Research on music markets and industries was discussed in a symposium hosted by the MusikaPilipinas project, held from Jan. 22 to 23 at the UST Frassati Auditorium.
The Southeast Asia Music Exchange (Seamex) conference featured the latest scholarly research on music industries across the region.
“Music and change, it really means, let’s get together. Talk. And I think more importantly, let’s perform,” Isabella Pek, head of music at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, said in her welcome message.
Conservatory of Music Dean Maria Alexandra Chua shared developments in MusikaPilipinas, an advocacy-based research project.
She said a proposed coordinating council would address industry challenges and develop strategies, including copyright protection and the development of emerging artists.
“The Philippine music industry suffers from inadequate representation as a standalone sector in laws and politics,” Chua said.
In his talk titled “Colonisation, Migration, and Entertainment: The Making of Malay Popular Music, 1900-1959,” Raja Halid of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan explained the sociocultural context that shaped famous Malay songs.
Some of the songs he presented include “Bunyi Gitar” (Sound of the Guitar) by P. Ramlee and “Burung Terbang Malam” (The Parrot Flies at Night) by Qasim.
Halid said hybridity, modernity and cultural mimicry made Malay popular music an “active site of cultural agency, reflecting broader negotiations of identity and progress,”
A panel discussion moderated by Arjay Mercado of the Department of Business Economics and Marjorie Muyong of La Trobe University discussed gaps in the Philippine music industry.
The panel included Malaysian events producer Aryn Rashdi, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines division chief Jeremy Bayaras and Kukuh Arfianto, founder of Indonesian entertainment company Sun Eater Group.
The panelists pointed to the lack of copyright laws to protect properties from generative AI.
On the second day, Valerie Setias of the University of the Philippines presented her study, “Midnight Memories, Lifelong Identities: Exploring the Role of One Direction’s Music on the Identity Formation of Filipino Directioners,” which examines how popular music fandom operates not merely as entertainment but as a sociological site for emotional regulation, social belonging and identity formation.
“Ultimately, the study shows that music is not just a soundtrack to growing up, but as a social technology through which people learn how to feel, belong, and become,” Setias said.
Parallel sessions followed, discussing the Iligan City hardcore punk movement and indie music activities in Metro Manila.
The two-day conference was capped by a closing concert by the UST Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Assoc. Prof. Herminigildo Ranera of the Conservatory of Music. John Kobe S. Balod
