Is a local music radio/TV station what we are missing?

[ahkiatt]

I've been thinking about what our local scene is actually lacking for a while now. We may not have created a very local distinctive sound(think Jrock, Taiwanese pop, and Swedish/Nordic Death Metal), or our own language. Therefore we, local musicians, are competing with music all over the world for the attention of our local listeners. But I do believe there are many talented bands in Singapore creating very good music that can "fight" with all the foreign music. Many songs/bands I've heard on myspace are worthy of radio play. Cannot outdo, be on par also not bad right.

So, why aren't we having more local music being played on radio or TV. If not, why don't we have a local radio station that plays purely local music. Don't tell me that we don't have enough music, because judging from Live n Loaded, quantity of music is not an issue.

I go to Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand... The TV promotes local music, the radios play a lot of local music. And to be honest, not all of the stuff I hear on air are as good as our local stuff. True story: "I remember being 8, in Bangkok for the first time. On the tour bus, my family and I hear some good rocking tunes on the radio. The tour guide can tell that we are loving the music that's being played and tells us it's a band called Carabao. And I've been a fan ever since." I compare the scenes in these other SEA countries and I see a missing link in Singapore. Mainstream Airplay.

We have 3 or more English stations which plays the same Pop thrash(think Miley Cyrus/Britney Spears/Chamillionaire). 987, power 98, 91.3... Why can't we have one that plays more local music. I don't think it's that difficult for radios to find songs. After all, most local musicians' myspace are interconnected. And I'm pretty sure most of us are desperate to reach out to more people.

With the right kind of promotion/marketing, the local music scene could receive the boost that it has been lacking for decades. It doesn't need to be some state-of-the-art studio like 987, nor does it need professional radio presenters to spend time talking to radio listeners. It just needs to work, and float financially(think advertisements).



Could this be the missing link? Or are we fated to only being played in KPE, and on shows that occur once a week, half an hour at a time?

Discuss.

 

[tuttifrutti]

Local music radio station would be cool,tv station wouldnt work out though,i think.

 

[jbarks]

Hi Kiat-

Like you said, quantity of music here is not the issue — it's the quality. Our radio stations want to play our stuff but can't because there isn't enough quality music available (both ways). Nobody wants to listen to kucing kurap bands playing on the radio, even if they're international. I'm not referring to acts like Britney... she deserves a whole other topic on commercial viability. If all the bands on LnL were on rotation for 12hrs a day I would go nuts. Half the local stuff I listen to on Myspace isn't even mixed properly. The fact that 987HOME is willing to play unmastered tracks speaks a lot about their willingness to play our own songs.

Radio stations have to play quality, radio-friendly tracks.. if it sounds like crap, or doesn't appeal to a wide enough audience, they can't play it as often or people will tune out. It's up to us to provide the quality. If we give them good stuff, radio stations can afford to play them more often... You will have your local radio. You can say you want to support local, but don't support blindly.

 

[daryl]

someone set up a local music radio station pls pls pls. actually i think an online radio station would suffice for now

 

[ahkiatt]

Hey Josh,

While we may not have sufficient hit singles to attain 987's standard, we have to start somewhere, no?

We have so many bands that have already cut records that have been mixed and mastered(eg. Ronin, Lunarin, AVA, Daphne Khoo, Dreamz Fm, Electrico, I'm not too sure about the Malay, Chinese, Indian and metal scene but I'm sure there are artistes that have some good material), having an opening for their music to be played on air will give them a boost. Oh, and the station doesn't have to just play a single language/genre.

Of course listening to local music being played 12 hours at a time will drive me crazy too. I'm thinking we could either have our OWN radio station that plays for maybe 4-6 or less hours a day. Something budget. I'm thinking something like a garage radio(think crazy conspiracy theorist's radio) , or maybe not.

We could either create a radio station(sounds impossible but why not try), get 987home to play local stuff more often, or create an online station. As long as it is advertised well enough/given enough hype, it will catch on.

In the words of Rage Against the Machine:

It has to start somewhere
It has to start sometime
What better place than here
What better time than now
All hell cant stop us now
All hell cant stop us now
All hell cant stop us now

 

[Dime]

Actually a 'library' to host all local music would be the best at this moment.

 

[hecklerkoch]

Hi, Kiatt.

I don't mean to be a wet blanket but here are some things that we might want to think about -

The Economics Of Scale
I believe the Taiwanese, Japanese, Thai and even the Malaysian markets thrive on this very simple principle. They have a large local audience market and this is the sole single factor why recording companies are willing to spend loads on recording and subsequently promoting their local artistes.

The album creation process, from paying songwriters to engaging producers and all these professionals, to the actual recording all costs a lot of money. Don't even mention about the marketing budget. Because if you have a relatively good product, it is nothing without marketing and presenting the product (the songs and the performer when he/she/they perform 'live') whenever you possibly can.

I know, you can always DIY your own recording at some obscure recording studio but I guarantee the quality will never be as good as the ones professional recorded. Unless you have heaps of money to pay for the professional producers and sound techs, then I don't see the output quality being decent enough for radioplay and CD.

Distinctive Sound
Remember, when you mentioned 'distinctive sound' that all these Taiwanese, Chinese, JRock or Thai or whatever bands/singers - most of them found success naturally singing in their own language because they are in countries where English is not the first language, but their native language.

