Local artists settle for cuts and alternatives during crisis<\/p>\n
By Yogita Tahil Ramani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If you sit down and watch local TV for a few
\nhours each evening, don't be surprised to see vocalist Yana Julio
\nlittering almost every channel.<\/p>\n
Whether it's a video of a song from his latest, Ku Cinta, Yana
\nhimself on Indosiar's variety show Pesta or one of RCTI's quiz
\nshows, he seems to be grabbing TV offers like they are going out
\nof style.<\/p>\n
\"I've had more spare time since the economic crisis
\nstarted... it's caused a 50 percent drop in the number of offers
\nfor stage shows,\" Yana said.<\/p>\n
Yana's colleague and friend, vocalist Rita Effendy, is
\nsuffering the same fate and is also taking on more TV shows,
\nthough they offer less compensation than stage shows. With a 50
\npercent drop in offers for her to perform on stage, she has even
\naccepted other alternatives.<\/p>\n
\"I'm also doing weddings and big office celebrations, for
\ninstance,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Rita, who is preparing a new album, said she was not doing as
\nwell financially as before.<\/p>\n
\"But my husband (a businessman) pitches in so I'm doing fine,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Entertainment manager Bambang Stio said the crisis had caused
\na 60 percent reduction of stage performance offers on average.<\/p>\n
\"The singers I manage usually got 10 to 12 assignments a
\nmonth. Now, only five come along in a month,\" said Bambang, who
\nmanages shows for vocalists Rita, Yana, Agus Wisman and Dewi
\nGita.<\/p>\n
He said some singers still received offers to do shows abroad
\non top of the music recordings and TV shows they were filling
\ntheir time with domestically.<\/p>\n
Yana is scheduled to perform with Malaysian artist Siti
\nNurhaliza in Singapore this September. Dewi and Rita, along with
\nYana, have been booked for a show this month in Brunei
\nDarussalam.<\/p>\n
There are not many such offers even though the weak rupiah has
\nmade Indonesian artists very affordable.<\/p>\n
\"Only top artists get this opportunity these days. Times are
\nvery tough,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Top artists like Yana can be booked for between S$6,000 and
\nS$7,000, he said.<\/p>\n
The fee for stage shows in the greater Jakarta area are
\nbetween Rp 7 million and Rp 8 million, and are about 25 percent
\nto 50 percent more for other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Bambang added that for special events, like Independence Day
\ncelebrations on Aug. 17, the honorarium was 50 percent less than
\nthe standard fee.<\/p>\n
Realizing the slump in the public's purchasing power, concert
\norganizer Buena Productions has decided to cut the ticket price
\nfor its shows.<\/p>\n
Such price cuts will go into effect for the Kahitna concert
\nhere and a concert by Arwana in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in
\nSeptember.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the Kahitna concert will be priced at Rp 6,000
\neach and Rp 10,000 each for Arwana.<\/p>\n
\"This is cheap, considering that their tickets used to be
\nalmost three times more than that before,\" director of Buena
\nProductions, Peter Basuki, said.<\/p>\n
How about international groups?<\/p>\n
Buena Productions, which also deals with international
\nartists, will bring Ricky Marten to the stage in Semarang and
\nJakarta respectively on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22.<\/p>\n
\"The Ricky Martin concert is a part of his upcoming Asian
\ntour. So promoters from other parts of Asia have helped. They're
\nsubsidizing for Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
He is also organizing concerts for Incognito and Fire House in
\nOctober.<\/p>\n
Fire House was first scheduled to play in 20 cities this year.
\nNow, the number of cities they will play in has been cut to 12 or
\neven less, Peter said. With dollar rates up 500 percent to 600
\npercent, rock band Fire House is taking a cut of 25 percent in
\nits fees, he added.<\/p>\n
Money, however, is not the only problem in organizing concerts
\nfor international artists. Promoters and concert organizers are
\nnow facing higher bureaucratic hurdles.<\/p>\n
Obtaining licenses for international groups has become an
\nincreasingly difficult procedure since the May riots, Peter said.<\/p>\n
He said the Commission of Evaluation for Entertainment
\nActivities (KPKH), the entertainment censor board, had demanded
\nthat foreign artists obtain 12 documents in order to perform in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"You need one from the Ministry of Tourism, the immigration
\noffice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of
\nEducation and Culture, the police, the Attorney General's Office
\nand the State Intelligence Coordinating Board, to mention a few,\"
\nPeter said.<\/p>\n
He added that documents had to be applied for a month or two
\nbefore the concert date, while the processing of the permits took
\ntwo weeks.<\/p>",
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