Showing posts with label singapore music society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label singapore music society. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Speech by NMP Janice Koh at Music Matters 2014

ON THURS 22 MAY 2014

1.             Distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman, a good morning to all of you. May I first take this opportunity to give a special welcome to all our friends who are visiting Singapore. It’s really wonderful to see so many music artists, producers, managers and thought leaders from the industry, both from here and abroad, at Music Matters today.

2.             Thank you, Jasper, for the introduction, and the invitation to make this welcome address. It is indeed a great pleasure to be part of this prestigious event.

3.             I have spent a good part of the last two years or more as a Nominated Member of Parliament, representing Culture and the Arts in Singapore. As an actor and arts practitioner for over two decades, working in theatre, television and film, it is a privilege to play this role in helping to shape the development of Singapore’s art scene. But today, I’m going to talk about Singapore music, and in particular, Singapore English-language music. I’m not from the music scene, yet I feel I have journeyed a little with the music industry over the last two years.

4.             This journey began in January 2012, interestingly enough, at the old Parliamentary Chamber, which had been converted into a performing venue at The Arts House. I was at a forum attended by a house full of freelance music artists, promoters and producers. They had gathered to discuss the state of the music industry in Singapore and the need to speak with one collective voice. I was probably the only non-musician in the whole room. That many talented Singapore musicians and indie bands were still largely invisible in mainstream media simply floored me. How do we even begin to talk about a sustainable music industry when there is so little awareness of homegrown music amongst Singaporeans themselves?

5.             Barely a few months after, at the 2012 Budget Debate, I gave one of my first speeches in Parliament about the need for a broadcast quota in Singapore. It was the first of many speeches and parliamentary questions raised on the issue of music development, and while the journey towards change has not been easy over the last two years, I can safely say that as a result of deeper consultation with government and advocacy on the part of industry, a significant amount of effort and attention is being placed on music development in Singapore today.
6.             Government has played no small part in this process by promoting dialogue between music makers, broadcasters as well as other industry partners, and there have been encouraging signs that some positive changes are beginning to take place.

7.             First. Radio has stepped up and listened. In this age of Youtube, social media and new digital technologies, I believe radio is still important. Culminating from meetings that were catalysed by Music Matters, Mediacorp radio stations have been playing 1 song per hour on English radio, and re-launched Lush 99.5 as an indie station, dedicated to supporting this cause with its “Lush loves local” hashtag and with regular programming of Singapore-made music. It may not be enough. But for now, it’s a good start, and we hope more radio stations will come on board.

8.             Second. We have been asking for greater consolidation within government agencies and a strong vision that would take a holistic view of the music industries’ needs. I believe they are listening, with recent news that the National Arts Council may transition to become the central agency to administer all music grants.

9.             Third, on copyright protection. Increasing online piracy is a global problem, which adversely affects the creative sector. In response, the Government is intending to amend Singapore's Copyright Act to enable rights holders to protect their rights more effectively against websites whose primary purpose is to offer infringing content. Alongside this, efforts will be made to reinforce the public's understanding of and respect for copyright in general, and to promote better availability of legitimate content. The music industry in Singapore has shown strong support for these objectives.

10.        Finally, music export has continued to be an intrinsic part for industry development due to the relatively small size of Singapore’s market. We welcome back Deon, Caracal and Kevin Lester from their recent shows at Canadian Music Week (CMW). Canadian Music Week is an important platform for us in the music event calendar, and with many Singapore artists regularly being invited to perform there highlights the ongoing interest in our talent.

11.        We’re also beginning to see industry success for Singapore artists. Sony Music Singapore has recently signed three acts - Sezairi, Trick and Gentle Bones, whom, I understand, will be making their appearance in the programme later. Cosmic Armchair was recently signed to Belgian EDM (Electronic Dance Music) label Alfa Matrix; Wormrot was recognised as one of Grindcore’s Top 10 bands worldwide by OC Weekly; MonsterCat’s debut album ‘The Violet Hour’ reached Number 1 on iTunes, and local labels such as Darker Than Wax are building a strong presence internationally.

