Indonesian pop music goes pop<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
The Indonesian music industry is booming, with a bunch of
\nyoung artists trying their luck in the business. But they can not
\nalways play merry tunes as climbing the stairway of success is
\nnot easy. The Jakarta Post's contributors, Dini S. Djalal, Achmad
\nNurhoeri, Franki Raden and Helly Minarti, write a series of
\narticles on the industry on this page, page 2 and page 11.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a pair of jeans and cut-off singlet, 18-year-
\nold Denada looks like your average teenager. But as she fields
\nquestions during a press conference, it becomes apparent that
\nDenada is no ordinary high school student. With a best-selling
\ndebut album and an MTV Asia Best Video award for her hit
\nSambutlah, Denada is one of Indonesia's biggest pop stars.<\/p>\n
But there are many aspiring singers and musicians waiting to
\ntake Denada's place. Indonesia's music industry is going through
\na sales boom, and the roster of young hopefuls seeking a piece of
\nthe pie multiplies by the day. And young they are: AB Three and
\nBase Jam are in high school or college, while Nugie and Iwa K.
\nhave just completed university. Other young ones include Humania,
\nKahitna and Oppie Andaresta.<\/p>\n
But in pop music's fickle universe, image is all, and at times
\na youthful glossy facade funded by deep pockets can eclipse a
\nlack of talent. In Indonesia especially, pretty boys and girls
\ncan gain fame and fortune simply by posing with hired musicians.<\/p>\n
Yet as international heavyweights move into Indonesia's fast-
\ngrowing market, bringing with them advanced technology and
\nmanagement as well as competition from foreign bands, local acts
\nwill have to show that they're not just flash in the pans quickly
\nheading toward obscurity. The shortage of professional artists,
\nand management, is only one of the problems facing the music
\nindustry. Other problems include censorship, funding, and the
\ntendency to clone western acts.<\/p>\n
There is also the sensitive matter of royalties and
\ncopyrights. Ever since Bob Geldof scolded Indonesia in the 1980s
\nfor not respecting copyright laws following the Ethiopian Band
\nAid project, the issue of royalties has plagued the music
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Influence<\/p>\n
Then there is the issue of ethnic influence in contemporary
\npopular music. The efforts of local artists in bridging the
\ndivide between eastern and western traditions are often awkward
\nand shallow, using exoticism as a trend only after western acts
\nventured down the \"ethnic\" path.<\/p>\n
Yet, some bands persist on traveling down this difficult path,
\nsuch as Kantata, one of the biggest proponents of ethnic rock in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
For the younger pop music generation, what concerns them is
\nnot nationalist esthetics but growing, unhealthy competition from
\nrich kids who want to be pop stars. \"Now there are lots of kids
\nwho can play only three chords but have lots of money, so they
\nhire a producer and put out an album. Before you had to struggle
\nto make a demo tape and then beg to record companies to listen to
\nyou!\" said Armand Maulana, lead singer of pop group Gigi. Armand
\nis confident though, that ultimately, talent counts. \"Sooner or
\nlater, the customers will know the difference between good
\nmusicians and these people with money,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Teges Prita Soraya, public relations manager for Jakarta's
\nHard Rock Cafe, describes this phenomena as karbitan: \"For a lot
\nof people, give them an opportunity to sing, and suddenly they
\nthink they're singers.\"<\/p>\n
Running a program every Monday night at the cafe to showcase
\nIndonesian bands, Teges has a personal interest in seeing
\nIndonesian bands improve. In a highly censored industry where
\ngovernment regulations hinder regular concerts and shows, Teges'
\nefforts are a welcome rarity. As Sudesh Nayer, marketing director
\nat BMG Entertainment International, explains: \"Bands need
\nexposure in order to sell more records. Indonesia definitely
\nneeds to have more concerts\".<\/p>\n
Ironically, the concerts at the Hard Rock Cafe have not been
\npacked. Teges doesn't mind. \"A lot of the bands' fans live
\noutside of Jakarta and can't afford the prices at the cafe,\" said
\nTeges. \"If we lose money, we lose money. But I wanted to show the
\nbands our appreciation,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Echoing Armand's concerns, more worrying is that Teges can't
\nthink of any more bands to put onstage. \"There aren't that many
\nartists left to showcase. I don't want to showcase bands with
\nonly one album and then disappear, because then the older bands
\nget insulted,\" said Teges.<\/p>\n
Halfhearted<\/p>\n
Teges is confident of local acts -- \"I think they're talented,
\nthat's why I'm giving them a stage\" -- but she's concerned that
\nit may be a case of too much, too soon. \"Our musicians have great
\npotential, but are they diligent enough to make the most of their
\nopportunities? It would be a shame if MTV gives them all these
\nbreaks and the bands only give back a halfhearted effort,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
MTV is now playing a bigger role in the Indonesian music
\nindustry, giving heavy rotation for Indonesian videos. Daniel
\nTumiwa, marketing manager of MTV Asia, says for each three
\ninternational songs, they put on an Indonesian song. But the MTV
\ninfluence is not completely welcomed by Indonesian bands. Armand
\nsays: \"The positive side is that our music can now sell all over
\nAsia. The negative side is that other Asian artists can now enter
\nthe Indonesian market. This is good in providing competition and
\npushing us to do better but if you look at it from the strictly
\nbusiness sense, it can kill us too.\"<\/p>\n
So now it's up to Indonesian bands to prove that they are
\nworth all the attention from MTV and record companies.<\/p>",
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