NCBA pays out $40,000 to bands

Renwick Brown, Secretary of the NCBA said that the presentation of cheques to the mas players was compensation for the beautiful work they did for Carnival 2006.

“This is an area that we are very happy to see materialising, and this morning we feel very happy about it. The only thing that could happen from all of this is that it will be increasing as time goes on and it will give encouragement to bands to produce better costumes and in that way we’ll have a better Carnival,” Brown said.

Executive member of the NCBA David Cameron, earlier explained that for Carnival 2006, the bands that passed across the Savannah on Carnival Tuesday were all recipients of the royalties based on different agencies and individuals who had paid copyright fees, and that the designers and the bandleaders of the respective bands were entitled to that.

Forty bands including Trini Revellers, Brian Mac Farlane, Island People, as well as individuals in the traditional mas like Rampage, Stampede and Sapphire and traditional individuals were expected to collect their cheques.

But during the official handing over ceremony, those who received cheques were Rudolph Ryan and Associates for his Mas in the fancy Indian category, Peter Felician of TT Jambolassi in the traditional category, Lennox Trim of Love Vibrations in the African category, Anthony Jackman from the mini band of the year of authentic Indians, David Cameron of Trini Revellers, large band of the year, Brown of Stampede in the historical category and Mark Felician of Rhapsody In Blue in the traditional category.

The other recipients of cheques were expected to collect their royalties throughout yesterday.

Cameron said, “This is a way of protecting the bands a bit, by collecting some form of revenue for the photographs and video clips taken of the bands during Carnival.”