Because of reggae’s overseas success during the seventies and early eighties, the artistes, almost exclusively from poor economical backgrounds, were enjoying more fiscal rewards than ever was thought possible. Many of them who still resided in Jamaica came back with the idea of reinvesting that money into the creation of studios, sound systems and other music and non-music related businesses. This created new employment of hundreds of disadvantaged youth who might have had to elsewhere in order to “eat a food.”

Another effect of Jamaican music’s popularity, both locally and abroad, was the inception of the stage show. These live musical performances provided new avenues were people, and in some cases whole communities, could generate income on the day of the event. By far, the biggest event is Sumfest, an annual international music festival featuring reggae music, which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world… Also, there are major annual dance hall concerts, like Sting, and Saddle to the East, which attract people from all over Jamaica, from the Jamaican migrant communities, and from the hard core fans of Jamaican music as far away as Japan. There is of course a plethora of income earning activities ancillary to the main musical event, whether it is the concert, the carnival, or the dance. Apart from the services required to set up the shows – promotional posters and radio ads, musicians, lights, sound, security, various specialized labour services, and so on – there are a variety of vendors of cooked food, fruits, refreshments, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, souvenirs and other music related paraphernalia. Also of note is the expenditure on clothing and other articles of fashion that the dance and partygoers favour. All this expenditure, though informal in nature, has become critical to not only people from the lower end of the society in the last couple of decades, but to the middle and upper class as well. As pointed out by Michael Witter in his study Music and jamaican economy, “the house party gave way to the pay-party held at up-town locations, such as the big lawns of private homes, clubs and hotels. These events also used big sound systems playing similar music to what one would hear at the dances of the working class.”