Negativity and the Music Industry

Magdi-disband na daw ang Rivermaya.


Mukhang totoo kasi nagpa-audition ang management nila (Liza Nakpil?) nung Saturday, June 1 sa Makati. Pumunta ang band namin, kahit hindi namin alam kung para saan yung audition. We were prepared for the best ("Bagong band kaya ang kailangan nila o piece musicians lang?") or worst ("Baka gamitin ang isang kanta natin sa commercial ng feminine wash o sabon panlaba.") to happen.

Nangyari ang 'di inaasahan at naputol ang isang tension hook ng conga ko habang tinu-tune ng P.A. namin. Pero ok lang, tumuloy parin kami sa Entertainment Arts Center in the middle of a humid, windless afternoon in Jupiter street. There was also another band that was waiting for the scheduled 3pm auditions.

Hindi pa nabubuksan ng buo ang pinto ng audition area eh sinalubong na ang manager namin ng "Cancelled ang auditions."

Forget about the broken conga part and the humid and windless afternoon- not to mention, galing pa kami ng probinsiya and with a tight budget for transportation and food.

What really pissed me off was the way they easily dismiss lesser-known musicians like us and expect us to understand that that's how the Philippine music industry works - "We don't owe you an explanation, it's cancelled."

Talk about the things a band has to do just for people to hear their songs.

Somewhere along our hike to glory, there's something wrong and ironic with the industry we are trying to embrace.

Something's wrong and ironic when we have to be ass-kissers in the middle of a God-forsaken parking space in Bel-Air Village and the motherfucking pa-pogi-rockstar-wannabes are now working on their first, second or third album. (OO, Cueshe at Hale dalawa kayo sa mga yun, mag-comment kayo dito mga gago.)

Something's wrong and ironic when Boom Tarat Tarat has been enjoying a considerable amount of airplay on almost all radio stations but never Cynthia Alexander's or Joey Ayala's songs.

Something's wrong and ironic when we jump in on the current trends in music (or if that's what we wanna call it). Young people today don't know what they really want - kupaw, metal, reggae, emo, punk, bossanova, hip-hop. I once had a conversation with a young bandista and he said their music was REGGAE-METAL, susmaryosep.

Something's wrong and ironic when there are more bands getting signed by labels but few or none of them never really set a definitive sound for the times like what Wolfgang, the Eraserheads and, yes- Rivermaya did in the 90's.

Ngayon wala na ang Wolfgang, Eraserheads and most probably, Rivermaya.

Walang nangyaring audition.

Pero sa kabila ng kawalang-hiyaan ng mga big wigs sa Philippine music industry, wala pa ring atrasan 'to.

There are a lot of things wrong and ironic along our hike towards musical glory but for now, ang Cueshe na muna ang aakyat sa stage - sira parin kasi ang tension hook ng conga ko.

Ayos.