North Sulawesi music industry faces modern day challenges<\/p>\n
By Yusuf Susilo Hartono<\/p>\n
Racun bunga cinta, di lembah putus cinta, no kiapa samua ini
\nterjadi pakita pe hidop, so nasib jadi begini... (poison flower
\nof love, in a valley of jilted lovers, why should all this befall
\nme? Oh, what a terrible fate...)<\/p>\n
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): The local pop song on unrequited
\nlove blares from a music store in the student town of Tomohon, 15
\nkilometers south of Manado, the North Sulawesi capital.<\/p>\n
Debby Rumintjap, a Manado student, is the singer and is now
\nenjoying unprecedented fame on account of Racun Bunga Cinta,
\nwhich was composed by an alumnus of Jakarta's Atmajaya
\nUniversity, Sekho Mangarek.<\/p>\n
If you're interested in searching for the cassette in one of
\nthe famous music stores on Jl. Sabang or in Blok M in Jakarta so
\nas to hear her sweet voice for yourself, you won't find it
\nbecause Manado pop songs are mostly sold in North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Debby, the fair-complexioned girl who has frequently won song
\ncontests in Manado, told The Jakarta Post that she wanted to try
\nher luck in Jakarta by recording songs in Indonesian as well as
\nperforming live, after first finishing her studies.<\/p>\n
She's among the many pop stars currently increasing the
\npublic's awareness of the North Sulawesi music industry. Her
\npresence adds to the treasure-house of regional melodies
\npreviously built up by such well known artists as Conny Maria
\nMamahit, Nova Sondakh, Julisti, Janet Robot, Loela Drakel and the
\nlegendary Telman Sisters, popular since the 1970s.<\/p>\n
In their own inimitable styles, these singers continue to
\nenliven the region's recording industry. The rewards they
\nreceive, however, are no match for those enjoyed by Jakarta
\nsingers and composers.<\/p>\n
A newcomer in Manado at present gets Rp 250,000 per song and a
\ncomposer only Rp 200,000. These are lump-sum payments with no
\nentitlement to receive royalties arising (flat pay). Three years
\nago, Sekho's four songs were bought for just Rp 500,000 by a top
\nproducer, meaning Rp 125,000 per song or the equivalent of 50
\npackets of Manado instant porridge.<\/p>\n
For such a low price, the producer became entitled to release
\nthe songs in various forms such as cassettes, video cassettes,
\ncompact disks and other phonographic media, even as part of the
\nmusical scores of TV dramas, films and plays, as defined in a
\ncertificate of copyright transfer.<\/p>\n
The small amount Sekho received was also flatpay, as shown by
\nthe payment receipt, thus depriving him of the right to demand a
\ncertain percentage of the record company's profits. Moreover, his
\nworks could subsequently be sold by the producer under any label
\nor brand without prior notice being given, and could be
\ndistributed and used for commercial purposes regardless of the
\nsymbols, titles, selections or song fragments used.<\/p>\n
The terms stipulated in the receipt, which highly favored the
\nproducer, failed to mention a time limit within which the company
\nwould no longer be allowed to duplicate and disseminate the
\nrecords.<\/p>\n
Bens Leo, an observer of the music industry, said the terms of
\ncontracts in the business were not yet uniform. With the entry of
\nworld-class corporations like Sony Music, many national producers
\nare beginning to follow international rules. Manado, however, has
\nremained unaffected by the current payment contract system.<\/p>\n
Despite their poor bargaining position, singers and composers
\nin North Sulawesi keep "enjoying" their rewards. Sekho's comment
\nreflected this: "Forget it, the point is just to get my works
\nrecorded".<\/p>\n
Only a few producers can be found in Manado, notably DL
\nRecords, Revan Records, Rekamsu Intim and Kuaku Voice. The Manado
\nbranch of Jakarta-based Nagaya Record has lately opened. Two
\nmajor agents dominate record marketing: Mega Terang and Denny
