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)