12.        Many of these developments would not have been possible without the music industry coming together to speak with one voice. This happened two years ago, when the Music Society, Singapore or SGMUSO was born on this very platform at Music Matters. We know that industry associations have always played a big part in promoting music development in countries like Canada, Australia, the UK and the US, and it is no different here in Singapore. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the founding members of SGMUSO and its current team, including Graham Perkins, Syaheed, Mike See, Danny Loong, Kevin Matthews and Sarah Sim, and all its 820 members, who have come together, and put their vested interests aside to tirelessly push for the promotion and advancement of Singapore-made music.

This week, over 100 members of SGMUSO have been given free access to participate in the Music Matters conference and the exclusive Music Matters Academy that begins tomorrow. This year, the Academy has been expanded to include all artists performing at Music Matters Live, which will enable a greater opportunity for learning and collaboration. For this, I’d like to thank Jasper and HP for their kind support.

14.        The Singapore music industry has made some good strides, but I believe we still have a long journey ahead of us. Deeper, more sustainable efforts are needed if we want to transform what is now just a Singapore music scene into a Singapore music industry. This can only be achieved if key stakeholders play a part to ensure the wider accessibility of Singapore-made music. For a start, I’m proposing three ideas: First, a radio broadcast quota to help build an audience and jumpstart the demand for homegrown music. Second, a strong export strategy that can tap into the commercial and soft power potential of our music talent in international markets. Third, a central agency to promote excellence, support the needs of the music industry and develop a strong vision for everyone to work towards. Hopefully, as I mentioned earlier, one of them is being looked into right now – so, one down, two to go!

15.        The government has said that it cannot do this alone. Well, I have no doubt that with sustained efforts from industry professionals and associations like SGMUSO, to promote and advocate for Singapore music, we will get there in good time. Singapore is young. But I believe we can make our music a part of the lives and memories - not only of Singaporeans but music listeners worldwide - and that, one day, like many countries all over the world, we too will have a strong music heritage to look back upon, and be proud of.

16. On that note, I wish each and every one of you a wonderful and productive time at the conference. Thank you!

Published with permission

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Here We Are: Documentary Film on Singapore’s Growing Music Scene

A recording studio engineer by degree, Daniel Rucerito never expected that he would one day become a filmmaker. Three years ago, Daniel had viewed a few locally produced short films that depicted the more negative aspects of the music industry in Singapore.

As much as he could appreciate and relate to those films, he felt that there needed to be a more positive and collectively cohesive film that demonstrated the better side of the local music scene as a whole. The result? A 90-minute documentary titled “Here We Are” that sets out to globally expose Singapore's rapidly growing music scene, featuring many live band performances as well as interviews from artists, recording studios, media outlets, government sectors, band managers, producers and other affiliated organizations as they explore and discuss the various mechanisms that are sparking the current music movement.


Edited from 12 interviews, 15 different live artist performances and several music video clips, “Here We Are” dives into the heart of the local music community and provides inside perspectives on where the Singapore music industry may be heading to in the very near future.
 
 

Daniel had never ventured into film prior to spearheading this documentary, but that didn’t stop him from making a statement that he wanted to put out. He had been a musician since he was a small child and has always had a deep passion for music, so he knew that he had to create this film despite his inexperience in filmmaking.

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced making this movie?

The greatest challenge was overcoming the hundreds of times I told myself to put the film aside due to various difficulties I was facing throughout the project.

I created this movie during my spare time and nearly single handedly. In addition, I had faced numerous challenges on various levels. Some were personal (family and health related) while others were technical (software bugs and computer crashes). Due to the obstacles, it took about 14 months to complete.

Q: How was the production funded?

In the beginning I had actually asked a good friend if I could borrow his camera equipment. He agreed and also helped me to shoot some footage. After a few shoot dates, he had other commitments and couldn't continue to assist me.

That's when I had to save up enough money to buy my own equipment, which took a little bit of time. At the end of the post production phase though, the National Arts Council had awarded me a grant that helped to offset my financial investments for the film.

