Life in the music business has its ups and downs—especially in Haiti—and Serge Turnier (A.K.A. Powersurge) has lived both extremes. As a producer he makes his living from recorded music, not from concerts, and so many of those ups and downs have revolved around the question of copyright: a legal system for controlling who can copy, record and perform a piece of music. The concept can seem abstract, but in Turnier’s story it makes all the difference as he decides whether to give up on the Haitian music industry entirely. Produced by Ian Coss
About the producer:
Ian Coss divides his time between pursuing a Ph.D in ethnomusicology at Boston University and producing audio for programs including The World, Studio 360, Life of the Law, Afropop Worldwide and BBC’s Cultural Frontline.
Collaboration: This program was produced in partnership with Life of the Law.
