Ministry launches project to counter foreign music

JAKARTA (JP): For many, the country's traditional music is being forgotten, losing the battle against invasions of foreign music. Now, even children tend to watch MTV instead of traditional performances aired on television.

More people keep records of Madonna, Pearl Jam, or Spice Girls, rather than those of traditional music.

Take note of the line up of trendy youngsters waiting to be let into a packed well-known cafe in the center of the city, willing to pay a large amount of money just to watch a visiting foreign artist perform.

Then compared this with the empty seats at local playhouses, which continuously hold various traditional shows for the sake of preserving the culture; not to mention the low entrance fees.

Still, there is no such phrase as "giving up" in preserving the local culture, including its music.

This is what the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Association of Indonesian Recording Companies is trying to do by releasing CDs and cassettes, Tradisi Musik Nusantara (The Country's Musical Tradition), of musical performances from each of the country's 27 provinces.

"The effort is intended to preserve the country's culture in the face of stiff competition with foreign cultures," the ministry's director general of culture, Edi Sedyawati, told reporters recently.

"Sometimes, the values of foreign cultures don't fit ours," Edi said.

Even with a strong commitment to preserve the country's culture, the ministry acknowledged the possibilities that the CDs and cassettes would not be very successful in the market.

"It's not easy to popularize the country's musical tradition because it means we have to change attitudes toward traditional music," Edi said.

But, no matter what the market's response is, the ministry's officials throughout the country will not be involved in selling the CDs and cassettes, she said.

"The CDs and cassettes will be offered (voluntarily) for sale to the public," Edi said.

And once the CDs and cassettes gained profit, the artists and musicians whose voices and works were recorded, will be given royalty, she added.

At present, CDs cost between Rp 45,000 and Rp 70,000 each, depend on the "value" of the Indonesian or foreign artists. Cassettes of Indonesian artists now retail for between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 each, while those of international artists sell from Rp 13,000 to Rp 17,000.

A strong commitment alone is not enough. Real action must be taken. It is necessary to have a well-planed professional marketing strategy. And the first thing to do is to make sure the CDs and cassettes are distributed to the stores.

Two large stores, Disc Tara in Pondok Indah Mall, South Jakarta, and Duta Suara in Sabang, Central Jakarta, said that, as of the end of March, they have still not received Tradisi Musik Nusantara CDs or cassettes.

"No, we don't have it yet," said Deni, Disc Tara's attendant. (ste)