Leroy Sibbles Says Royalties Dried Up Since SiriusXM Moved ‘The Joint’ In Favor Of ‘Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio’

Veteran Reggae singer Leroy Sibbles has taken Tuff Gong to task for being involved in SiriusXM’s relocation of its The Joint channel in favor of “Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio,” an exclusive, year-round channel dedicated to the music of the Reggae icon.

On December 3, 2020, SiriusXM launched Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio and relocated The Joint from channel 42 to channel 722, where it can be heard on the SiriusXM app and on siriusxm.com, but now cannot be picked up by car radios, where many subscribers listen to the platform.

According to Sibbles, the move was made to the exclusion of all other Reggae musicians, including very old and infirm legends, who are no longer able to perform but relied on royalties from the audio entertainment company’s channel to support themselves.

“In America, we have millions and millions and millions of listeners in each state.  And as an internet radio… they play a song for you, you get paid,” the former lead singer for The Heptones said in an I Never Knew TV interview. 

“They would be playing all Jamaican music, strictly Jamaican music – Jamaican Reggae music from the early days.  And from this it made them a  special source of income for people in the Reggae business.  We looked forward to this… In Jamaica from the mid-sixties, we have people who have been recording.  So these people have been hit right now… Some of the can’t see, some of dem can’t walk.  Is not all of these people who are able to perform if they get a chance to you know do all a show.  Most a dem can’t,” he said.

Sirius XM, which describes itself as the leading in the US and the premier programmer and platform for subscription- and digital advertising-supported audio products, along with its subsidiary, Pandora, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the United States.  Combined, SiriusXM and Pandora reach more than 100 million people monthly with their audio products.

Many subscribers had taken umbrage to the relocation of The Joint channel, which was dedicated to featuring Reggae music from across the world, in favour of the late singer and his clan, which they thought was disrespectful to other Reggae artists.

Hosted on SiriusXM Channel 19, Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio features Marley’s entire music catalogue, as well as rare recordings, many of which have never been heard publicly.   Curated by the Marley family, it was described by Sirius as highlighting the branches of Marley’s still-growing musical legacy”, including The Wailers, I-Threes, the Tuff Gong International record label which Marley founded in the 1970s, and his children and grandchildren.  

According to Sibbles, the quarterly royalty payments for some veteran Reggae artists, which he described as substantial, have all dried up.

“Now what Tuff Gong has done, it really hurts and it hurts everyone in the business you know.   When Bob Marley was singing songs of freedom, if Bob Marley was here, he would not do what Tuff Going administrators have done… But we have people who are doing this administration, they have no love for others but themselves alone.  It hurt me so much that I can’t find words.  It is not just hurting me you know, it hurt everyone,” Sibbles said.

He added: “Tuff Gong have taken away the food out of everyone mouth. Because what they did, they sat there and realised that this was a little means of earning for Reggae people, that this The Joint was making money for the whole Reggae fraternity. And they selfishly went and took that away from us.  And put just Bob Marley music right there.”

“It is not just hurting us alone. It is hurting everyone who love Reggae music too. Because when you could go on your radio as a person, turn on your radio and hear all form of Reggae music now you are projected to one thing: Bob Marley and his content.”

Sibbles had some choice words for the Tuff Gong leadership responsible for the change, likening them to Babylonians, who had not only “put a major dent in the business” financially, but also “spiritually.”

“And until they clear this up – and they need to do it now!  Because they don’t need this.  We need this more than them!  You don’t teck business man and corrupt  the lives.  Because what they have done, they have made themselves a part of Babylon right  now; a part of oppression, depression, suppression.  Deh suh dem deh right now.  Cause that is what they do; teck the food from the artiste,  All artiste that is in Reggae business have suffered from this move.  And they know what they were doing,” the singer said. 

“This is what you call red eye, covetousness… they make millions of dollars without touching The Joint every year.  Tuff Gong music makes millions of dollars of royalties every year without touching this little thing that we had going for us.  The people in the business who sang all these songs.  A nuh Bob Marley alone did a work within all that time fi make Reggae music what it is.  All these people John Holt, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson these are the people who through hunger and famine and everything, create all these music too enuh, to make this business an established business.  A nuh just one person thing,” he declared.

According to the Strictly Roots singer, he wants the other members of the Marley clan who are not directly involved in the administration of Tuff Gong to speak out on the matter and have words with Bob’s daughter Cedella, who also hosts her own monthly radio series on the channel, dubbed Nice Time.

“You know what I would like to know; because Bob has left some kids over into music too.  Dem sing, and I would like them to do an interview and hear what they have to say about this.  I would love to hear their input on this issue.   Yeah man, it is a disgrace on the name of Tuff Gong,” he said.

“An I want hear di yute dem, caw dem nuh fi gwaan like dem nuh know bout dis too enuh.  Dem a musician.  Anif dem neva name Marley, they would be in dis, a suffa like I and all di other musician and singer who are suffering right now.  Dem yute deh, dem need to talk up, and dem need to talk to Cedella!” he added.  

According to him, if the matter is not addressed and remedied forthwith, then Bob Marley’s descendants involved would be putting a stain on his legacy.

“They know what they were doing, yes.  And they did it anyway.  They need to clear this up or Tuff Gong name shall forever be in the name amongst the oppressors, and that was not Bob Marley’s intention.  They have done this over a year an odd enuh,” he stated.

“And I will forever say this, the administration of Bob Marley (estate) need to be more conscious of demself and right this wrong that they have done.   Me know Bob Marley before all a him kids dem.  An mi know seh Bob Marley would not have done dis.  The administration of Bob Marley need to stand up and acknowledge what they have done!  I want the whole world to hear dis,” he added.

“All these people they have children too; they have mouths left to feed too, like Bob children.  And when you come selfishly and do dat its greed, red eye and badmind and no feelings for others.  And what they have done, they have put a negative dent in the name of Tuff Gong,” Sibbles said.