East Indonesian Musicians Hope to Have a Dialogue with YouTube Regarding the Transparency of Content Monetization Values

Ecko Show and fellow East Indonesian musicians during a dialogue with the Deputy Minister of Culture and Deputy Minister of Law (doc. Ist)

JAKARTA - The middle class is feeling the anxiety of the East Indonesian musician community regarding the uncertainty of the income they receive from the YouTube platform.

Even though the performance of content such as the number of viewers and audience interactions still shows solid numbers, the digital revenue received by musicians has actually dropped sharply.

Representing the voices of East Indonesian musicians, Ecko Show explained that YouTube has been the main channel for distributing works organically. However, the inequality between stable content performance and the economic results received in the last two to three years has begun to raise questions.

"Views are still good, streams are still going, the audience is still strong. But the revenue received by friends is actually feeling more and more decreasing. This is what makes many musicians start to wonder, what is actually changing?" said Ecko Show in a press release received Tuesday, May 5.

He emphasized that this unrest is not a form of rejection of technology, but a demand for clarity of communication between platforms and creators.

"We appreciate YouTube's role in helping many regional musicians be known more widely. But when the performance of content remains strong while revenue decreases, it is natural for musicians to ask for clarity. We want a more open dialogue," he added.

According to him, local musicians have the right to get economic appreciation that is commensurate with the growth of the audience they bring to the platform. If this condition continues without a dialogue or system improvement, Ecko said the musicians did not rule out the possibility of moving to other distribution spaces that are more appreciative of the value of their work.

"If there are other platforms that are more serious about respecting the work of musicians, more transparent in revenue sharing, and able to provide better economic value, we are ready to consider," said Ecko.

"Even if it has to be exclusive, as long as the scheme is clear and fair, musician friends are open to it," he said.

The attitude taken by the musicians is a warning for the digital music industry that the loyalty of creators depends heavily on the fairness of the ecosystem.

With a very strong mass base and musical character, East Indonesian musicians have a high bargaining power to build a new ecosystem outside of conventional platforms that are considered no longer in the favor of the welfare of musicians.

"We are not threatening. We are conveying that musicians also have choices. Musicians have works, have markets, and have communities. What we are looking for is a platform that really appreciates it," concluded Ecko Show.