Publicist Tenille Clarke wanted to show all that the Caribbean could offer musically when she curated a playlist for global music streaming platform, Tidal.

Clarke was one of several regional music industry experts chosen to create playlists in commemoration of the US’s Caribbean History Month which is observed in June.

For Clarke, this opportunity provided more than visibility to regional artistes but showed the Caribbean’s unique storytelling ability.

The playlist features artistes like Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Freetown Collective, Jamaican musician Hector “Roots” Lewis, Guadeloupean iconic group Kassav, Vaughnette Bigford and Grenadian artiste Shem “Terra D Governor” Bernard.

Clarke said in a phone interview that Tidal contacted her in May and she was able to curate the playlist within a week after that.

She said the platform contacted her because of her work as a PR specialist in the music industry.

[caption id="attachment_1094879" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Hector "Roots" Lewis -[/caption]

On June 14 – when the playlist launched – Tidal posted on Instagram, “June marks the annual Caribbean Heritage Month! It is only fitting to partner with highly acclaimed Public Relations specialist tenilleclarke1 from TT. For the love of music and our appreciation of the West Indies, check out Tenille's playlist.”

Clarke said her advocacy for artistes’ interests and ensuring that their work is heard beyond the region’s borders led the platform to her.

She was chosen to kick-start the series but there were also other curators in the series.

To her, this gave an opportunity for all of the Caribbean to be heard.

She consciously put together a playlist of 35 songs from the English-speaking, Spanish-speaking and French-speaking Caribbean.

This particular playlist, “Incisively tapped in to specific areas of music and subgenres in the Caribbean as opposed to the Caribbean music playlists that may not, necessarily, be an in-depth reflection of the vast offerings that the region has,” she said.

Geographic location, genre, age, gender were among the playlist’s criteria.

Even though Caribbean Heritage Month has ended the playlist is still up and should be there indefinitely, she plans to add at least 20 more songs to the list.

“What I did as well was ask people for their feedback on new music or music that simply may not have crossed my path. I want to take the opportunity to continue building on my playlist,” she added.

Many regional artistes were not signed to major labels because of the structure of the Caribbean music industry ecosystem and opted to go the independent route.

While this could be rewarding, it was not without its challenges like resource capacity and the ability to tap into audience engagement, she said.

“When you have a machine behind you, like a major label, that path is made easier.”

This was why initiatives like these were important for the region, she said.

These kinds of playlists gave an almost immediate return on investment in terms of audience visibility