On day four of the Wired Music Week conference, a stellar panel of Jaqueline Raposo (Coconuts KL, Daniela Horanga (Art Xtreme Media), Ashley Caselle (Mixmag), Joey G (Turn It Up), Marlina Azmi (Unreserved Media) and Jason Cheah (The Star) met to discuss “media content and exposure for electronic music”.
To those operating within the SEA scene, there does seem to be an under-representation of Electronic Music outlets, despite the fact that it is such a booming genre. The problem, therefore, is not the talent or scene itself. Ashley Casselle, DJ, producer and writer for Mixmag says: “As a non-local, I see a very healthy and vibrant scene here”. And Ashley is right – Malaysia and the SEA music scene is brimming with talent and potential. However, Malaysia, in particular, is a country which now sees little-no music festivals being held in recent times.
“We’re a politically conservative country and region. I think things will be better if we can just have good dialogues and not fall into the habit of saying I’m right and you’re wrong.” – Marlina Azmi (media influencer and writer for Unreserved)
So where do we go from here and how does the local electronic music scene push through it’s beyond its governmental and politically ideological constraints? That was largely what was discussed amongst the panel in this session.
“I think it’s part PR, part good marketing, and part tapping into that Artist’s fanbase they have. You need to educate people. Saying things like: ‘This is this person, this is what they do, this is why you should come to their event and this is what you can expect.’”
⁃ Jaqueline Raposo (Coconuts KL)
“I think the solution is your phone. The worlds top DJs are so easily available. If people really want to listen to a DJ’s songs they’ll find a way. I think the idea of having it on mainstream media is kinda old. The new media is where it’s at. The artist needs to recognize ‘I can be the leader of my own destiny and don’t need a media powerhouse’. The advent of social media has allowed that to happen, I believe.
⁃ Joey G (presenter for Turn It Up Radio)
“The talent is Malaysia is amazing. Maybe we need more promotion and more exposure for artists. We need more PR, putting people out into the spotlight. Maybe we need more advertising companies getting involved.”
⁃ Daniela Horanga (Art Xtreme Media)
“I think festivals will rebrand themselves in the future to make it more about the cultural experience – through yoga, art etc. And then it’ll be more acceptable to the government.”
⁃ Jaqueline Raposo (Coconuts KL)
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