Dubplates on the air: wider exposure for the artist, or a broken promise to the sound that paid for it?
One side
Radio exposure that spreads a sound's reputation
The other
Eroding the paid-for exclusivity of a dubplate special
What was argued
A dubplate special is commissioned exclusively for one sound system, and sound-system etiquette holds that an artist should not undercut that exclusivity by voicing the same lyrics for a rival before a clash. Radio play of a dubplate raises a related, longstanding tension: airing a special can introduce it, and the sound that owns it, to a mass audience, but it can also drain the very exclusivity the commissioning sound paid for. Selectors and stations differ on where the line sits. Neutral framing; no verdict.
The records this concerns
Sources
Jamaica Gleaner ("Siri, can you play a dubplate?"); academic literature on dubplate specials in international sound-system culture