Sadly, The Famous Dangdut Song Creator Syam Permana Is Now A Scavenger

Syam Permana (Screenshot of Kirim Kabar Youtube)

JAKARTA - A sad story comes from the Indonesian music scene. A famous dangdut songwriter in the 90s, Syam Permana, had to go through his old age as a scavenger.

Seeing Sham like now, was heartbreaking. Not without reason, the total number of songs written by this 60-year-old man is estimated to be 102. He should be able to get full royalties on his intellectual property rights.

Sham has to support his family without being able to enjoy his hard work in the past. Ironically, songwriters swallow bitterness while dangdut artists who commercialize their songs get jobs. Moreover, the songs are still popular on YouTube.

Songs composed by Syam include, Benalu Cinta sung by Imam S Arifin, Belum Sembuh by Meggy Z, Terima Kasih by Inul Daratista, Merana by Hamdan ATT, and Surga Jadi Neraka by Ine Shintya.

That does not include the songs sung by Jhonny Iskandar and Soneta, according to claims by Anggi Triana Ismail, Syam Permana's lawyer.

As quoted from Tempo, Anggi plans to submit a subpoena to several business entities and dangdut artists who use Syam's songs.

He will fight for Sham's rights to obtain royalties for his songs. But the problem is, as quoted from Merdeka, that the issue of royalty is now creating problems because the name Syam has changed to Pena Mas.

Previously, Syam once a year received royalties that were managed by Karya Cipta Indonesia (KCI). The amount also varies, from IDR 300 thousand to IDR 400 thousand.

Syam now lives in Sukabumi, occupying a house inherited from his father-in-law, which is far from habitable. His life is also mediocre. Sham has been a scavenger for 10 years.