The initiative follows a meeting of artists, administrators and music-industry representatives at Castries City Hall on September 5.
Stakeholders agreed that a formal body should be established to represent practitioners across the three major Saint Lucian music genres while strengthening advocacy and collaboration within the sector.
A five-member committee has now been appointed to move the process forward.
Among its immediate responsibilities will be reviewing and updating the constitution of the existing SLCA2009 organisation. The committee will also consider a new name for the organisation that more accurately reflects the inclusion of calypso, soca and Dennery Segment practitioners.
The initiative has received support from Minister for Creative Industries Dr Ernest Hilaire, Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights Chairman Martin James and copyright attorney Thaddeus Antoine.
The development comes at a significant time for Saint Lucia's music industry. ECCO is scheduled to distribute more than EC$1.7 million in royalties to songwriters, composers and music publishers on September 23, covering income collected from broadcast, Carnival, general and live-event use as well as foreign royalties.
Together, the developments are putting renewed attention on the business structures supporting Caribbean music—from copyright and royalty collection to advocacy and representation.
The proposed new organisation is expected to provide another mechanism through which Saint Lucian performers and other industry stakeholders can collectively address issues affecting their livelihoods and development. The five-member committee is expected to present a revised constitution and proposals for electing officers as the process moves toward establishing the organisation on a more formal footing.
For Saint Lucia's music industry, the initiative could provide an opportunity to bring three of the island's most influential musical traditions under a broader representative structure while maintaining their individual identities.