Q: What do you want to achieve with this film?

I'd like to achieve a few things with this film. Firstly, I want to help establish Singapore as a global destination for original music.

Secondly, I'd like it to increase the fan base for local artists by attracting fans from the Western part of the world, as I feel they would be more receptive and appreciative of their music in contrast to the local culture here.

Lastly, I want this film to help inspire others to become more active in the local music scene in a way that will benefit it unilaterally amongst the community.

Q: What was your opinion of Singapore’s music industry before you made this film? Did it change after it was completed?

Before I made this film I felt that there were a lot of good things about the scene here in Singapore with the biggest factor being the amount of musical talent that some of these bands and artists possess. Now that the film is done and released, I feel that the scene has positively grown even more in various aspects since then.
 

Q: How is the response to the film so far?

The response for the film has been good thus far since I made it available online a little less than a week ago. Since then it has received over 1,500 views on YouTube without any marketing efforts other than a few Facebook posts. It has 46 likes vs. 4 dislikes, so that's definitely a good indicator that it is being well received.

Q: How do you intend to further promote the film? How will it be distributed?

I have already begun contacting college radio stations in the US in efforts to line up some interviews so that I can further promote the film to their listeners. I plan to do the same thing for promoting it in Europe and Canada as well.

I've also shortlisted some potential film festivals, but not sure I'll be able to go down that route since most of them require a financial deposit upon application and I'm not currently in a position to support that.

As for right now though, I think that the main focus will be distributing the film through the various social networking platforms available.

Q: Which are the top three areas that you would like to see improvement on Singapore’s music industry? How do you think it could be achieved?

1. I'd love to see proper spaces being made available for bands and artists to hone their song writing and live performance skills. Where I'm from in the US, bands play in basements or inexpensive warehouses that can be rented bi-annually. They can practice with their own equipment at anytime of the day or night. It's a space they can call their own and it allows them a better ability to grow as an artist because of it.

2. Further mentoring from established industry professionals in various areas such as music journalism, artist management, studio recording, song writing and producing in order to further elevate the local talent to an international standard.

3. Have the public acknowledge that music is an important factor in the balance of life and that being an artist or musician is a real profession that should be paid accordingly.

I think that all of the above can be achieved if we continue to work together without bias within the local music community. I'm very glad that SGMUSO has formed and come together because they have already made some good headway with various initiatives to elevate the music industry here although there certainly is a lot more that needs to be done.
 
Q: What is your vision of the future of Singapore’s music industry?
I see the Singapore music scene establishing itself as a real player amongst the global music community and receiving the appreciation it has well deserved.
---------------------------------------

“Here We Are”
Guest Starring:
Steve Lillywhite, Leonard Soosay, Syaheed, Dylan Ely, Kevin Mathews, Jasper Donat, Willy Tan, Elaine Ng, Roland Lim, Graham Perkins, Clarence Chan and James Woo.

Featured Performers:
A N E C H O I S, ShiGGa Shay, Inch Chua, Kevin Lester, Sezairi Sezali, Charlie Lim, Achilous, We The Thousands, The Sam Willows, Monster Cat, Charles J Tan, Rudra, The Great Spy Experiment, These Brittle Bones, In Each Hand A Cutlass, Flawed Element, Zahidah, Caracal, The Cave, Nicholas Chim, I Hate This Place and Aarika Lee.

 

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Upcoming event: Singapore Music Dialogue on 8 Sept 2012

The full transcript from Stuart Johnston's opening remarks at the Forum in Jan:

"Back in the 70s, living next to the USA, Canada has long-suffered an inferiority complex. So Canadians for some reason always seem the need to be validated. We can have tremendously successful people in Canada but it doesn’t matter unless they make it in the USA. We have tremendous talent in the cities of Canada, but they have to make it in LA, NY, Nashville, be big around the world; and then they come home to become successful. Back in the 70s, we could not hear Canadian music on the radio. There were a handful of great music industry professionals in the independent sector in Canada and they decided that they needed to take matters in their own hands. And there is strength in numbers, thats why associations, that's why industries can become very powerful - they can literally move mountains.


