The growth and growing of the local music industry

Mr Jasper Donat, President, Digital & Music Matters and CEO, Branded Ltd; 
Distinguished Guests; 
Ladies & Gentlemen.

1. I am pleased to join you this morning at Music Matters, an annual music industry conference that brings together some of the biggest names in the entertainment business worldwide – from music producers, labels to artist managers, as well as thought leaders in the music industry. May I extend a warm welcome to all of you, especially to our friends from abroad. I am told that for the very first time, the conference will be streamed 'live' via the 

   www.allthatmatters.asia ↗ (opens in new tab)

    website. To all those who are listening in right now, a very good morning to you too.

2. The music industry is now a multi-billion global business, particularly with the expansion in digital music services, which has brought music closer to everyone. Virtually anyone can now easily access music. That's important because music is one of the most basic forms of human expression – it can uplift, inspire and help us get in touch with our emotions. Music also helps us to communicate better – it bridges different communities and cultures, and some would say, in a way that the spoken word cannot.
   

Growth in Singapore Music Scene

3. The Singapore music scene is still relatively young. But it has come a long way. We have several success stories we are proud of. Over the years, we have built a strong base of songwriters, lyricists, music arrangers, concert directors and producers, comprising creative talents like Dick Lee, Liang Wen Fu, Iskandar Ismail and Goh Kheng Long.

4. In Chinese music, we had the local home-grown “xinyao” movement in the 1980s. Xinyao is short for 新加坡歌谣, which essentially means Singapore songs. It is a genre of music that is unique to Singapore – the songs are composed and sung by Singaporeans, typically about life in Singapore. Xinyao enriched and transformed our local music scene. It paved the way for the emergence of many successful Singapore artistes in the Asian Chinese pop music scene such as Eric Moo, Kit Chan, Tanya Chua, and more recently, Stephanie Sun and JJ Lin. Singapore's contributions to Chinese pop music go beyond just the performing artists. For instance, I am told that Taiwanese pop singer A-Mei's crew is made up mostly of Singaporeans – from supporting singers, to band members and even dancers. Even her concert arrangement was done by a Singaporean.

5. Our artists and musicians have made their mark not just in the Chinese music scene, but also in other areas. Singapore Idols Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza have won acclaim in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Shabir Tabare Alam, our first Vasantham Star winner in 2005, has established himself as an actor, music producer and recording artiste with singles that have topped charts around the world. Another local veteran with 35 years of experience in the music industry in Singapore is Mohamed Raffee, who has also scored for theatre productions as well as Kollywood movies. And of course, we are proud this year to have the first Singaporean, Arun Shenoy, to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

6. Creative practitioners aside, Singapore's expertise in the music value chain has strengthened both upstream and downstream. Singapore's audio production and post-production services are now widely sought after in the region. Rick Ho from Yellow Box Studios for example, put Singapore on the map when he won Best Original Film Score for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale at the 2011 Golden Horse Awards. Some of the talent spotting and nurturing is also undertaken by our own local artiste management and events firms, such as Music & Movement.
   

Support from Singapore Government

7. The Singapore government recognises the contribution of music in shaping our local culture, and in defining who we are as a nation, and as a people. So we are continually looking for ways to develop and grow the local music sector. These initiatives are not just confined to a single government agency; they straddle across different agencies, as part of a whole-of-government effort.

8. To date, for example, the Media Development Authority (MDA) has supported more than 100 music projects in areas of development, production, marketing and talent development.        

9. The National Arts Council (NAC) offers various schemes for artists including musicians. Under the Noise Singapore platform, young musicians and bands are given mentorship opportunities to write and showcase original music. The NAC also administers several grant schemes for art organisations, and this year, the local band The Observatory became the first independent and contemporary music group to receive the NAC's Major Grant.

10. In recent years, more Singaporean musicians are performing at prestigious overseas music festivals like the South by Southwest and the Canadian Music Festival. We recognise that our domestic market is small, and our musicians need exposure in other countries in order to grow and mature. For this reason, the NAC has provided more funding support in recent years to profile more than 120 local musicians in international concerts and performances. Some recipients include our local band, The Sam Willows and singer-songwriter Inch Chua who have both performed at the 2013 Canadian Music Festival.

11. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is more commonly associated with tourism rather than music development. But it has also done its part in supporting our local musicians. The STB supports tourism-related events held in Singapore through its Leisure Events Fund. When STB funds an international music event, it makes a deliberate effort to ensure that the event also provides a platform to showcase our local musicians. For example, the Timbre Rock & Roots event has been held in Singapore for the last 3 years, featuring world-class musicians and Grammy Awards winners. At the same time, it has provided a stage for more than 20 local musicians.
    

Support from Partners

12. While the government will do its part, state support alone is by no means sufficient to grow the local music scene. We also need support from audiences, the community, as well as private and industry partners.

13. In particular, our local radio broadcasters play a key role in promoting local music. So I am glad that MediaCorp Radio, our largest radio broadcaster, dedicates at least 10% of airtime on the whole, to local music.
    

14. MDA has also tied up with national broadcaster MediaCorp to support local musicians in producing theme songs, which will be played over local radio stations, as well as on free-to-air TV and online, for more exposure. We will continue to encourage our radio stations to play more local music and provide the environment for our listeners to appreciate Singapore-made music, as our library of local music grows over time.

15. I am also glad that Digital & Music Matters has been an important partner in the development of our music sector. Last year, Digital & Music Matters was the launch platform for our very own music society in Singapore. Known as S-G-MUSO, the society aims to support artistry, business and production by developing skills, advocacy and opportunities. This year, I am glad that there will be a dedicated Singapore Industry Night at Music Matters Live, which will feature five of our local bands.

16. Finally, I like to add that all the participants at Digital & Music Matters have a vital role to play in the development of the music industry in Asia. Singapore continues to welcome collaborations with our international friends and partners to grow our industry and bring our local music overseas. On this note, I wish you all an fruitful and productive time at this Music Matters conference, exchanging ideas, and finding new ways to work together to take our music industry to greater heights.