Seizing Dangdut Royalties
Like a car, musicians are the main engine in the dangdut tarling (dangdut played door to door) industry. Ironically, they actually get the smallest fortune. Adung Abdulgani, a versatile artist from Indramayu, mobilized the dangdut tarling artists to fight for royalties.
Adung\'s face was excited when he showed a message from a music aggregator who had just transferred the royalty payment for using dangdut tarling songs on YouTube. The amount is not much, only a few million rupiah. However, for Adung and the dangdut tarling artists, the royalty payments made them more optimistic about the future.
"Previously, we never imagined that we could get royalties. In the past, other people could arbitrarily monetize the songs composed by the dangdut musicians. They can get money and get rich from there, but we don\'t get anything, just living like this," said Adung on Tuesday (6/8/2019) at his home.
So small was the amount of money earned by musicians, Adung added, that when they were sick, they were not even able to seek medical treatment. "We had to raise funds for sick musicians. We became aware of our bleak future."
After that, free songs are used by producers or singers to earn money through performances or CD sales.
Adung saw the rights of the dangdut tarling players, often from areas along the northern coast of West Java, as not being protected for many years. The songwriters usually sell off or rent the song to singers or producers for a fee of Rp 300,000-Rp 1.5 million. After that, free songs are used by producers or singers to earn money through performances or CD sales.
When the song becomes famous, bootleggers make profits through pirated CDs and now through dangdut tarling songs or albums posted on YouTube. Singers and producers also can\'t get anything, let alone the songwriters.
Lately, the dangdut tarling artists have become aware of this situation and are fighting for their rights over their work. In 2015, Adung together with dangdut tarling artists established the Pantura Artists Music Institute (L-Musentra) to organize a fair and sustainable West Java dangdut industry. Initially, L-Musentra pursued royalties from dangdut tarling shows in villages. Each group that carries other people\'s songs is subject to a royalty of Rp 150,000 per stage. "The MC will record the songs performed on stage. Later, the songwriters can get royalties," he said.
However, the program was suspended because the organization was not ready. Furthermore, L-Musentra saw a greater opportunity to seek royalties. This institution works together with the Yes Music aggregator application. L-Musentra has authority from tarling dangdut players to register around 500 of their songs on YouTube. The aggregator will detect which account uses the songs and collect the royalties.
The royalties earned are 25 percent for the aggregator while the remaining 75 percent is given to songwriters, music composers, producers, videographers and L-Musentra as an umbrella institution. Royalties are distributed every three months with detailed reports. "The one that distributes the royalties is the management and artists of the tarling themselves," said Adung, who was elected as chairman of L-Musentra.
We accepted the offer and currently they are producing thousands of original CDs. Later, dangdut pantura artists can receive royalties from the CD sales.
For the past six months, L-Musentra began to pursue and summon the pirated CD manufacturers. "It turns out they were scared, then they asked permission to produce the original CDs. We accepted the offer and currently they are producing thousands of original CDs. Later, dangdut pantura artists can receive royalties from the CD sales," said Adung.
Adung is grateful, L-Musentra has now become a fairly large music artists institution. He claimed his membership reached thousands of people with a management of about 500 people. They are scattered in Indramayu, Cirebon and Subang.
Adung initially did not imagine that he would take care of the dangdut tarling industry. Although he wrote several dangdut tarling songs, he is better known as a painter. He began to be involved in thinking about the dangdut tarling while serving as chairman of the Indramayu Arts Council (DKI) for the 2011-2016 period. At that time, Adung encouraged the establishment of various specific communities, such as the band, guitar, sketch and photography communities, to accelerate cultural development in Indramayu.
Seeing many communities grow, in 2015, a number of dangdut tarling players in Indramayu and Cirebon came to Adung and asked, "Who is responsible for us? We don\'t have a community umbrella?"
Adung admitted that he was confused because DKI did not take care of dangdut because some artists in DKI considered dangdut pantura not to be art, but entertainment. He tried to accommodate the aspirations of the tarling dangdut people. In 2015, Adung and the dangdut tarling players established L-Musentra. Through this institution, he invited musicians, singers and producers to answer the problems they faced, one of which was the protection of their work rights.
In addition, L-Musentra seeks to improve the quality of people in tarling dangdut through education about management, financial management, the concept of creation, the concept of stage and ethics on stage. "We, for example, provide explanations on stage performances that are considered pornographic so as to prevent dangdut pantura artists from getting into trouble. We also emphasize that no one gets drunk on the stage," said Adung.
He now encourages musicians and singers to re-explore their artistic roots, namely the art of tarling. After all, the style of the tarling is what distinguishes Indramayu\'s songs from songs from other regions.
Everything that L-Musentra does, Adung continued, must end with the prosperity of the dangdut tarling industry players. "In the future, we don\'t want to hear that any more musicians have a miserable life," he said.
Adung Abdulgani
Born: Indramayu, February 3, 1977
Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from Wira Lodra University, Indramayu
Organization: Chairman of L-Musentra (2015-2021), chairman of Indramayu Arts Council (2000-2013)