Enhance creativity to foster Sundanese pop music market

Rektor Unpad, Prof. Ganjar Kurnia, saat memaparkan materi di workshop "Menuju Musik Pop Sunda yang Kreatif, Berkualitas dan Profesional” pada Kamis (21/11) di Hotel Banana Inn, Bandung. (Foto oleh: Arief Maulana)*

[Unpad.ac.id, 11/21/2013] Sundanese pop music is a product of Sundanese arts. Many people still play and listen to it. However, it hasn’t been able to compete with Indonesian pop songs.

Unpad rector, Prof. Ganjar Kurnia, when speaking at the workshop “Menuju Musik Pop Sunda yang Kreatif, Berkualitas dan Profesional” on Thursday (11/21) at Banana Inn Hotel, Bandung. (Photo by: Arief Maulana) *

There are some factors that cause this condition. “In one hand, the characteristic of the genre is the lyrics are easy to understand and the music is not too difficult to learn. The latter, in the other hand, might seem to lead to the lack of musical creativity, which makes almost all Sundanese pop songs sound so similar,” said Prof. Ganjar when speaking at “Workshop Menuju Musik Pop Sunda yang Kreatif, Berkualitas dan Profesional,” on Thursday (11/21) at Hotel Banana Inn, Bandung.

The song “Panon Hideung”  by Ismail Marzuki in 1936, which he actually adapted from a Russian song, was not only popular to the Sundanese community, but also to most of Indonesian people back then. In 1960s, Nada Kencana, one of Indonesian bands in which Upit Sarimanah was a member, also wrote a number of Sundanese pop songs familiar to many ears, such as “Trang trang Kolentrang,Tongtolang Nangka.”

The lyrics, however, are pretty much electic because many of Sundanse pop songs are adapted from Sundanese poems (rumpaka). Take Gody Suwarna’s poems for instance. Many of his poems are adapted into songs, but still, no matter how good the lyric is, it become dull because of the lack of musical taste.

Therefore, through the workshop, which was attended by Sundanese music critics, song writers, and producers of Sundanese pop music, Prof. Ganjar Kurnia encouraged them to enhance their creativity, particularly by composing more songs with varied musicality.

Another important thing that should be emphasized here is the intellectual property rights. According to the Rector, artists can enhance their creativity when the right to their works is protected by the intellectual property law, so that their works are free from piracy.

“So, speaking in general, we can foster Sundanese pop music market through improving the quality of the music itself, promotional support, and supporting intellectual property law, but still the artists must be committed to their aesthetic ideals,” said Rector.

The workshop was held by Universitas Padjadjaran in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia and Padjadjaran University Alumni Association. In addition to the Rector, the workshop was also presented Yan Ahimsa (Sundanese pop musician), Dr. Bucky Wikagoe, MSi (academician), Dose Hudaya, SH, MH (music producer ), Adjie S Saputra (Sundanese po music critic). *

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