Potential Disbandment JKT48, Music Observer Mudya Mustamin: Big Production Costs

JAKARTA - It is undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit all lines of life in Indonesia. The entertainment sector is no exception. From the world of music, so many musicians have lost their livelihoods because all their stage activities have stopped. One of them is JKT48.

Last Tuesday, Melody Nurramdhani as the General Manager of JKT48 gave a statement regarding the possibility of the AKB48 sister group disbanding. He revealed, JKT48 has suffered continuous losses since the end of March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their activities are limited.

Currently, JKT48 has 70 members and 50 management staff. Melody said the only way they could survive was to reduce the number of members and staff. If not, JKT48 will disband.

"JKT48 has done everything it can to survive but to be honest with the discontinuation of theater performances, handshakes, and concerts, we feel that the true aim of JKT48 which is to provide energy and enthusiasm for all people in Indonesia cannot be done optimally," Melody said as quoted from the JKT48 YouTube channel.

Responding to the news, Mudya Mustamin (music observer / AMI Awards category jury) admitted that he was not surprised. The reason is, JKT48 is a large industrial product that is even affiliated with and adopting the global 'older sister' concept, AKB48.

"Like a large industry, of course it requires a large production fund to execute large-scale programs with a large production team," said Mudya Mustamin to VOI, Wednesday, November 11.

However, continued Mudya Mustamin, it is no different from other stage artists, that the biggest income catch is from stage activities. Live streaming concerts are just fillers of emptiness, where not everyone can or is not used to enjoying concerts on a cellphone screen.

"In the context of JKT48, visual performances that can be seen directly or at close range certainly contribute a lot in attracting audience interest," continued the man who is also the manager of the Cokelat band.

Speaking on behalf of the artist manager, Mudya did not deny that the impact of the pandemic was certainly felt. The concept change from the offair stage to the online stage is not the same in terms of financial income.

"For the Cokelat band that I manage, the stage offair is the main source of income, and the pandemic has really cut this income. We have to survive with several online gig offers, which of course financially and in quantity are far from normal," Mudya Mustamin ended. .