ENTITY · BUSINESS
Jet Star Phonographics
Well supported
British reggae distribution company formed in 1978 out of Pama Records by the Palmer brothers, driven by Carl Palmer, and long promoted as the world's largest reggae distributor. It ran the long-running 'Reggae Hits' compilation series and built one of the most comprehensive reggae catalogues before folding in 2008. Source note: Wikipedia (Jet Star) and Jet Star company history.
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Debate & reception
How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →
debate
Distributor consolidation: vital pipeline or diaspora gatekeeper?
Two documented readings of the big reggae distributors, stated neutrally: one sees Jet Star and VP as indispensable infrastructure that carried Jamaican music to shops across Britain, Europe and North America; the other worries that heavy consolidation let a few distributors narrow what reached the counter and which artists broke abroad. Neutral framing. Sources: Jamaica Observer; British Record Shop Archive; VP Records history.
Stance: big distributors as vital infrastructure vs gatekeepers narrowing what reached shops