'MTV' promotes foreign and local talents<\/p>\n
Kenny Santana, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization<\/p>\n
MTV is American? Think Again.<\/p>\n
As MTV invades Southeast Asia, the faces of MTV are no longer
\njust Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake but also Indonesia's
\nPadi and Singapore's Stefanie Sun. These names may not sound
\nfamiliar to the average American, but their looks and voices have
\nreshaped MTV's global image.<\/p>\n
MTV's tenure in Asia has been an exercise in evolution. MTV
\nfirst entered Asia in 1992, when it launched MTV Japan, but
\ndidn't grab the attention of Southeast Asia until 1995 with the
\nintroduction of the regional MTV Asia. When the station was born,
\nSoutheast Asian youngsters were enthusiastic simply because they
\nhad something they never had before: A 24-hour music channel.<\/p>\n
To satisfy Asian audiences' cravings for international
\nprogramming, MTV Asia incorporates American\/European music and
\nshows like MTV Becoming, from the U.S. and Singled Out from Europe.
\nHowever, Asia's fascination with American and European pop
\nculture doesn't mean that distinct local tastes have become
\nextinct.<\/p>\n
The spotlight is on Asian musical artists at the MTV Asia
\nAwards.<\/p>\n
Soon after MTV Asia's establishment, it became clear that
\ndistinct cultural tastes across the region would require MTV Asia
\nto be more than a simple carbon copy of its Western divisions.
\nMTV has, in fact, consistently increased the number of programs
\nfeaturing Asian music in order to tap into these local tastes. In
\nsome places, the station abandoned the \"one size fits all\"
\nregional broadcast altogether in favor of stations that can
\nbetter address the tastes of individual countries.<\/p>\n
So, although much of Southeast Asia (including Malaysia and
\nSingapore) still watches the regional MTV Asia broadcasts, in
\n2001 and 2002 MTV Asia created three new subdivisions -- MTV
\nPhilippines, MTV Thailand, and MTV Indonesia -- all of which have
\nproven extremely successful. Frank Brown, president of MTV
\nNetworks Asia, said at the C21 World Marketing Conference in 2000
\nthat, \"It's very important that what we're going to market in
\neach country fits with the local culture.\"<\/p>\n
Indeed, the express goal of MTV Asia has always been to
\nlocalize the global MTV image. \"MTV is a global brand which
\nthinks and acts locally,\" said David Flack, Senior Vice President
\nof MTV Asia's Creative and Content Division.<\/p>\n
Local shows generally comprise up to 80 percent of MTV Asia's
\nprogramming, depending on the relative popularity of current
\nprograms from the U.S. or Europe. But the incorporation of these
\nlocal programs wasn't entirely smooth.<\/p>\n
When MTV Asia aired its first reality show, It's My Life,
\nAsian audiences recognized it as a Real World rip-off, only far
\nless exciting. In the American Real World, seven strangers were
\ncramped into one house to see how they'd react to each other. In
\nthe so-called Asian version, a camera followed seven people
\npicked from all over Asia and recorded their oh-so-exciting
\nlives. No conflicts, no surprises, just a dull idea with some
\nbeautiful people. Yawn.<\/p>\n
Yet these localized programs and stations have made MTV more
\naccessible to different audiences and have catapulted ratings.
\nStations -- like MTV India -- that tanked when they aired
\nAmerican music and programs were revitalized with an infusion of
\nlocal culture. When MTV India became \"Indianized\" and began
\nfeaturing more Indian videos and VJs, viewers finally began
\ntuning in.<\/p>\n
Despite the success of MTV India and the incorporation of
\nlocal shows and music, MTV often received conflicting demands
\nfrom viewers. While some remained fascinated with Western music,
\nothers demanded more music by domestic artists. In Thailand, a
\nsurvey dubbed \"ROAR\" (Right of Admission Reserved) revealed that
\n95 percent of Thai teenagers preferred local to foreign music.
\nThus, when MTV Thailand was born shortly thereafter, in October
\n2001, it incorporated more local flavor than any of its
\npredecessors.<\/p>\n
MTV's most recent effort to infuse regional and local elements
\ninto its programming came with the launch of MTV Indonesia in
\nJune 2002. With 13 million households within reach, Indonesia
\nrepresents one of MTV's largest potential markets in Asia. MTV
\ntherefore took stock of lessons learned in other Asian countries
\nand drew inspiration for programming from local sources.<\/p>\n
One of the audience's favorite shows is MTV Salam Dangdut,
\nwhich presents Indonesia's most popular traditional music. MTV
\naired the show as a gesture of appreciation for local culture.
\nIronically, Dangdut has long been unpopular in Indonesia's music
\nindustry. It was only when MTV dared to air the program that
\nlocal audiences began to appreciate the music. Young people, who
\nhad never been interested in music like dangdut before, suddenly
\nbegan seeing it as cool thanks to MTV's generation Y-friendly
\napproach.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon is occurring throughout Asia. Wherever MTV
\ntakes root, it provides local, previously obscure, musicians with
\nthe publicity and venue to achieve mass popularity. Their
\nburgeoning popularity has, in turn, helped the domestic music
\nindustry flourish. Robert Quebral, an award-winning Filipino
\nmusic video director, said, \"Philippines' music video scenes are
\nlooking rosy.\"<\/p>\n
Even the budgets are starting to improve. Some labels are now
\nwilling to spend more. There are several factors, one of which is
\nMTV Asia's renewed interest in local videos. If the labels are
\nhappy with the videos produced, they'll produce more videos. And
\nthe more videos they produce, the happier MTV Asia is because
\nthey'll get more material.\"<\/p>\n
MTV is not only bringing local music out of obscurity locally,
\nbut globally as well. The station is responsible for growing
\nregional and global recognition of local music. Indeed, shows
\nlike the MTV Asia Awards are providing Asian singers with the
\nchance to perform in front of the world. Padi, an Indonesian
\nband, received CNN coverage when it was voted Indonesia's
\nfavorite band at this year's MTV Asia Awards.<\/p>\n
And Jay Chou, a Taiwanese singer, was not only voted
\neverybody's favorite, but grabbed the attention of international
\nmusicians, such as the Irish boyband, Blue. Blue voiced its
\nadmiration for Jay Chou's singing style and rumors abound that a
\ncollaboration is in the works between the two.<\/p>\n
\"Many local musicians get a chance to be heard by wider
\naudiences overseas, when their music is played on MTV. We have
\nput our local artists in the global music industry with events
\nlike the MTV Asia Awards,\" said Kiki Rizki, Head of Marketing and
\nCommunication, MTV Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, MTV is proving to be more than the home of \"Beavis
\nand Butthead\". Asian audiences may have conflicting demands, some
\nwanting to see local artists, others craving American videos, and
\nMTV certainly can't please them all. However, MTV is evolving
\ninto more than a provider of music videos (American or Asian) and
\nemployer of gorgeous VJs. It's a global brand that has turned
\nlocal and is helping local music turn global.<\/p>\n
To be honest, that rocks.<\/p>\n
The writer is a Jakarta-based journalist specializing in the
\narts, lifestyle, and culture.<\/p>",
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