So they were up against broadcasters, music producers, record companies that were controlling the product, controlling what was being played and of course, if it was a successful American or British act, thats what was being played on the radio. Sure, great music but we liked to hear some of our own stuff. So they formed an association to primarily become advocates for that sector. So the association went to the government and lobbied quite hard for regulations that resulted in that Canadian content rules. It started off at 20% (and its now mandated that broadcaster must play 35% Canadian music). Once approved, this wasn’t an overnight success. The association members then looked at each other and noticed that there wasn’t enough catalogue of decent quality. So the rules came in first and then the association suggested funding support and raise the music industry to provide the level of financial resources and tax structure to support Artists, managers and labels. So there were funding opportunities that came up such as broadcasters were mandated to put a percentage of their gross revenues and 6% of license fees into a fund that then got pumped back into Canadian-owned, Canadian Artists. The funding support for the association went across all areas such as production, videos, marketing, promotion, touring, showcases, etc.

And this is why we saw such as explosion of great acts in the 70s and 80s because there was this foundation of support that would not have happened if the industry didn’t take it upon themselves to speak with one voice and say this is what we need to be successful. Thats the legacy."

Hence why SGMUSO was born.


During the last interview with Graham Perkins, the brainchild behind the Singapore Music Society gave his advice to local musicians: The world is your "Chilli Crab". Come 8 Sept, he is organizing a free dialogue session for everyone to come together to discuss how the Society should improve the local music scene. Some of the issues on the agenda include:


Skills - Education programs in the areas of Artistry, Business and Production

Advocacy - Digital, Media and Live Performance Related Programs
Opportunities - Overseas events

For details of the event, click here.


Looking forward to it. See you there.

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Perkins' advice to local artists: The World Is Your "Chilli Crab"

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that Singaporean artists face are themselves. The country's small footprint in the global music industry, may have indirectly left an indelilble mark on the mindsets of local artists, and Graham Perkins, President of the newly set up Singapore Music Society, advises that they should try to avoid falling into the "trap of thinking small and feeling insignificant".

Graham Perkins at Digital Matters Conference


Q: What are the biggest challenges that local artists face today?

GP: I think that there are three major challenges for artists in Singapore. Firstly, to succeed in Singapore alone, is not enough. The world is the Oyster (or to put into context, the Chilli Crab) for local artists. It has often been said at many international music conferences (Music Matters included) that the next big thing can come from anywhere in the world. However, its important to get it right at home before an artist explores overseas opportunities. Singapore provides a great sandbox, to hone skills in artistry and performance to better prepare for exposure overseas. As Malcolm Gladwell says in his book, “The Outliers”,one of Gladwell’s theory is that “it takes roughly 10,000 hours of hard practice in a chosen field to become a master in that field”. Artists can see their activities at home as a major part of their 10,000 hours towards becoming great.

Secondly, there is a clear lack of exposure for local artists. With the danger of the “living in a glasshouse” syndrome, it's extremely hard for our artists to break the glass.There is only so much that happens within Singapore that can help provide the window to the world. Sure events like Music Matters will help, and we do have many visits from international artists playing here, but we don’t get the Marvin Gaye feeling of knowing “What’s Going On”.

I do think however, that this is where the government can play a part in helping artists visit other countries to feel the vibe of successful music cities, and associate with other music folk. However, visitors to overseas markets, need to be initially armed with their digital devices or notebooks, not their guitars or microphones. Being immersed within international music ecosystems, listen, connect and collaborate with others, helps to build aspiration, inspiration and more importantly, support the feeling of hope that many artists have. This will help build an artist's opportunity to prepare for export.

Thirdly, the nation’s multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-language society, potentially creates dividing lines that seem to permeate the music industry. Singapore arguably struggles with its identity and music should not be driven by this conflict. At the utmost, Music is the greater good and should transcend all these boundaries. Now I do not think that this image is actually created by artists, but more by external advocates who try to promote Singapore music styles and have a lack of knowledge to how music impacts the listener. Music is emotive and its our emotions that are at the heart of every decision we make in life. Sure, language is key to written and verbal communication but music is already its own language and the key for humanity.

