North Sulawesi music industry faces modern day challenges

North Sulawesi music industry faces modern day challenges

By Yusuf Susilo Hartono

Racun bunga cinta, di lembah putus cinta, no kiapa samua ini
terjadi pakita pe hidop, so nasib jadi begini... (poison flower
of love, in a valley of jilted lovers, why should all this befall
me? Oh, what a terrible fate...)

MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): The local pop song on unrequited
love blares from a music store in the student town of Tomohon, 15
kilometers south of Manado, the North Sulawesi capital.

Debby Rumintjap, a Manado student, is the singer and is now
enjoying unprecedented fame on account of Racun Bunga Cinta,
which was composed by an alumnus of Jakarta's Atmajaya
University, Sekho Mangarek.

If you're interested in searching for the cassette in one of
the famous music stores on Jl. Sabang or in Blok M in Jakarta so
as to hear her sweet voice for yourself, you won't find it
because Manado pop songs are mostly sold in North Sulawesi.

Debby, the fair-complexioned girl who has frequently won song
contests in Manado, told The Jakarta Post that she wanted to try
her luck in Jakarta by recording songs in Indonesian as well as
performing live, after first finishing her studies.

She's among the many pop stars currently increasing the
public's awareness of the North Sulawesi music industry. Her
presence adds to the treasure-house of regional melodies
previously built up by such well known artists as Conny Maria
Mamahit, Nova Sondakh, Julisti, Janet Robot, Loela Drakel and the
legendary Telman Sisters, popular since the 1970s.

In their own inimitable styles, these singers continue to
enliven the region's recording industry. The rewards they
receive, however, are no match for those enjoyed by Jakarta
singers and composers.

A newcomer in Manado at present gets Rp 250,000 per song and a
composer only Rp 200,000. These are lump-sum payments with no
entitlement to receive royalties arising (flat pay). Three years
ago, Sekho's four songs were bought for just Rp 500,000 by a top
producer, meaning Rp 125,000 per song or the equivalent of 50
packets of Manado instant porridge.

For such a low price, the producer became entitled to release
the songs in various forms such as cassettes, video cassettes,
compact disks and other phonographic media, even as part of the
musical scores of TV dramas, films and plays, as defined in a
certificate of copyright transfer.

The small amount Sekho received was also flatpay, as shown by
the payment receipt, thus depriving him of the right to demand a
certain percentage of the record company's profits. Moreover, his
works could subsequently be sold by the producer under any label
or brand without prior notice being given, and could be
distributed and used for commercial purposes regardless of the
symbols, titles, selections or song fragments used.

The terms stipulated in the receipt, which highly favored the
producer, failed to mention a time limit within which the company
would no longer be allowed to duplicate and disseminate the
records.

Bens Leo, an observer of the music industry, said the terms of
contracts in the business were not yet uniform. With the entry of
world-class corporations like Sony Music, many national producers
are beginning to follow international rules. Manado, however, has
remained unaffected by the current payment contract system.

Despite their poor bargaining position, singers and composers
in North Sulawesi keep "enjoying" their rewards. Sekho's comment
reflected this: "Forget it, the point is just to get my works
recorded".

Only a few producers can be found in Manado, notably DL
Records, Revan Records, Rekamsu Intim and Kuaku Voice. The Manado
branch of Jakarta-based Nagaya Record has lately opened. Two
major agents dominate record marketing: Mega Terang and Denny
shops.

According to Enal Korompot of Nagaya Record, about 20 new
albums of Manado pop songs are released annually, with about
2,000 - 5,000 copies of each album being sold at an average price
of Rp 14,000 per album. Besides, each year also sees the release
of 3 new albums containing Manado Christian spiritual songs and
traditional music played on local musical instruments like the
kolintang (bamboo xylophone) and bamboo clarinet, as well as
local music played to accompany traditional dances like the
Maengket and Kabasaran.

Pites Sombowadile, editor of Kabar (The News) tabloid said
that at present Sangir Talaud pop music was asserting itself in
the pop music industry of North Sulawesi. He said that Sangir
Talaud songs in the local language and using the dynamic local
rhythm called pato-pato (which resembles poco-poco) are not only
pleasing to the ear but can also be taken as an assertion of the
identity of the Sangir Talaud people.

Now the recording. In Manado, recording studios are generally
of the 16-track type. A 24-track studio is now under construction
and it belongs to Deny Sondakh, the son of the governor. To be
able to compete in the market, recording producers usually only
have the master copies produced in the local studios. They leave
the rest - copying and covering - to other companies in Jakarta.

New albums are usually promoted in the local media, for
example on state television TVRI's Manado station, which airs
simple video clips of the songs being promoted, as well as on 6
private radio stations: Radio KD FM, Smart FM, Memora FM
(Manado), Siyon FM (Tomohon), Rosa Delima (Tondano) and Gita
Lestari (Bitung). The producers also advertise newly released
albums in the print media which include Manado Post, Komentar and
Nikita Tabloid.

Unlike in Jakarta, in North Sulawesi this type of promotion is
not conducted on a large-scale as the producers are still more
concerned with production costs than other costs. Sekhos
explained that to produce between 2,000 and 5,000 copies of an
album, a producer would have to fork out between Rp 15 million
and Rp 25 million. He will make a profit if all of these 5,000
copies are sold. To date, the best-selling album of Manado pop
songs has been Balada Pelaut (A Sailor's Ballad) by Conny
Mamahit, of which 300,000 copies have been sold.

The North Sulawesi cassette market also sees the presence of
Jakarta-produced albums of Manado pop/spiritual songs, for
example the songs sung by Charles Hutagalung, Victor Hutabarat,
Helmi Pesolima, Yoan Tanamal, Yudhika (a member of Antero Boys),
Rendi Lapian and Elsye Lelengboto, Puput Novel and Deddy Dores.

Also popular in North Sulawesi are cassettes of national pop
stars such as Sheila on 7, Dewa, Boomerang ad Jamrut, and the
cassettes of Westlife from Ireland. "Despite the onslaught of
cassettes, CDs and VCDs from Jakarta and abroad, the people of
North Sulawesi are sticking to their love of local cassettes,"
Enal said.

Unfortunately, the pride that the North Sulawesi people take
in their music industry has been dampened by the rampant presence
of pirated records, something the local police doesn't seem to
care about. At Pasar 45, a market, Sahabat Sejati (True Friend),
a VCD by Sheila on 7, is available for a mere Rp 5,000.

Although the presence of pirated recordings is like a bad
dream for the local recording industry, those involved in the
industry have yet to throw in the towel. Despite the pressure,
they hold festivals to look for new singers and organize the
Kawanua Awards to show their appreciation for the achievements of
local musicians and singers. At the same time, they are hoping
that the local law enforcement agencies will have the guts to
eradicate piracy from the music industry.