A question for Bajan entertainment promoters

So you know how one innocuous thought or comment leads to another and another?

Well I won't bore you with the whole train of thought but today I was reading a review of Machel Montano's Alternative Concept show in Trinidad and it eventually led to me thinking - why haven't Barbadian promoters been able to franchise their shows the way the Trinis have?

Think about it - from the mid-90s to now, a flood of Trinidian hatched soca shows have become major franchises that are eagerly adopted around the Caribbean and its diaspora. Glow, Girl Power, Wet Fete, Alternative Concept, Insomnia (Ten-to-Ten)... shoot even Brian Lara has franchised his exclusive Carnival party and brought it to Bim.

I don't understand why Barbadian promoters have not been willing or able to do this. Despite the growth in the entertainment and cultural industry here and the burgeoning number of shows, concerts and festivals, we have not been able to take any of them overseas. This is even more puzzling when you consider that from the mid-90s til now, the trajectory of our entertainers' popularity has gone up and up. In the 90s and early part of this decade, Alison Hinds and Square One, Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah and Rupee were some of the most popular artistes in the region. We had them right there, (relatively) easily accessible.

Yet it took promoters from Trinidad to harness their talent along with other soca stars in a concept that would lead to mega-shows that everyone then wanted to bring to their own country.

Which brings me to my other point - rather than create entertainment franchises, our own successful, capable and intelligent promoters just adopted those franchises already existant and created in Trinidad. Power x Four does Glow. Baje does Girl Power. FAS does Ten to Ten.

Why?

Of course this led to much grumbling (now somewhat muted or resigned) about the 'Trinidadian-isation of Crop-Over. To be honest, I'm not going to be among the complainers. I enjoy the shows - they have cool concepts and I have had a BALL at them over the years in different countries.

No, far from complain, I am going to say - why aren't we doing this ourselves? Why bitch about 'bringing in all the Trini shows' rather than come up with some concepts ourselves that others want?

Surely Trini promoters cannot have the market cornered on ingenious and creative concepts nor the hustle needed to make them happen. These same promoters in Barbados who put on the Trini franchises also come up with good concepts and good shows. Not only that, they have popularity and brand recognition that goes past Barbados. Why aren't they spreading their wings?