As we close yet another calendar year with slightly less than the accustomed rush of lengthy stage shows, but parties galore, it is as good a time as any to look at what I think is a stage of transition.

Prime among the transitions is what will occur at Sting next Friday at Jamworld in Portmore. No matter who wins the Mavado/Kartel clash, one thing is certain - a new battle champion will be crowned and the fact that the clash of primary interest does not include Bounty Killer or Beenie Man officially marks a new era.

Not that it has not been coming for some time, but in all instances of change, there has to be a significant turning point and Sting 25 is it.

Remember when Beenie and Bounty collided at Sting 93, they were the hot young guns; it marked the end of the dominance of a set of deejays from the 1980s, including Super Cat and Shabba Ranks, with Ninja Man holding on through sheer talent and strength of personality. Now they are the ones who are the 'old guard', but there is a distinct difference.

Vybz Kartel

Firm indicator

They are still in the thick of things, though not the focal point, and their being included in Sting's closing rush is a firm indicator that they will not be swept aside. They will gradually be accorded 'elder' status, but they will not be put in the pile of 'has-beens'. After all, a dominance of over a decade is not something that goes away overnight.

Beenie Man

There is another transition in terms of sponsorship. The Jamaica Tourist Board has taken on lead sponsorship of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, putting US$500,000 into the January event in Montego Bay, in the hope that it will deliver 5,000 visitors to the island. Of course, one does not know how much of what these visitors spend will come back to the economy as a whole.

But the fact that the JTB can put so much faith into the pulling power of music is highly significant. (Not that most of the performers are from Jamaica.) And it makes one rethink just what music and corporate muscle, when combined, can do for this country.

Speaking of that combination, Magnum has been making a tremendous impact through dancehall. Their bunting is everywhere and their girls are hot. Red Stripe may just be rethinking its withdrawal from the live music sponsorship scene at this point.

Bounty Killer

Sexual limits

Another transition that bears looking at is the sexual limits that have been pushed, not that they have done so willingly, by entertainment figures whose personal videos have hit the public this year.

There are many more changes, but these three will do for now.

Final change: Hey, there's another transition as well. Beyond The Hype ends as of this week. It's been a decent run, coming out every Friday for close to 11 years (the first one was about the astounding number of records Jamaica produces, the second was about Sizzla as the Black Woman and Child and Praise Ye Jah albums were released nearly simultaneously. Many things have come in between those first two and this final (Beyond The Hype). All things, good and bad, eventually end; it is this column's time.