Local music scene shows promise in 2001

Local music scene shows promise in 2001

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What did the local pop music industry offer in 2001?

Let's see. Sheila On 7, Padi, Dewa and Jamrud.

Not a single day passed throughout the year without the
exposure of the bands' songs and videos until we ended up knowing
the songs by heart.

And some of us got really sick of that tinkling sound of the
harp from Padi's Kasih Tak Sampai (Unfulfilled Love), for
instance.

But that is another problem.

No one can deny that the four bands are the most successful on
the 2001 pop scene, with each of them succeeding in selling over
one million copies of their latest albums: Sheila On 7 with Kisah
Klasik Untuk Masa Depan (Classical Story for The Future), Padi
with Sesuatu Yang Tertunda (Something Delayed) and Dewa with
Bintang Lima (Five Star).

Cimahi, West Java-based pop/rock band Jamrud, meanwhile, did
even better with its Ningrat (Aristocrat) album, which has so far
sold some 2.4 million copies.

With the monetary crisis still battering the country, making
it hard to sell even a couple of hundred copies, the bands'
achievements are remarkable.

Especially for Sheila on 7 and Padi. First, because they are
relative newcomers in the music industry, but also because this
is the second time they have succeeded in selling over one
million copies after releasing their debut albums in 1999.

Yogyakarta-based Sheila soared first with its self-titled
album, reviving the whole industry with easy listening and catchy
pop songs.

Padi, however, took off slower but caught up with Sheila.
Often being identified as U2-esque, the band -- originally from
Surabaya -- soared high with a second album that is surprisingly
quite solid.

Another thing about Padi and Sheila is that most of their
members are still in their early 20s. We're not talking about the
quality yet -- and in fact they are not disappointing -- but
their appearance is a sign that regeneration does occur.

And the refreshing thing is that, unlike in the United States
and Europe, it is not boybands that reigned supreme but real
bands.

As for Dewa, they have already been around longer and crowned
as the highest paid band. So, their success is not exactly
surprising.

And Jamrud? There is something demanding of respect about this
band. They are so low profile and unpretentious and it reflects
in their songs, so it is no wonder that they won the hearts of
many fans.

The year offered more than just Sheila, Padi, Jamrud and Dewa.
Some were old players (Slank, Gigi), some new, some succeeded
(Slank) while others flopped (Gigi).

Some are "new" but actually "old", like former Dewa vocalist
Ari Lasso and Kahitna's keyboard player Yovie Widianto.

Ari's album may not have been as successful as Dewa's but it's
not a disappointing album and sold quite well too. He also filled
out what is lacking in the music industry: a male solo vocalist.

An album by Yovie, under the name Yovie and Nuno, also was not
bad either.

A bunch of new bands and singers also emerged, like Caffeine,
Shifter, Tic Band, Naff, Element and Ren Tobing. Despite lacking
definitive character (they all sound the same), some of those
bands managed to get high air play.

Some old timers, like Fariz RM and Chaseiro, tried to scrape
back their popularity, jostling with their juniors by releasing
compilations of old hits.

It was also interesting how some groups mixed pop with comedy,
like comedy group turned vocal group Project Pop with its catchy
yet witty debut pop album, and bands Harapan Jaya, Naif and
Clubeighties.

Interesting also is the success of noted emcee-turned-singer
Tantowi Yahya who chose pop/country, a genre hardly looked at by
other musicians.

For female vocalists, those who shone brightest were Titi DJ
and MTV VJ turned singer Shanty.

With all the variety, the year was an interesting period for
the music industry.

However, not all that glitters is gold.

Despite the emergence of new acts and sales of over one
million for some artists, the trend of album sales in general in
this country is sliding.

An official at Sony Music Entertainment Indonesia, whose
artists are Padi and Sheila on 7, said that the sales trend for
all genre has been declining in the past three years.

"People are getting more selective in buying a product because
their financial condition isn't as good as it used to be," Sony's
A&R manager, Sylvia Theorupun Pontoh, said.

Rampant album piracy may also contribute to the decline, but
the trend is a hint of how the market is becoming saturated.

What to do? What to do?

Of course it depends on the musicians themselves. As the
consumers are more selective, only the innovative ones will
succeed.

For the four bands, for instance, they have created new
phenomena. If they want to maintain that, they have to go beyond
being a rip-off or pretending to be creative by taking a little
bit of something from here and there and calling it their own.