Sony, Warner and Universal Own Jamaica’s Music, The Island Needs Their Help To Rebuild

On October 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa—recorded as the highest-wind hurricane on earth, with sustained winds of 252 mph—made landfall in Jamaica. It devastated half the island, leaving thousands homeless and displaced. The Category 5 storm ripped apart the infrastructure of the island that gave the world Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dancehall and inspired Rap, EDM and Reggaeton, destroying more than 150,000 structures and causing economic damage estimated at roughly one-third of GDP. In response, the government has launched a national relief and reconstruction effort and is appealing for international support.

Meanwhile, many artists have stepped up to support the relief efforts, with several benefit initiatives are underway, including the upcoming “Jamaica Strong” concert at New York’s UBS Arena—headlined by Shaggy and Sean Paul—which is already mobilizing fans and diaspora communities to aid the recovery.

This publication now asks: Where are the majors?

Over the past 20 years, major record labels (Sony, Warner and Universal) have fought vigorously to avoid paying copyright claims brought by Jamaican artists and to sidestep long-standing royalty claims from some of the island’s most celebrated figures.

They have either dropped or reduced the marketing budget for signed Jamaican acts but they sit on a catalog of music that is selling forever.

The estate of Steely & Clevie is currently pursuing a major multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment over their seminal 1989 Fish Market Riddim—a rhythm that became foundational to the development of reggaeton. Before his death, Max Romeo filed a US$15 million lawsuit against Universal for unpaid royalties. His family has since committed to continuing the case.

Island Records, founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell in 1959 and now a frontline label within UMG, played a pivotal role in taking reggae global and introducing Bob Marley and the Wailers to international audiences. In 2010, a US court confirmed that UMG Recordings holds the copyrights to five classic Marley albums recorded for Island—Catch a Fire, Burnin’, Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration and Exodus—which include “No Woman, No Cry,” “One Love” and “I Shot the Sheriff.” The court deemed these recordings “work for hire” under the original agreement between the Wailers and Blackwell, supported by an initial payment of US$4,000.

The major labels did not merely distribute Jamaican music—they built commercial empires on it. Marley’s Legendcompilation alone has sold more than 18 million units in the US and has generated more than US$400 million for UMG. While publishing rights to parts of Marley’s catalogue were later sold by Blackwell to Primary Wave, UMG maintains control over the key recordings.

Beyond Marley, the masters of many of Jamaica’s most influential artists—from the era of Harry Belafonte’s Calypso (RCA), inspired by Jamaican market culture, to contemporary giants such as Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Super Cat, Shabba Ranks, Shenseea and Shaggy—now sit within the archives of Sony, Warner or Universal after decades of acquisitions.

The Big Three owe Jamaica a debt

Several music-related companies—including VP Records, Primary Wave, OneRPM and Ineffable Records—have already contributed or committed to relief efforts. The global recorded-music market, however, is dominated by three giants: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. Together, they control vast catalogues that include some of the most important Jamaican recordings ever made—and they profit from them every day. All three reported record earnings this year, with reggae accounting for between 1% market share and is the 10th most listened genre globally, according to the IFPI.

That does not make the majors villains. It does, however, create an obligation—especially when Jamaica is literally digging itself out from under debris.

What meaningful support should look like

Token gestures will not suffice. If the Big Three want to demonstrate genuine respect for a culture that has powered their catalogues for decades, there are several concrete steps available to them.

1. Commit real money, publicly

Jamaica’s government has established official relief channels, including the SupportJamaica donation portal and hurricane-specific recovery funds. Each major label group could:

• Make multi-million-dollar corporate donations to these official funds and to credible humanitarian partners such as the World Food Programme and the Red Cross.

• Pledge a portion of Marley-catalogue, reggae and dancehall streaming revenues for the next 12–18 months directly to recovery projects.

For companies accustomed to signing nine-figure catalogue and technology deals, such support would barely register on annual accounts—yet it would transform lives on the ground.

2. Match fan power with label power

Artists are already stepping up. Shaggy and Sean Paul’s “Jamaica Strong” benefit will raise significant funds, and global stars such as The Weeknd have already donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts.

Labels should amplify this momentum, not trail behind it:

• Expand the “Jamaica Strong” model into a global series of benefit concerts and livestreams across their full artist rosters—not just reggae acts.

• Use direct-to-consumer stores and streaming partnerships to run donation-matching campaigns: every dollar a fan contributes, the label matches.

3. Invest in long-term resilience, not short-term PR

Hurricane Melissa is not a one-off anomaly; it marks a pattern of increasingly severe climate threats facing the Caribbean. Long-term commitments could include:

• Rebuilding and climate-proofing studios, rehearsal spaces and community centres in Kingston, Montego Bay and key cultural hubs.

• Funding scholarships and training programmes for Jamaican engineers, producers, songwriters and music-business professionals.

• Working with Jamaica’s new National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NARA) to ensure music-industry infrastructure is integrated into national rebuilding plans.

If they chose, the majors could also pilot fairer catalogue terms for veteran Jamaican artists—revisiting old contracts, improving royalty structures and exploring shared master ownership in tandem with investments in cultural institutions and archives.

The importance of symbolic leadership

The majors also steward some of the world’s most influential artists. In 2018, Universal partnered with Taylor Swift on a deal that allowed her to own her future masters and empowered her to become the richest female musician in history. Sony represents icons ranging from Bruce Springsteen to SZA and Britney Spears. Warner shepherds the careers of Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B and Coldplay.

If even a handful of these global stars joined a coordinated, label-backed campaign for Jamaica—recording benefit singles, integrating donation links into tours, hosting televised charity events—the impact would be immense. The majors as well as major artists are uniquely positioned to organize such efforts.

More than charity

Ultimately, supporting Jamaica is not just humanitarian—it is business. The next generation of songs, rhythms, slang, fashion, sound-system culture and production ideas that will shape global pop is already emerging in Jamaican studios and rural communities—many of which are now roofless, water-damaged or without power.

Helping Jamaica recover means safeguarding one of the music industry’s most vital cultural R&D labs where the next superstar will emerge.

For decades, Jamaican music has given the Big Three global hits, catalogue goldmines and creative credibility. Today, the island needs help.

Sony, Warner and Universal should respond swiftly, visibly and at scale. After more than half a century as beneficiaries of Jamaica’s creative genius, it is time to show they are also partners in its survival and recovery.