Q: What are some of the biggest revenue streams for local artists?

GP: The obvious revenue streams are the traditional forms of music consumption through recording and live performances. But its clear that digital consumption has made an impact towards revenues of value. Furthermore, the lack of willingness by consumers to want to pay for art, continues to dent revenues.

Personally, I’m more excited and interested to look at how new trans-media streams can provide new opportunities and revenues as its something quite close to my heart at Rune Entertainment.

Q: How has the change in the music industry landscape affected relationships between artists and labels?

GP: These days the artist potentially is in a much stronger position.This is because the artist can get closer to their fans, develop their brandand put together great sounds even in their bedroom. I think the major labels know this and are looking at ways to change their approach and relationship with their repertoire.

Q: What kind of opportunities are there for Singaporean artists?

GP: Humongous if only artists can dream big, develop their brand and build confidence to approach international markets and new platforms for music.

Q: How can artists be discovered, groomed and developed into exportable representations in other markets?

GP: There are many ways artists can be discovered. In my view, it's important to get things right at home first. Its important that each artist explores the markets it wants to approach before it goes in blindly. Of course a main vehicle is Digital as the world has become so much more connected. An artist can create huge interest if it cleverly builds the right connections.

As to grooming and development, there really isn’t any success stories here in Singapore. Sadly, the music industry is not seen as a career choice for many due to a lack of opportunity which creates skepticism. Furthermore, education does not induce a creative nature or provide the right experience to allow creativity to flourish. I’ve seen many examples overseas (Canada, UK, USA) in which various entities provide fantastic development vehicles and success has been achieved.

Q: What is the Singapore Music Society and whatare your future plans to increase "capability, advocacy and opportunities" in Singapore's music industry? Any targets in the short and long run?

GP: The wider development of an industry can take many years so it's better to be pragmatic. I would rather focus on getting it right, than right now, and not to look for quick wins. Of course, there are various activities we can provide in the areas of education, lobbying and business opportunities, and myself and the Executive Committee will be rolling out a strategy for themembers of the Society in due course.

One area of importance is to get the nation to realise that great music can come from this isle. This can be enhanced if we simply focus on the greater good of promoting great music, not “Singaporean” or “local” music. It's given that music from here is from Singapore but advocacy is created when artists are good at what they do. It also enables a chance for the Society to drive “a land of cool” which is one of the main reasons why people like music.

Following on from a successful forum in January, we will be getting heavily involved in this year’s Music Matters for our launch. With the support of Music Matters and e2i (Employment and EmployabilityInstitute) we will be providing complimentary conference passes to 130 of our 240 members. We will be conducting five, up-close and personal Mentor Master classes and inviting all conference delegates to the Singapore Matters Cocktails. In addition to this year’s MusicMatters Live Festival, there will be 11 acts from Singapore along side many artists from nations around the world. To support digital consumption, we have partnered Singtel to provide an opportunity for acts from Singapore to have their music available on the AMPed platform.

I have a lot of work to do at the Society and I’m up for the challenge!


About Graham Perkins

Co-CEO Rune Entertainment and President Singapore Music Society

Growing up during the hippy era, Graham quickly got the bug to get out of school and pick up his guitar and play. Graham came to Asia in 1996 and has had the pleasure to continue his creative approach to life working at Adobe, Apple, MTV and Republic Polytechnic. In 2008 Graham became the Co-CEO for the trans-media studio, Rune Entertainment and continues to consult for the Singapore Government in the areas of Creative Industry skills development.

Graham has more recently set up the Singapore Music Society and as President, is helping to develop quality, advocacy andopportunities for the Singapore music industry.


About Singapore Music Society

The Singapore Music Society is a non-profit entity that supports artistry, business and production by developing skills, advocacy and opportunities. We transcend music genres, cultural and language boundaries and support the growth of the music industry both home and away.