Why Are Jamaicans Taking Over Social Media in T&T?

From Beenie Man’s resurfaced jab at doubles to Vybz Kartel’s no-show at a major event, Jamaican artists have been dominating Trinidad and Tobago’s social media conversations in 2025, especially surrounding one event in particular.

The One Caribbean Music Festival is now being dubbed “the Fyre Festival Trinidad edition” online. This comparison alone should make marketers and event organizers everywhere sit up and take notes.

So What Happened?

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel, alongside Sizzla and Moliy, pulled out of the One Caribbean Music Festival just before the event, citing unmet contractual obligations. The public found out a short while before the event’s start, not via press release or statement from organizers, but from Kartel himself, via an Instagram video. This move set the tone for what followed: a firestorm of backlash, refund demands, and accusations of mismanagement. One patron reportedly caused over $60,000 TTD in damage to a vendor’s stage equipment during an outburst over Kartel’s non-appearance.

In response, the festival’s promoter hit back via social media, asserting that Kartel had already received 80% of his $1.35M USD fee. The promoter claimed that local financial regulations delayed the balance and that the artist's team was informed. Despite this, patrons, especially those who primarily wanted to see Kartel, were left disappointed, and potentially without refunds, thanks to a non-refundable ticket clause.

Island E-tickets, a popular ticketing platform for events issued a statement sharing that ticket holders who purchased via their platform would be issued refunds.

What Caribbean Marketing Managers Should Know

1. Perception is the product

Regardless of who’s "right," public opinion is shaped by what’s most visible and what resonates with them on an emotional level. Kartel’s personal video apology to Trinidad & Tobago gave his narrative an edge. It felt human, direct, and immediate, everything a corporate press release usually isn’t.

The lesson here? Brands need to speak up, and fast, when crisis hits. And when they do, they must speak human. Not legalese, you know, the fancy words that no one understands.

2. Reactive PR is not reputation management

The promoter’s response, if real, was reactive and somewhat defensive. It lacked the transparency and empathy needed in a crisis. No official press conference. No pre-emptive announcement to ticket holders. No attempt at narrative control until it was too late. However, they did underscore that no refunds would be made due to a clause.

In 2025, brands must treat PR like content strategy. Plan for the worst. Draft holding statements. Have crisis playbooks. Assume that your audience will hear from someone else before they hear from you.

3. Contractual fine print doesn't save face

Yes, the tickets were "non-refundable." But that clause means little to the average patron who flew in, bought outfits, and made plans around a headliner who never showed. The legal coverage doesn’t translate to emotional goodwill.

Contracts protect your bottom line. Communication protects your brand.

4. Your brand lives on social media, even when your event doesn’t

Even though the event continued with other performers, that narrative was lost. Why? Because the online conversation was dominated by cancellations, artist videos, and disappointed fans.

Your social media team is not just your promotion team, they’re your frontline PR team. Equip them with real-time updates, approval processes, and clear messaging.

How Caribbean Event Brands Can Rebuild Trust?

• Develop influencer and artist comms playbooks. If an artist pulls out, don’t let them be the only one talking. Coordinate statements where possible.

  
  

• Prioritize transparency over damage control. Acknowledge issues before the backlash builds.

  
  

• Redefine your refund policy narrative. Instead of a hard “non-refundable” stance, consider goodwill gestures, discounts, or clear communication of what’s covered.

  
  

• Engage in post-event listening. Don’t disappear after the storm. Run sentiment analysis. Respond to fans. Learn.

Your event doesn’t need to be cancelled to feel like a failure. All it takes is a missed beat in communication. The One Caribbean Music Festival isn’t just a case study in contractual confusion, it’s a lesson in how not to let your brand be defined by what people think happened, but by how you responded when it did.

Because in marketing, silence isn’t just passive, it’s permission for someone else to own your story.

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