5 Takeaways from the 2026 Island Music Conference: Songwriters’ Workshops, AI & the Future of Reggae at the Grammys

As Puerto Rican powerhouse Bad Bunny dominated the Super Bowl halftime show stage earlier this month, music lawyers enjoyed the performance with a potentially genre-shaking lawsuit in the back of their minds.

In 2021, Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson filed a massive copyright suit claiming their 1989 song “Fish Market” is the origin of the “dem bow” rhythm that now defines reggaetón. Over 150 artists were named in the suit — from Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny himself to Drake and Pitbull — and it reignited conversations around songwriter and producers protecting and maintaining the rights to their intellectual property, as well as any corresponding residuals.

During Wednesday’s “Breaking into Publishing” panel (Feb. 25), Lal Firm president and founder Sapna Lal walked the audience through a sample split sheet to explain how to complete such forms, their importance, and their finer details. “When the song is completed, before it’s going to go out, you make sure [this form] is done, so you’re protected,” she stressed.

Her fellow panelists, Geejam Studios co-owner Jon Baker and Warner Chappell Music A&R director Ethan Baer, also contributed to the conversation, pushing artists to fully realize the power and potential of collaboration and creative communities. With Baker speaking from the perspective of studio composers and producers and Baer empowering front-facing artists, the panel presented several necessary angles to assess the world of publishing. Friday afternoon’s panel (Feb. 27), which featured DubShots Records founder Chris Schlarb, Jamaican Music Society general manager Evon Mullings and International Performer Royalties Group managing director Marco Ferrero, brought the conversation to a more granular level.

Keznamdi emerged triumphant from an all-Jamaican lineup to claim the 2026 best reggae album Grammy (Blxxd & Fyah) last month (Feb. 1), but the IMC was more concerned with the category’s future.

During Saturday afternoon’s “The Grammys and Your Career” panel (Feb. 28), Spice, who earned a best reggae album nomination in 2022 for 10, posed several questions to the panel, with two particular inquiries riling up the crowd. Though Spice is primarily a dancehall artist, her LP was nominated for best reggae album, because there is no best dancehall album category at the Grammys. In fact, there’s no specific category for soca, calypso, or other long-established Caribbean genres boasting scores of yearly, globally impactful releases. As such, the dancehall queen’s push for a separate category was met with the advice to define the genre with Grammy-friendly jargon, prove there is consistently a high volume of yearly releases in the genre, and encourage her peers to submit their work for Grammy consideration.

That final piece of advice snowballed into a conversation regarding the very existence of the best reggae album category — and its potential removal. Spice voiced that she’s heard industry murmurings that the category might be in danger, due to a consistently low number of submissions. Of course, anyone even tangentially tapped into reggae knows that genre is bustling across generations, but more education and accessibility to the Recording Academy’s processes will prove that on the Grammy stage.

It’s said that hip-hop is a young man’s game, and the same could be said for dancehall — so who better to discuss aging and evolving in the music industry than decades-spanning veterans Shaggy and Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt-N-Pepa?

On Thursday morning (Feb. 26), the two Grammy winners, alongside Alison Hinds and Jamaican-Canadian actor Lyriq Bent, hosted a panel titled “What’s Your Brand & Is It Forever.” Over the course of an hour, each entertainer detailed their unique journeys beyond the world of music, while still keeping the artform central to their overall brand.

“You have to pivot,” Shagy stressed, after acknowledging the fleeting nature of fame in the grand scheme of humanity, even for names as grand as Michael Jackson. “Yes, Mr. Boombastic was my brand then — but now, I just have to pivot as I go. When you close one chapter, you open another.”

The IMC co-founder went on to break down how he’s diversified his brand and art, citing The Last Ship (a Sting musical that’s headed to the Metropolitan Opera House this summer), his charitable on-the-ground efforts in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and his new “Dancehall Nice” collaboration with Beres Hammond and Dexta Daps. Although IMC is primarily geared towards rising artists, panels like these proved impactful for those planning sustainable careers rooted in longevity.

As is the case around the world, for better and for worse, AI was inescapable at this year’s IMC. Luckily, attendees were provided with a range of perspectives on the fast-evolving technology and its place in music and entertainment.

Friday morning’s “Building Caribbean Media Power” panel — which featured Billboard writer Kyle Denis, Boomshots Media founder Rob Kenner, Irie FM general manager Brian Schmidt, Atlantic Music Group vice president of marketing Brianna Harrison and Lashington Agency managing director Chrislyn Lashington — delivered a cautious outlook on AI in the music media space. Panelists generally agreed that Google’s AI summaries and wholly AI-generated content should be avoided. Still, they also stressed that art that directly contradicts the tenets of AI will likely be the most sought after as the tech continues to grow. Separate from AI, Schmidt also used this panel to call on the local Jamaican government to better support local creators and get rid of unnecessary taxes that would free up the budget to further bolster a sustainable music economy.

Later that evening, the aptly titled “AI Artistes” panel — which featured entertainment lawyer Bernie Lawrence-Watkins, Øpus Intelligence founder Omar Johnson, Africa Creative Agency founder Colin Gayle and Haus of Creators founder Venus Rose — directly tackled the rise of AI avatars, AI-generated content creators and music made with the assistance of AI at various stages of the process. While her co-panelists offered the executive perspective, Rose opted to walk through different ways generative AI could be used as an assistive tool, from ideation to styling.

While other genres drag their feet when it comes to amplifying tomorrow’s stars — or ignore them in favor of reminiscing on past eras — reggae and dancehall are doing everything they can to empower the next generation of superstars.

From candid conversations about “the struggles of young artists” with rising stars like Rajah Wild and Major Myjah to illuminating, entry-level panels on publishing, streaming compensation, and navigating different algorithms, IMC handed Jamaica’s ascendant musicians a helpful toolkit to begin their music industry journeys. Not only did IMC shower young artists with learning and networking opportunities, but the four-day conference also dedicated a three-hour showcase to them. From raucous dancehall fusions to soaring reggae and gospel vocals, the talented lineup quickly won over new fans.

Here’s a full list of the next-gen artists who performed at the 2026 IMC Island Vibes Showcase: Brown Skin Rae, Imani Beau, Kvdence, Kustiks, Kant10t, Jahdon, Mystic Warrior, Rally Banks, Ka$e, Adesoga, Tanzie, Karbon D Hardone, Jo Lin, Papiito, Kimmy Gold, Mye Laurell and Yeshwah.