Reggae and the Underground: How to gain exposure without selling your identity?

Reggae hasn't yet had happen to it what happened to Rock or Bossa Nova. Reggae, as musical style and lifestyle, remains very close to its ideological roots. Many things contribute to this. And Brazil has within itself everything for that not to change for a long time. The idea of musical professionalism is already something that hurts the ears of those with radical ideology about living from music, committing to it and to their band.

In Brazil, in the mind of those not on a label or doing weekly shows, selling out means getting radio play or signing a three-year contract. Selling out means being on television or opening shows for other musical styles. There is no room for radicalism nor for "feuds" between bands. What I call underground in the title is the idea of a strong musical and culture circuit bordering the current industry.

Commercial music is a term that became pejorative because it mixes what is made to massify and sell a plastic title or artist with career artists and emerging bands. Exchange is the underground's first weapon. Exchange of music, bands, zines. Reggae still bumps into its artistic isolation in Brazil. Fortunately, this situation has been changing because some people and bands have already noticed that enabling shows, which is the underground's case, does more for music than trying to understand why it's Kelly Key and not your band on MTV.