Ivan Nestorman Highlights the Role of the National Music Industry in Neo Tradition in Indonesia

Ivan Allahman di telasan, Spanyol (Instagram @ivan_nestorman)

JAKARTA - With thousands of diverse tribes, Indonesia has enormous potential to process local cultural products, one of which is traditional music, into something that other countries can be proud of.

This can be seen from what Ivan Nestorman, one of the Indonesian musicians who is consistent with neo-traditional music, has done. With other Indonesian musicians, he has performed in many different countries for more than 20 years.

Meanwhile, Ivan Nestorman is known as a musician from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who supports neo-tradition who performs his regional music with western music and jazz idioms.

However, Ivan Nestorman highlighted that the national music industry is considered to be less supportive of neo-traditional music as music that is viable and can be marketed globally.

Ivan admitted that he had collaborated with one of the major national music labels to release neo-traditional songs. However, his work was not responded well by the market.

“We have developed neo-tradition quite well, but our industry is not very supportive. "For example, the radio stations don't play our songs," said Ivan Nestorman in Kemang, South Jakarta last week.

"Even though previously our band with Gilang Ramadhan was on a major label, but it didn't sell well, it didn't get much response," he continued.

According to Ivan, there is a language barrier, where the songs in the local language from NTT are not understood by those from other regions or those who speak the national language.

"Maybe my analysis is because of the language," said Ivan Nestorman.

"But actually, Indonesians often hear English songs too, which we don't really understand. "Hearing Japanese or Brazilian songs, we don't understand, but the songs are good," he added.

Ivan Nestorman also highlighted the state of the national music industry, which he considered preferred the easy path with popular music, as had previously existed in other countries.

In fact, according to Ivan Nestorman, by having its own characteristics, Indonesian music can make a big contribution to the diversity of world music.

“That's why Sting said be yourself no matter what they say, be yourself. It's impossible for us to lose, even if we can't compare to Michael Jackson either. "But if we become his copy, it's over, you're a dead man," he concluded.