\nshops.<\/p>\n
According to Enal Korompot of Nagaya Record, about 20 new
\nalbums of Manado pop songs are released annually, with about
\n2,000 - 5,000 copies of each album being sold at an average price
\nof Rp 14,000 per album. Besides, each year also sees the release
\nof 3 new albums containing Manado Christian spiritual songs and
\ntraditional music played on local musical instruments like the
\nkolintang (bamboo xylophone) and bamboo clarinet, as well as
\nlocal music played to accompany traditional dances like the
\nMaengket and Kabasaran.<\/p>\n
Pites Sombowadile, editor of Kabar (The News) tabloid said
\nthat at present Sangir Talaud pop music was asserting itself in
\nthe pop music industry of North Sulawesi. He said that Sangir
\nTalaud songs in the local language and using the dynamic local
\nrhythm called pato-pato (which resembles poco-poco) are not only
\npleasing to the ear but can also be taken as an assertion of the
\nidentity of the Sangir Talaud people.<\/p>\n
Now the recording. In Manado, recording studios are generally
\nof the 16-track type. A 24-track studio is now under construction
\nand it belongs to Deny Sondakh, the son of the governor. To be
\nable to compete in the market, recording producers usually only
\nhave the master copies produced in the local studios. They leave
\nthe rest - copying and covering - to other companies in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
New albums are usually promoted in the local media, for
\nexample on state television TVRI's Manado station, which airs
\nsimple video clips of the songs being promoted, as well as on 6
\nprivate radio stations: Radio KD FM, Smart FM, Memora FM
\n(Manado), Siyon FM (Tomohon), Rosa Delima (Tondano) and Gita
\nLestari (Bitung). The producers also advertise newly released
\nalbums in the print media which include Manado Post, Komentar and
\nNikita Tabloid.<\/p>\n
Unlike in Jakarta, in North Sulawesi this type of promotion is
\nnot conducted on a large-scale as the producers are still more
\nconcerned with production costs than other costs. Sekhos
\nexplained that to produce between 2,000 and 5,000 copies of an
\nalbum, a producer would have to fork out between Rp 15 million
\nand Rp 25 million. He will make a profit if all of these 5,000
\ncopies are sold. To date, the best-selling album of Manado pop
\nsongs has been Balada Pelaut (A Sailor's Ballad) by Conny
\nMamahit, of which 300,000 copies have been sold.<\/p>\n
The North Sulawesi cassette market also sees the presence of
\nJakarta-produced albums of Manado pop\/spiritual songs, for
\nexample the songs sung by Charles Hutagalung, Victor Hutabarat,
\nHelmi Pesolima, Yoan Tanamal, Yudhika (a member of Antero Boys),
\nRendi Lapian and Elsye Lelengboto, Puput Novel and Deddy Dores.<\/p>\n
Also popular in North Sulawesi are cassettes of national pop
\nstars such as Sheila on 7, Dewa, Boomerang ad Jamrut, and the
\ncassettes of Westlife from Ireland. "Despite the onslaught of
\ncassettes, CDs and VCDs from Jakarta and abroad, the people of
\nNorth Sulawesi are sticking to their love of local cassettes,"
\nEnal said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the pride that the North Sulawesi people take
\nin their music industry has been dampened by the rampant presence
\nof pirated records, something the local police doesn't seem to
\ncare about. At Pasar 45, a market, Sahabat Sejati (True Friend),
\na VCD by Sheila on 7, is available for a mere Rp 5,000.<\/p>\n
Although the presence of pirated recordings is like a bad
\ndream for the local recording industry, those involved in the
\nindustry have yet to throw in the towel. Despite the pressure,
\nthey hold festivals to look for new singers and organize the
\nKawanua Awards to show their appreciation for the achievements of
\nlocal musicians and singers. At the same time, they are hoping
\nthat the local law enforcement agencies will have the guts to
\neradicate piracy from the music industry.<\/p>",
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