Form International

Our mission:

FORM is an association of music makers, which includes singers, songwriters, composers, producers, publishers, venues and fans of Reggae music. We work through agencies such as PRS, PPL, Musicians Union and BMI to license and protect the intellectual rights and works of our members. As a third party representative for our members we operate in a transparent way to ensure that royalties resulting from the distribution of their musical works are paid to them fairly. We promote and protect the rights of our members globally.



Despite being used nowadays as the generic term used to describe a variety of popular musical styles that developed around the Western Kingston ghettoes on the island of Jamaica from the mid 1950s to the present time Reggae emerged as a musical style around 1968 characterised by two songs namely Larry and Alvin's ''Nanny Goat'' and the Cables ''No More Heartache''.

Reggae has adapted many other styles of music to itself while retaining at all times its own unique rhythm and style. Contextualised Reggae as arguably the most distinctive member in the Universal Family of Jazz Reggae has since its inception evolved from a musical perspective to be one of the most diverse music genres in contemporary popular music. Reggae perfectly reflects the term ''Out of Many One Music''.

While Reggae borrowed from both Ska and Rocksteady it was distinctive both in terms of tempo and composition. Reggae was definitely up-tempo and like all of its predecessors it was a music created for dancing as such there were several dance styles that emerged with it. Reggae's uniqueness is distinguished by the way in which it has borrowed from other styles and yet owes nothing to them by its method of delivery.

For more than four decades the island of Jamaica has gained significant global recognition through the work and achievements of talented creative musical ambassadors notably Bob Marley & The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Millie Small, Burning Spear, Third World, Inner Circle, Marcia Griffiths, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Beenie Man affirming Jamaica's identity as Reggae Country offering the world a wide range of ''Sounds of Jamaica''.

Reggae continues to make an indelible impression on global music markets. This Jamaican cultural expression has engendered a variety of styles including Ska, Rocksteady, Dub, Rockers, Lovers Rock and Dancehall. Reggae has impacted on and influenced the development of genres such as Rap, Grime and Reggaeton. Jamaican audio technicians evolved their own method of mixing music now influences how all popular styles of music is produced.

Creatively, FORM encourages Reggae music makers to be innovative; to produce the quality of music with the appeal to ensure economic success in the global marketplace. Reggae is widely recognized as the Caribbean's No.1 global export, many of the world's most illustrious artists include Reggae in their repertoires. FORM seeks to harness several of these artists to help integrate Reggae as a full member in the popular global music mainstream.

As Reggae continues to enjoy global popularity and acclaim formal business practices strategies need to be employed to sustain its viability and growth. It is against this backdrop that FORM works with mainstream music industry bodies to facilitate development of a cohesive, coherent Reggae sector which needs short, mid and longer-term development training programmes. Good practices, standards and methods for conducting business must be employed to ensure the viability and competitiveness of products.


Reggae