Banner for the We Share & Care event from Kemenparekraf and Indonesia Kreatif
Last Sunday, July 6, 2014, I was invited to speak about the challenges facing Indonesia’s music industry at the Indonesia Kreatif event. It was part of the ongoing Indonesian Music Industry Blueprint project from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The event — titled “We Share and Care: Where Is Indonesia’s Creative Economy Headed?” — was held at Galeri Fatahillah in Jakarta. Other practitioners represented different creative sub-sectors: Taruna Kusmayadi (Fashion), Bondan Winarno (Culinary), William Kwan (Crafts), Hafiz Rancajale (Fine Arts), and Yudi A. Tajudin (Performing Arts).
The session opened with the blueprint study team presenting key findings from their practitioner discussions, which formed the basis of the blueprint book. Practitioners then shared their perspectives on the state of their respective industries in Indonesia and compared them with the UK. I represented the music industry.
I’ve been part of this blueprint project from the beginning, having participated in three Focus Group Discussions over the past year. My involvement came through my role as a Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE) 2013 awardee from the British Council.
The Dream
Like many Indonesians, I dream of a day when the music we create can be heard and enjoyed by everyone — not just in Indonesia, but around the world. I genuinely believe this is possible. It’s a matter of building the right strategy, executing it, and being patient. The resources and potential we have are too great to fail. Nothing can stop us — except ourselves.
The Mission
Our mission is to grow both the production and consumption of Indonesian music. The first step is mapping the industry. From that map, we can identify problems and opportunities, then design strategies to address them.
The Challenges
After three FGDs, we identified six key challenges:
- Human resources
- Creative entrepreneurship
- Financing
- Market expansion
- Innovation
- Technology
Three UK Benchmarks
From my time in the UK and my study of its music industry, I found three models that could serve as benchmarks for Indonesia, given the challenges we face. The UK industry and its stakeholders have been developing and refining these solutions for decades.
- Community Building at Roundhouse — addresses human resources and creative entrepreneurship development.
- Event Showcase at The Great Escape — addresses financing and market expansion.
- Collaboration at Tileyard Studios — supports innovation and technology development.
At Roundhouse, young aspiring musicians aged 11–25 receive pre-career experiences and mentoring to help them innovate. At The Great Escape in Brighton, emerging artists connect with international industry players. At Tileyard Studios in London, musicians and music businesses share space and collaborate, fostering a creative ecosystem.
These models won’t solve everything, but they demonstrate what’s possible when an industry organizes around a clear vision. Indonesia has the talent. What we need is the structure to support it.