The 7th Pinoy Playlist Music Festival highlighted essential industry insights, from legal rights and music ownership to sustaining creativity for long-term success.
The 7th Pinoy Playlist Music Festival highlighted essential industry insights, from legal rights and music ownership to sustaining creativity for long-term success.
In the recently concluded 7th Pinoy Playlist Music Festival, we were able to facilitate two well-attended and valuable conversations – first, on “Music Licensing and Rights” and second, on “Longevity and Reinvention in the Philippine Music Industry.”
Here are some insights shared by Atty. Marivic Benedicto of the Philippine Association of Record Industry (PARI), representing record labels, and Atty. Ivan Mendez of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP). They discussed the importance of owning music and understanding the legal aspects of musical works.
Atty. Ivan Marquez said, “Please don’t hesitate to ask regarding your rights, your remuneration, the value of your work – not making it the sole reason on why you do what you do – but at least, you establish your premium and your integrity as artists.”
Atty. Marivic Benedicto emphasized these crucial points: “Continue creating, and documenting things; and just put your creative works out there. Your output will always find the right platforms and their target audiences.”
While the legal and business aspects of the industry are essential, thriving in the Philippine music scene also requires a blend of creativity, consistency, and adaptability, as shared by master singer-songwriters Jonathan Manalo and Gab Cabangon.
What is there to be learned from the careers of successful music artists who continue to pack big concert venues and have a strong social media following?
Sustained success and consistent excellent outputs are what characterize the works of Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez and Sarah Geronimo.
Ben & Ben and SB 19 sing songs about our hopes, our dreams, our longings and our inner spirit not just as individuals but as Filipinos.
Artists like Moira, TJ Monterde and even Arthur Nery are able to turn their hurts and inspiration to very relatable songs.
Juan Karlos is of a different league. He is able to curse and unleash the angst in all of us – not only on a personal level but even that of society. Truly impressive!
Gab Cabangon noted, “I think an artist has a better chance of having a sustained career if he/she continues to innovate and learn. Always be a student of the craft. The more an artist learns, the more skills and tools they acquire to bring out their most authentic self in their music.”
He added, “I also believe in the saying practice makes perfect. So never stop writing. Never stop trying to experiment and do something unique. I hope our fellow songwriters and artists will continue to strive for excellence and continue to champion Filipino music through their craft.”
For his part, Jonathan Manalo leaves this message to music creators, artists and songwriters, “Don’t be discouraged if you think you have been writing ‘not so great’ songs. The songwriting process is parallel to one’s life journey. Learn from every mistake, and you will just get better every next try. You don’t just wake up one day and then be able to write a masterpiece. Becoming the best in the craft is an unending journey of learning. Learning the game and then becoming the master of the game and then ultimately becoming the game changer.”
A game changer and a National Music awardee, Jonathan tells artists to “consistently strive for excellence but don’t aim for perfection. Imperfection will give your work its unique ‘character,’ making it relatable, making it human. As a songwriter/as an artist it is important to expose yourself to all the things that make a song commercially successful; being aware of how the business/industry side of things work truly helps.
“But when you’re in the actual process of creating these songs, it is much more important to shield yourself from all the external factors that will hinder your creativity to just flow freely. Always best to keep your creative process pure.
“Do not deny your authentic self, develop yourself from who you are organically and grow and then amplify it from there.”