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.