Indonesian artists leap onto Internet

Indonesian artists leap onto Internet

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian pop artists are going Internet.

Artists to be introduced on an Indonesian Internet home page
include singers Trie Utami, Ruth Sahanaya and Yuni Shara. It also
includes male vocalist Harvey Malaiholo, saxophonist Embong
Rahardjo, television starlet Kris Dayanti and the dangdut
(Indian-based genre of music) singer Camelia Malik.

Trie Utami and Embong told a press conference yesterday that
the Internet service was started to give music and film lovers
information about their pop idols.

"The service will also help Indonesian artists become even
better known abroad, especially in neighboring countries," Trie
said. There are now 40 million Internet users worldwide.

Jakarta-based Internet providers Inixindo and IndoInternet
announced the launch of the service yesterday. The companies'
representatives said that at least 20 Indonesian artists have
given personal data for the Internet.

"It is all positive information," A. Haryawirasma, the
marketing director of IndoInternet, told the press conference.

He acknowledged that computer graphics technology has been
abused by some to manipulate pictures so that, for instance, an
artist could appear naked in the Internet.

Inixindo president Ifik Lakswirinto Arifin said the service
would help the artists promote their products and popular music
across the country.

Surfers of cyberspace (the Internet) need only key in
http://www.inixindo.com or http://www.indo.net.id for information
about the artists' Internet addresses, achievements, biographies
and discographies. (16)