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Joe Bogdanovich is not a man that can easily be defined.

In Jamaica, he is regarded as a music impresario, “the boss of Dancehall” but that indicates vision impaired by astigmatism.

His business interests tells you this is a man of irrepressible energy, someone able to ride several horses at the same time.

Bogdanovich is the owner and CEO of DownSound Entertainment, he owns and operates the R Hotel in Kingston, he is a significant shareholder of the KLE Group, is the majority shareholder of H&L True Value, in 2016 he acquired the rights of Reggae Sumfest.

Born in California, he also has real estate holdings and is the lead principal of Argyle Investments.

One would be hard pressed to find another business personality in Jamaica with such a diverse portfolio of interests.

Reggae music and dancehall is his passion and he is on a quest to make these Jamaican art forms better known throughout the world. Here he has put his money where his mouth is more so than many who can only talk a good game.

Bogdanovich has backed his artists and is committed to seeing them have enduring careers.

It is easy to be drawn into his laconic, Ray-Ban wearing persona but that is a caricature. He is not a one-dimensional man who lives solely for the vibe and jives to the beat.

He studied Political Science at Boston University and Film at California Institute of Arts. This is a man who sees the big picture and has the courage of his convictions.

Trojan Records, VP Records, Tuff Gong, Greensleeves, Studio One, Black Scorpio have been notable reggae labels. DownSound is looking to go beyond them and plant a flag for reggae music in international markets. Bogdanovich doesn’t just aspire to be a proponent of reggae music via labels, he wants to champion it on many levels, hence the astute move to put on stage shows and events.

What he is creating is an end -to-end integrated enterprise which sees the development of artists, their promotion on all platforms, live performances and the use of state-of-the art technology to sell them in all markets.

Nonetheless, there’s something about him and DownSound that is reminiscent of Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Here was a label that unapologetically was a standard bearer for both the Blues and Rhythm& Blues. Leonard Chess was able to bond with his artists and get the best out of them. Both he and his brother Phil, intrinsically understood the oeuvre.

Chess Records had a fantastic roster of stars including, Etta James, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Alan Freed, Big Maybelle and Holin’Wolf. Formed in 1950, Chess Records was one of the very best labels of the twentieth century putting American music on the world stage.

Bogdanovich is intent on reinvigorating reggae music and Dancehall and exporting it. In more recent times Afrobeat has gained ground and some observe that it may even outstrip reggae. Not if Bogdanovich has something to say about it.

Bob Marley was on top forty years ago and he still is today, long after he has left us. Sean Paul and Shaggy who started out more than twenty years ago, are still the best recognised Jamaican acts out there with no one else coming close. Jamaican reggae sales units are way down and it makes more sense to tour than to put out product.

Someone has to turn all that around.

Our Today caught up with Joe Bogdanovich at DownSound Entertainment’s Christmas party at its Belmont Road HQ in Kingston.

So what did he make of the year 2023?

“We got out of COVID and that took a while and now it looks like we are about to enter World War III. It’s a big deal with the Russia/Ukraine conflict in Europe and the Palestinian /Israeli situation in the Middle East. Next year we have the US Presidential election and that is already looking like that will be very tense with divisiveness and acrimony everywhere. There is talk about democracy and getting rid of democracy. We are living in times where we are witnessing monumental changes. These are turbulent times.”

Turning to Jamaica, he tipped his hat at the way the Government was able to bring back the tourism sector and singled out Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett’s mobilisation efforts and commending him for doing a great job in getting visitors to vacation in Jamaica.

“Jamaica has so much potential, but we need to see more unity. Everyone must contribute to making Jamaica a great place to live in. Right now, we live in a time where it is all about survival, but survival is not enough. It has to be about climate change, sustainability, how you do business. We have to think about how do we work together and don’t waste time.”

What is Joe Bogdanovich’s take on the entertainment sector? What has to be done to make it more vibrant and lucrative?

“The artistes both here in Jamaica and around the world are charging a lot more money than they ever have before to perform. Certainly, more than we can afford in Jamaica. If you are interested in your brethren and keeping your industry alive, we need to understand what reggae music is all about. That means the youth, the producers of today must recognise that their heritage is powerful, and that reggae is loved all over the world.

“Right now it is hard to get paid properly. We need to fight for this country, this paradise we live in. More attention has to be paid to community, peace and love, good reggae music.”

Under Bogdanovich’s control, Reggae Sumfest has come on leaps and bounds. He has added a dynamism to the event. In 2022, Reggae Sumfest contributed some US$20 million to the Jamaican economy, this year that went up to US$30 million.

Reggae Sumfest is getting better and better.

He hears the call to bring down more international artists and he has heeded it. For 2024, Babyface will be one of the headline acts and more big international names are expected to grace Sumfest.

“We in Jamaica attract the world. They like the way Jamaican artists roll. The young producers are doing their thing but there is a lot of repetition…then again it’s a small country. At DownSound, we are into the vibe, promoting good music. We do what we do which is Jamaica. We like to “free-up” if you know what I mean.

“The brand of Reggae Sumfest is going to expand internationally. We have to figure out how to get it done right and be profitable. We are going to drop some major acts, giving the people what they want. If you want to survive in the business, you have to give the youth and everybody else what they want and you have to stop talking about what is good and what’s bad….it was better back in the day. Come on, man!

“People are too critical. They are old, they are not growing right. There’s no love in the scene. We have to be motivated and conscious about what we do. My job is to be a credible person and to put my money where my mouth is.”

There can be little doubt that the DownSound boss has brought an elevated level of professionalism to the entertainment business in Jamaica. How is he going to advance that and what can other entities take from what he brings to the game?

“ Companies have to be more involved with their artists and that is what I will be doing. To be more involved you give them work, you give them jobs at fair pay. At Reggae Sumfest we hire a lot of entrepreneurs, young people coming up, out of the universities. We talk to them and they are appreciative.

“We keep our links and what we really want to do is go beyond music. Music is one thing, it’s cool but we are taking about climate change, we are talking about sustainability. How are you going to stay in business, keep companies running? This is no joke business man! We have problems in this country.

“All around the world people are dying because they can’t eat, can’t get access to food. We need to provide jobs. People like myself and companies that I’m involved must focus on this. I have a lot of investments here in Jamaica and we do a lot of work on the kind of content we put out especially with climate change. It is the number one thing in the world right now. We in Jamaica have to make a big statement about that, be a leader in that area and make stuff happen. So I’m talking to people in the health business, those who are captains of industry. I’m real serious about this.”

During the height of the COVID pandemic, when entertainment and performances came to a standstill in Jamaica, the man in the Ray-Bans demonstrated ingenuity and a remarkable sense of creativity putting on a virtual concert that captured the attention of Jamaica and the Diaspora called “Taste of Sumfest”. The man can overcome challenges and can react to circumstances and events. Here, he rallied the entire Jamaican music industry partnering with Facebook in 2020 to create an online virtual performance, live streamed over two nights.

“There has been a lot of evolution since then. Many young people here are very perceptive and are checking out performances online. It has changed the game. Now here comes AI and that is a serious challenge with its ability to change speech patterns, manipulate sound and voices. We are going into a science fiction world. We can’t be asking what time is it? The time is now. Time to make the world a better place. We have to be able to support each other.

“The government has done well in some instances but we have to understand that we have to spend money to reach out and show we care about others. It’s time to get serious in Jamaica.”