As a child, Serge Turnier fell in love with the sounds of the carnival bands that would pass near his house in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Now one of the top music producers in the country, Turnier is faced with the reality that Haitian law offers little protection for music copyrights and he must decide whether to quit the music business altogether, in order to provide financial security for his family.

A musician is not even recognized as a real job here in Haiti. You’re just nothing in eye of the law.  —  Serge Turnier

One of the basic jobs of every government is to protect property rights, meaning if you own this piece of land or you build this house, no one can just come and take those things from you. Property rights are pretty clear cut when it comes to things – like land and houses – but less so when it comes to ideas. Can someone really own an image, or own a song? Here in the United States, the answer is yes, absolutely. But that isn’t the case everywhere.

The Gift and Curse of Music – Haiti’s Fight for Copyright is the story of Serge Turnier, a music producer and composer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Just last year, he produced a half dozen carnival songs himself, working with top artists in the Haitian music industry. But what he didn’t realize in his childhood dreams, was that Haitian law does not protect copyrights for songs, making it almost impossible to make money from recorded music.

Life of the Law Producer (and composer) Ian Coss traveled to Haiti to meet up with musicians and producers, including Serge Turnier aka Powersurge, to hear first hand what it means to live and work in a music rich country where your creative work isn’t protected by copyright.

Listen to:

Episode 117: The Gift and Curse of Music – Haiti’s Fight for Copyright