There’s still a lot of work to be done for the music industry,” said singer-song-writer Ogie Alcasid, who is the newly appointed president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), a group which aims to promote Filipino music here and abroad.
To help Ogie with this task is a team of dedicated musicians—Mitch Valdes, chair of the board; Gary Valenciano, vice president for internal affairs; Noel Cabangon, VP for external affairs; Christian Bautista, VP for special projects; Jose Mari Chan, treasurer; and Dingdong Avanzado, corporate secretary.
“If I won’t do it, who else would? I enjoy it more than work. Iba pa rin ’yong may advocacy ka. It keeps me going,” the award-winning artist said.
Do you think there should be a moratorium on concerts of foreign acts?
They’re welcome to perform here. I like watching them. Their arrival is also a good kind of exposure for the country. They could very well be our tourism ambassadors. I just think their promoters should be asked to pay a higher equity. A memorandum of agreement signed by the OPM, the Bureau of Immigration and the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino Foundation, requires a promoter to pay an equity of P5,000. This is regardless of whether a concert artist is local or foreign. This has been in effect since 1987. We’re still collecting this, but perhaps this has to be changed.
What’s your take on tax breaks?
Tickets to the concert of Adam Lambert, for example, would probably cost P8,000 to P10,000. I’ve never heard of local performers charging as much, and yet our promoters still have to invest P10 to P15 million. This does not even cover the cost of promotions. Bakit ka pa susugal? This has to change. We can turn this into an income-generating industry by reducing tax from 30 percent to 10 percent, just like what’s been done in the movie industry.
How far are we from this scenario?
We’re still very far from it. Quezon City taxes us at 10 percent, but the other cities like Pasay, Mandaluyong, Manila all get 30 percent. Maybe we can meet with local government unit heads and discuss this problem with them.
The United States has gotten around the issue of piracy. How are we addressing this?
The Anti-Piracy Bill, which is gathering mold in Congress, is important because we’ve reached a point when our music gets uploaded and downloaded on the Net. Illegal downloading goes unpunished. In the US, they sell music through iTunes. Flip Tunes is the local version. There has to be laws that will protect artists. I recently attended a caucus, where I learned that a lot of people are willing to help.
Do you think the problem about taxes can still be solved?
It will take a long while — it will all depend on the political will of the people in government. I’d like to encourage everyone to look broader, to look into the future. A lot of our artists are known abroad — Charice (Pempengco), Arnel (Pineda), Christian Bautista and Rico Blanco. They’re doing so well but they come home to a country that likes to listen to Korean singers and Justin Bieber. There must be something wrong with that. Local artists are unappreciated. There has to be genuine interest in Pinoy music again.
Why do you think Pinoys became uninterested?
There are many reasons, but I think our lagging economy is the main culprit. I came from a time when artists release singles every month. Now, only the moneyed class gets to buy CDs, which cost from P250 to P350. Other people would rather buy cell phone loads instead of CDs. I’m thinking, maybe downloading is our future. I also want to make friends with radio again. It has changed — it has become talk radio. But there is still a market that wants to listen to music. There are still people who turn the radio on to feel relaxed and be entertained.
There was a resurgence of local bands five years ago. What happened to it?
The same thing — bad economy made people focus on something else. Times have become harder. I recently asked a group of jazz artists to join the OPM. They gave me this look as if they’re saying, ‘What can OPM do for us?’ ‘Are you going to help us get more gigs?’ A lot of bands are in limbo. They go from one gig to another not knowing what’s going to happen to their future. If they don’t get gigs sponsored by alcoholic beverages, what’s going to happen to them? They should be thriving in a country that loves music.
What can OPM do for musicians?
Our primary concern is to help them with their music career. We are an organization that trains young artists. We’re going to have seminars to help them learn more about music. We’re looking for the perfect performers, those who will breathe new life to OPM songs. We’re also working on helping our aging musicians.
Are you aware of the perception that you’re the music industry’s unofficial spokesperson to the Palace?
I don’t really think much about it. I know the President has genuine concern for the plight of local musicians. When the OPM officers were in Malacañang for our induction, P-Noy invited us to join him in Bahay Pangarap just to chill. He took us to his listening room and showed us his CD collection. He first brought out Regine’s CD “Drawn.” He then played one tune after the other until we could no longer recognize who we were listening to. He really loves to listen to good music. We asked him to help reinforce Executive Order 255, which requires radio stations to play local music every hour.
Do we have enough new materials?
We do. There are movements now to augment this. KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) is having a songwriting contest. Ryan Cayabyab is having a songwriting workshop in Dumaguete. Ryan and I are planning to conduct seminars next year. We’re also preparing for an OPM summit where musicians can learn so many things. We also intend to ask shows like “Party Pilipinas,” “ASAP XV” and “PO5” to showcase more local tunes. Aren’t you tired of hearing Lady Gaga?
Can you imagine foreigners coming here, opening the radio and being impressed with what they hear? I have Japanese, Korean and English fans, who don’t know a word I’m saying — they just like the melody of my songs. Proof of this is the song “Pangako,” which was used as a telenovela theme song in Korea. I only knew of this when GMA 7 called me one day to ask how much I’d charge for it. I went to YouTube, searched for it and there it was — a woman singing it exactly the way Regine sings it, with the exact musical arrangement. It sounded great. This should prove that our music has an international appeal.
Ogie and maestro Ryan Cayabyab will have a concert titled “O.C. at the PICC” on Oct. 8, 8 p.m., at the Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall in Pasay City. Special guests are Noel Cabangon, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers and Ai Ai delas Alas.
