Curating Music Show Called YouTube-core

Lokatara Fest 2019 (Instagram / @ lokatarafest)

In the article "Sweet Promises in the Midst of a Music Event," we explored how music turmoil affects musicians. We also saw how cancel fees can be an opportunity to minimize losses for musicians. As part of VOI's signature series, "Disturbing Music Events," through this article, we dive into YouTube-core, which is said to be a problem in the competitive middle-class promoter business.

From year to year, the development of the music concert business in Indonesia is growing rapidly. The choice to enjoy music is also increasingly in the medium. Now, not just single concerts, festivals are increasingly mushrooming with the excitement of matchmaking between music, food and content.

Seeing the business potential, new promoters emerged. No need to have a business background. As long as they have money, artists can be brought in. At least that's what happened in the last few years. Anyone who wants to present foreign musicians in Indonesia can do a musical event.

A term - if you don't want to be called a new sub-genre - called YouTube-core has developed as a curation concept in the music concert business. The term refers to musicians found via YouTube. The number of views of their music videos is not as many as big musicians such as Maroon 5 or Dua Lipa. However, this YouTube-core musician has its own appeal for some.

Some time ago, we talked with Argia, the person behind the founding of Noisewhore. The Jakarta-based music collective is arguably the most responsible for triggering the growth in the number of concerts and festivals that now bring in many YouTube-core musicians as performers. Argia claims that the 2017 Fazerdaze concert was a big trigger for this trend.

The Fazerdaze Argia concert is the beginning of how independent concerts are held without relying on sponsors. With the initial capital from the joint venture money, Argia claims, the source of Fazerdaze concert revenue was purely from ticket sales, which at that time were sold out in four days. After Fazerdaze, another Noisewhore event when it comes to Peach Pit and Sunset Rollercoaster reinforces the aroma of money in mid-range music concerts.

The algorithm for YouTube, Spotify, and various other music streaming platforms is a new way for music organizers to curate. The method is quite easy. It only remains to process the data tools to see which middle class musicians are listened to most by the Indonesian market. The number of plays of digital streaming, radio, and YouTube is a major consideration in curation.

Not completely wrong. YouTube-core is really just a way for music promoters to determine which musicians to sell on stage. However, the problem lies in the highly opportunistic way of playing middle class promoters. Argia criticized how the development of this industry was not accompanied by proper education. In addition, this opportunistic business practice has an impact on the soaring prices of these YouTube-core intermediate artists.

Although he did not mention numbers, Argia said that previously Noisewhore was able to bring in a variety of YouTube-core intermediate musicians at low prices. According to Argia, it is not just a matter of price competition. However, the price hikes will drive music organizers to dependence on sponsors. For Noisewhore, who has been playing independently since the beginning, the spike in prices for YouTube-core intermediate artists is certainly disturbing.

"(Bringing in) Xingfoo & Roy, Calvacades, and Hime Hime. And until now I'm still doing it (joint venture). Lastly, my Hawaiian band came," said Argia to VOI, Wednesday, November 27.

"Until now, joint venture. My concept is not burning money. Business risk. Because of the tens of millions that I have lost, it has accumulated three years and I have not used people's money. That's all of our money. That's a business risk because we don't use sponsors, "added Argia.

Personal curation

Argia chuckled when we called the steps he was taking with Noisewhore dangerous. How could he not, when other collectives or promoters monitored the market potential through research, data, or surveys, Argia chose to bring in musicians that he personally liked.

Argia knew very well the risks he was in. However, how can he deny the satisfaction of doing business with personal satisfaction. After all, Argia believes, data collection or surveys is not everything. Lokatara Fest 2019, for example.

According to Argia, Lokatara Fest 2019 is an example of how the YouTube-core curation practice does not guarantee a successful event. The key to everything, according to Argia, remains experience, strategy and communication.

"Actually, data is no longer the peak anymore. You can come to artists with millions of views. You come here, you won't necessarily sell if you approach the wrong one. Yes, Lokatara artists are all YouTube. It's busy moving venues. But , I also don't confirm my gut feeling, yes, "said Argia.

Collective then and now

Webzine is the initial concept of Noisewhore which started in 2014. After a hiatus in 2015, a year later Argia and his partner, Kareem, held a local event. However, Kareem's busyness with his rap world makes Argia helped by his other high school friends.

“Nothing ever came out. The people keep changing, "said Argia.

The first Noisewhore event entitled Noise Whore Live, which successfully brought local indie musicians to their enthusiasm to make their second series. With friendly connections, Argia managed to bring Hime Hime, a producer from Seattle, Xingfoo & Roy, and Calvacades.

"Just help each other, anyway. Because, at some point there will be like that too. Because I often do local shows, I get to know them and get asked, 'Eh, do you want this band or not?' I like the band. Yes, it was three times like that, ”said Argia.

Since its foundation, Noisewhore has walked slowly step by step. Starting from making small-scale events, holding medium-scale events, bringing in foreign artists, until finally making a music show that is getting stronger. These steps have been Noisewhore's enthusiasm since its inception.

Argia believes that the process will maintain the quality of organizing Noisewhore's music. And most importantly, the process will establish Noisewhore's identity as an organizer of a music show that is anti-dependent on sponsors.

"The collective orientation is really transactional now. We are looking for the booking fee, then which artist can. Oh this him. I'm sure it's effective, but in the long run you can't keep depending on this person, ”said Argia.

Back at Lokatara Fest 2019. Argia criticized it all. He talked about how the failure of the 2019 Lokatara Fest had an impact on the middle-class music concert industry. According to him, several foreign musician agents - especially the middle class - are now worried about performing in Indonesia after the 2019 Lokatara Fest.

"It will be more complicated to perform artists (impact). I can say, on the days of Lokatara, I emailed one of the agents. The agency whose artist is in Lokatara. Note, I've worked with them. They asked ' Do you have any proof, you won't be fucked up like Lokatara either, '"said Argia mimicking his conversation.

In fact, the music concert business - especially the middle class - is indeed growing rapidly in Indonesia. Jakarta, in particular. This development sparked many similar movements between music collectives and promoters. Unfortunately, this development was not followed by the readiness of business people.

Next Article: Differences in the Fate of Local Musicians and World Musicians to Uphold Idealism