Tantowi's entertainment business thrives
Tantowi's entertainment business thrives
By Yusuf Susilo Hartono
JAKARTA (JP): The huge success of the recent Rp 1.6 billion
Sherina show at the Jakarta Convention Center has not only
boosted the child singer's popularity but also the reputation of
Tantowi Yahya, the event's organizer.
Tanto, as he is affectionately called, has become a standard
bearer for any children's showbiz event across the country.
In future, every child singer concert will be compared to this
one. This point of reference will also apply to Sherina and
Tantowi in their future concerts. Here lies the significance of
Sherina's concert, a musical attended by some 3,500 people, young
and old, who paid between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000, the highest
figure ever for a ticket to a child concert.
"I am very much aware of the situation," said Tantowi Yahya,
widely known as the most expensive master of ceremonies, as well
as being a commercial star, record producer, singer,
entertainment organizer and an executive board member of a number
of music associations.
He spoke in a tone apparently indicating his deep
understanding of the matter at hand, mixed with high optimism
that he would be able to do better next time.
Starting his career working at a star-rated hotel in his home
town of Palembang, Tanto then moved to Jakarta to work for a
large company, BASF, for a better future. Together with his boss,
Danny Jozal, who used to play music when he was young, he
regularly held BASF music awards during the 1990s, a prestigious
event that was discontinued just before the collapse of the New
Order regime in 1998.
After the dissolution of the BASF Award, Tanto, whose
reputation remained intact, became actively involved in a number
of music associations, among others the Indonesian Recording
Industry Association (ASIRI) and the Indonesian Music Association
(AMI). When he later left BASF, he handled the management of his
own recording company, Cepee and developed his entertainment
business with the establishment of CDP, a company organizing
showbiz events.
His company, ironically, has been flourishing at a time when
Indonesia is in a severe economic crisis.
So, what made the Sherina concert so successful? How will it
influence future children concerts? How come the expensive
concert tickets were sold out eight days before D-day? Then,
there is also the question whether this concert will, as planned,
also come to Surabaya, Bandung and Yogyakarta. Here are excerpts
of an interview with Tanto:
Question: What is the key to the success of the Sherina
concert?
Answer: Sherina has been successful with her album and in her
films. Her name has become a brand now. Sherina has become a very
expensive "commodity" in the eyes of the community. I have also
benefited by the fact that Sherina's shows were very limited in
number. She is not the kind that throws shows everywhere.
In short, she has become a figure that the community has been
waiting for. I seized this opportunity and told myself that even
if I kept my eyes closed, Sherina's concert would really sell.
The fact that the tickets sold out eight days before the
performance served only to confirm my perception and prediction.
Would you agree that this success has come from a combination
of Sherina's own talent, the skill of her father, Triawan Munaf,
well-versed in music commercials, in turning Sherina into a
popular brand, and your own smartness in finding your target
market?
You are right. When I decided to organize Sherina's concert, I
knew that she had a very high standard. When her film was shown,
the public thought that it was the right film for children. I,
therefore, felt challenged to set a standard, a minimum level
that any child singer's concert in future would be required to
reach.
Why did it cost so much to organize this concert?
Let's calculate. We forked out almost Rp 400 million to hire
the venue. Then we spent Rp 450 million for the singers and the
musicians. We advertised the event twice in Kompas, Nova and
Femina and spent Rp 350 million. Then we forked out some more
money on constructing the stage. The total cost stood at Rp 1.6
billion. We got Rp 1.3 billion from our sponsor, Indofood and Rp
360 million from tickets. The profit margin was only Rp 50
million.
Well, I hope to get more from television airing of this
concert but I don't know whether the time slot will all be sold.
It's a profit-sharing business. Some people have suggested that I
sold the tickets at higher prices. Well, I couldn't do so because
we would surely spark protest from the Indonesian Consumers
Foundation (YLKI).
Isn't it crazy to hold a Rp 1.6-billion concert only to get a
profit of Rp 50 million? It doesn't seem appropriate to do
business just to gain a reputation.
What about the planned tour of this concert to Surabaya,
Bandung and Yogyakarta?
We've got a lot of such requests from the regions. But, then,
I don't know at what price the tickets should be sold. And, what
about the transportation of participants to this children's
concert? It's impossible to take them all.
The trouble is that if the number of participants is reduced,
the image will not be as good as expected. Besides, the venue,
the stage, the lighting, all these things must not differ much
from what we had in Jakarta. To be honest, it is really a
difficult job for me to take this concert to the regions unless I
can get a crazy sponsor.
In terms of expenses, is it true that this is the biggest
children's concert ever?
In terms of figures, yes, I think this is the largest concert.
But compared with all other concerts, perhaps not. Chrisye and
Rockestra concerts were even larger.
Recently you have done many jobs. You are a musician, a
singer, a master of ceremonies, a star in commercials and a
showbiz organizer. Which one will you focus on?
I just want to be a successful entertainment businessman. So,
I focus not only on music but also on anything that can be put in
the category of entertainment. I'll take up any kind of
entertainment that can be turned into a business enterprise. It's
just a matter of synergy. I make recordings with Ceepee. I
organize showbiz with CDP. I involve my recording artists, like
Lusi or Sherina in organizing my shows. This is an example of
synergy, isn't it?
While in pursuit of what you focus yourself on, do you still
have an ambition to be a tourism minister?
Ha ha ha ... (he was laughing out loud, so loud that some
people in the hotel seemed surprised and looked at us. I was
referring in my question to an incident last year when a magazine
wrote that Tanto wanted to become a minister. But, now that
ministers can be easily removed from office, he no longer wishes
to pursue this aspiration.)
You are developing all these undertakings when Indonesia is
still in the grip of an acute crisis. How can you run them all?
I think paradoxically. I fully believe that Indonesian people
still have fat pockets, especially when we talk about Sherina's
market segment, that is, the children whose parents mostly work
in foreign companies and earn quite a lot, even in rupiah. That's
what I've been studying. Then, there are still a lot of niches in
the idle market. Just take a look at crowded airports and fully-
booked hotels during the holiday.
So, where is the crisis, then?
We are in a political crisis. The impacts are everywhere but
have only slightly affected the public's purchasing power. Since
the crisis began in 1997, I haven't seen a change in our
society's purchasing power. I once saw a little change in it but
it was shortlived. People did not visit coffee-shops but
(roadside) coffee stalls. They reduced the number of overseas
trips that they made. But this lasted only a short time;
afterwards, it was business as usual.
But, many people find it increasingly difficult to keep body
and soul together.
Right. That's what Indonesia looks like at present. There is a
widening social gap. Many people are poor. Many are starving. At
the same time, there are also a lot of rich people. So, if we
want to formulate a product segmentation clearly, the market is
surely for the upper class!