Grenada served as the strategic epicenter for regional music innovation from December 9-11, hosting the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Caribbean Creative Industries Music Forum. Under the thematic banner “Amplifying Caribbean Music as a Global Gateway,” the event convened music industry stakeholders, government representatives, and international experts to architect a transformative framework for the sector’s future.
The tripartite forum, jointly organized by WIPO and Grenada’s Ministries of Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, and Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, assembled facilitators from five continents to address the digital revolution’s impact on musical creation and distribution. Participants engaged in intensive workshops to develop actionable strategies for leveraging intellectual property systems as catalysts for sustainable industry growth.
Carol Simpson, WIPO’s Acting Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, framed the urgent necessity for this regional collaboration: “The global creative landscape is undergoing seismic shifts that outpace our conventional understanding. Streaming platforms, algorithmic recommendations, and data-driven markets have fundamentally reconfigured music creation and consumption patterns, while simultaneously introducing unprecedented challenges for creator protection.” Simpson emphasized that intellectual property transcends bureaucratic formalities, representing instead “the essential infrastructure that ensures fair compensation for creatives, enables confident investment by producers, and allows governments to construct durable creative ecosystems.”
The forum’s inaugural day dedicated specific attention to Grenada’s domestic music industry, facilitating collaborative sessions between local musicians, producers, recording artists, and industry partners. These discussions yielded practical solutions for developing a national roadmap toward a flourishing creative economy.
Senator Adrian Thomas, Minister for Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, articulated the government’s strategic vision during the opening ceremony: “Our administration has executed targeted investments in the creative sector over three years as part of a comprehensive national strategy. We are building a skilled, competitive, and globally connected industry where intellectual property serves as the foundational element for modern music ecosystem development.”
A landmark announcement emerged from Senator Claudette Joseph, Attorney General and Minister for Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, revealing Grenada’s accession to the Madrid Protocol for international trademark registration. This strategic move, effective April 2026, will provide Grenadian entrepreneurs and creatives with cost-effective mechanisms for trademark protection across 130+ countries through a single WIPO application.
The forum concluded with participants committing to implement concrete measures that strengthen copyright frameworks, enhance collective management organizations, and establish digital registries—creating the necessary conditions for Caribbean music to achieve amplified global resonance while ensuring equitable benefits for its creators.