Loan sale for Burna Boy concert

Managing Director of E-Loan Micro Financing Limited, Denisher Forbes, says that Jamaicans do not have to spend their 'last last' to attend the upcoming Burna Boy concert or any other holiday event.

Last week organisers confirmed that the Grammy Award-winning Afrobeats star would be performing in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica, and Forbes and her marketing team rushed to advertise a loan offer for up to $80,000 on social media for persons to fund ticket purchases.

"We thought that $80,000 would appeal to the cost of the tickets. We believe it is a good middle ground or ballpark figure of what the expenses would amount to for persons planning to attend," Forbes told THE STAR. "It's a short loan, it's a small loan. This can't kill anybody. Go have fun, life is short," she argued.

According to information advertised on First In Line Entertainment's website, 'The Burna Boy Live - Love Damini Tour', which is slated for December 18 at the National Stadium, there are three tiers of tickets and the cost increases per week. Tier 1 or general tickets are being sold for $7,500. Tier 1 VIP tickets have been marked as sold out, but Tier 2 VIP tickets are $22,000 and Tier 1 (VVIP) are $45,000.

"Despite what some persons are saying, I believe the ticket costs are reasonable because the artiste doesn't travel here to perform often. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many Jamaicans and unlike other places where he has performed, we have a smaller population, and the organisers are trying to secure a certain amount of sales to be able to cover their expenses and make a profit," Forbes said.

"For the persons in the comments who say 'It's not that serious', it's not that serious to them. There are other people who it is more important to. Besides, they have paid money to see Rihanna and Beyonce, you've paid to see Nicki Minaj before but he [Burna Boy] is our black brother, so why not support him?" she reasoned.

Forbes established her limited liability company in 2009, to cater to the county of Cornwall, and has recently explored the idea of offering 'party loans'. Earlier this year, the company advertised loans for West Igloo, and in October, also offered packages for persons attending Heroes Weekend events. Initially, she was surprised at the response she has been receiving online, with more than 2000 persons sharing the content on Instagram.

"You never know what will go viral," she said, noting that through Instagram, the team has realised that plenty of their following comes from Kingston.

Forbes explained that the agency offers several loans but that the loan offer for the Burna Boy concert "can take on any personality."

"We advertise up to that amount ($80,000) but it doesn't mean that we won't consider giving up to $200,000. People don't want to be the 'last last' to get a ticket. All we're saying is you don't have to go without food in your fridge, just take a loan that you can manage," Forbes said.