With this, you get people from other countries be interested in their music because of the language they sing in, and also because these foreigners buy into the so-called lifestyle element ie. if I am into Taiwanese or Korean or Japanese dramas, I would naturally be exposed to the soundtracks and songs from the dramas and eventually buy into the music introduced by these drama productions. What does Singapore have to offer? Phua Chu kang Pte Ltd? :mrgreen:

So, Singapore naturally has to compete with the Western countries if you want to have a 'generic' Singapore sound with English being the language the songs are sung in.

Do It Yourself
I believe lots of the bands you see in Live N' Loaded do not belong to any big recording companies. So, would you expect these bands, however good they are, to spend 80% of their time perfecting their craft, doing shows around Singapore or Malaysia, and constantly exposing their music to the public? I don't think so.

Most of them are largely students trying to juggle time studying, possibly working part-time somewhere to pay for their instruments and practice time at the studio, and then find time to write songs, get together with their bands and make their music.

Radio
If I am not wrong (please do correct me if I am wrong), you have to pay for the airtime if you want any commercial radio station to play your songs a certain number of times. You pay for these slots and the frequency is determined by how much you pay the radio stations.

I remember listening to some obscure local radio channel which played purely local music though, so I am not sure the extension of how this system works.

You can't deny though, that if you have a good song, no matter if your band members look like ogres and your singer looks like Shrek, if you keep playing your song and people naturally take to it and like it - you are halfway there.

I think I have lots more to say but I need to go out.

ps Do correct me if my points are inaccurate, for I believe in a civilsed and objective discussion so as to gain knowledge and find solutions to these perpetual setbacks and obstacles. :-D

 

[soulalt]

If all the bands on LnL were on rotation for 12hrs a day I would go nuts.

Jbarks! I nominate this as quote of the day!!!

And to keep it on topic, didn't Redifusion promise a all-local music channel in the recent past? Or did I imagine that in a fevered nightmare...

 

[matthewchj]

Well yeah, I agree that local bands aren't showcased very much. On the issue of quality, I have to say that there are quite a few local bands who aren't too bad, or show potential. However, the coverage of local music just isn't there, it's more focused on the general international scene.

 

[ahkiatt]

I know it's not going to be easy. Singapore is too darned small. But think about this. We have roughly 7 million people in Singapore including foreign talent. Sweden has 9 and they have created legendary musicians(Opeth, Meshuggah, Arch Enemy, ABBA). These artistes sing in mostly English too, despite having their own mother tongue and all.\

Regarding quality of recording. The thinny sounding recordings I've heard on myspace accounts are pretty similar to the pathetic sound I hear on the radio most of the time. When I look around Singapore, I see most people using hearphones/earphones of such poor quality(think iPod earpieces and Sony Ericsson earpieces), the sound they produce can rival my singing in the shower being recorded with an old school tape recorder. I'm with my friends and they blast music through their handphones, and they are happy. Heck, I am a budding audiophile myself and when some catchy song that I like's being played through the handphones, I often catch myself enjoying the music.

It's not about the mastering IMO, maybe the quality of the music itself, but definitely not the recording.

I'm not asking for a 987 that plays local music, I'm asking that we start small, maybe hijack a radio station for a few hours a day, make people listen, so that we know that we aren't making music for an audience of no one. If we fail, we can always try again and again until we smoothen out all the rough edges and get the scene going.

If Abba can do it, so can we.

 

[ahkiatt]

And thank you Joshua for admitting that some of the bands on LnL were bad. I thought I was the only one.

 

[soft]

Actually, we have to understand our consumer 'buying' behaviour. Do they listen to radio or watch TV? Or do they get most of their entertainment via the web?

Go to where your listeners are. It will be easier to market your music.

 

[ahkiatt]

Unless we're able to chunk all the music on facebook, it's hard getting us kids to all go to a single website, no?

 

[soft]

So, what is easy to do?

 

[ahkiatt]

Sitting in front of the com and whining... I honestly don't know. Suggestions anyone?

 

[LPMan]

We have 3 or more English stations which plays the same Pop thrash(think Miley Cyrus/Britney Spears/Chamillionaire). 987, power 98, 91.3... Why can't we have one that plays more local music. I don't think it's that difficult for radios to find songs. After all, most local musicians' myspace are interconnected. And I'm pretty sure most of us are desperate to reach out to more people.

TOTALLY AGREE!btw its been some time since i heard the radio but i think 987 dedicate 1 hr for local songs?not sure if its still there.one suggestion i have is having a net radio like in winamp where is all made in singapore songs!but i got no idea/experience on how to start it.Maybe someone here can jumpstart my suggestion

 

[jbarks]

someone set up a local music radio station pls pls pls. actually i think an online radio station would suffice for now

http://unpopular-music.blogspot.com/

There is your online platform. They have 2 servers for a 100 listener capacity... servers are not cheap, as James will tell you

 

[hecklerkoch]

.......

If Abba can do it, so can we.

Bro, Abba's music was created in an era when there were no internet or MTV or what sh*t.

Today, the listener and the viewer is spoilt for choice when he or she wants to listen to music or catch a performance, and most of the time it is free.

For the performer and the musician, sometimes it costs next to nothing today, to feature your music and put it up for people to listen.

About sound quality, you can't base it on the normal radio hi-fi or crappy portable FM tuners what... There's such a thing as HD radio and most importantly, music albums are usually produced for CD mah. Wah piang. Must cater for every platform and playback device what.

:lol:

 

[jbarks]

^ +1

Radio is not SFI... hehehehe

 

[RRRyan]

maybe we can try to do a podcast? like the MrBrown show format. haha.
but to do that, we need really good english-speakers to be the host.
just my 2cents