean more royalties staying in the region.
“We have also been reaching out to members to support us and to get them to understand that if their own radio stations are non-compliant, this is taking bread away from them,” James said.
Members are also urged to become advocates for more local content to be played, which would increase the percentage of royalties retained in the region.
ECCO, a non-profit registered in Saint Lucia and operating across the OECS, distributes royalties annually. After pandemic delays, the organisation caught up in 2025, paying out EC$1.4 million, 44 per cent of which stayed with ECCO members. The rest went to foreign societies.
Still, James says the fight for fair compensation is far from over. Legal action is costly and slow, so ECCO is leaning on moral suasion and government engagement.
“We have a lot of successes, but we have a lot of challenges as well, and we really want to improve on that,” he ended by saying.
Good article