April 2020

On Independent Artists

(This was originally posted on the Indiepinoy blog located at www.indiepinoymusic.com datesd april 9, 2020)

In 2008, five bands grouped together to find means to distribute their music on the prevailing trend of the time – mobile distribution. They realized that corporate would only talk to labels who represent hundreds of artists. The content providers do not want to waste their time talking to each and every independent artists coming into their doorstep. And so the five artists gathered more to form a group that will represent the independent artists and have a say in the music corporate world. Indiepinoy, the indie label and music company was born. The five bands grew into over a thousand independent Filipino artists.

This was the time digital was coming of age. Resources which were formerly exclusive to major labels due to expense started to become popular. Musicians can now create content (audio and visual) at par with those created by big production groups before but this time done in their own bedroom or backyard. Despite the development of digital technology, some institutions in the music business remained monopolized or at least dominated by the major labels who still firmly holds its place in the industry. Big budgeted promotions, radio and other media dominated by the campaigns of major labels are evidences that the independent artist could not compete.

Indiepinoy knows better. It has been proven thru history that musical tribes and fads started not from the mainstream but from the underground. Why would you then limit yourselves in an arena where you cannot win over the bullies. Go into the alternative route. Musicians of today have a wider arena to play with in promoting their music. There are a lot of emerging grounds where music can strive to become popular. And being creative can give birth to more alternative venues. On these arenas, your power to succeed is not limited to your budget. And you have equal footing with the big corporations in launching campaigns for your music.

This is what Indiepinoy lives and breathes. Over the years, Indiepinoy has explored various ways to promote the music of its artists. It has been actively representing the independent artists in various community activities, including having a presence in the Philippine Congress when issues affecting the musicians are discussed. Indiepinoy has also introduced itself to various corporate activities in an effort to find new means to promote independent Filipino music.

What differs Indiepinoy from other record labels?

Still indiepinoy stands as a music label. So what differs Indiepinoy from other record labels? First of all, Indiepinoy does not intend to gain big profits as a label. It was created by artists whose only intention was to have their music distributed. It wants its artists to be the one to gain economically in the marketing efforts Indiepinoy indulges. Indiepinoy wants to stress that it wants its artists to be independent. Thus it encourages its artist to explore means on developing and marketing music on their own. Indiepinoy can give guidance only based on its won experiences. There are a lot of indiepinoy artists who are now standing on their own, embracing the true essence of being indie. Experiences from these artists are additional inputs that helps shape up the development of independent Filipino music. Indiepinoy still include these artists in its projects of promoting independent Filipino music. This is what indiepinoy was really made of: helping each other. Indiepinoy is only described as a label to conform with the industry standards since there is no other description that will fit.

What does it take to be an independent Filipino artist?

Indiepinoy realizes that for artists to survive, one has to find his/her own audience. And when you get to have a specific audience, be true to them. They are your following. Do not attempt to go global or national without having your own crowd first. Your crowd can be your community where you belong, school or company, a particular audience who follows you on your gigs, followers in your online presence, etc. From there on you can expand as far as you are able to. But it is still important to maintain your roots, your original audience. Because they are the ones who believed in your music even when nobody else heard you yet. Having this, you can now stand on your own. Tools in the music industry can be learned and indiepinoy can provide guidance afterwards.

Who Am I

(This is a school work in my 2nd year of high school in DWU. The paper was dated March 9, 1982)

I am Manuel, the son of Lorenzo and Auxiliadora. I am the youngest child in the family. I am a boy, a man, a person, a human, an earthling and a living thing. I am a sanguine person, a person who stands in the middle between the rich and the poor, strong and weak, the young and old, the fearful and the brave, the bad and the good. I am fearful of what I do not know, but I am brave enough to try anything new. Some of the time, I may be bad but most of the time I try to be good. I know I am strong enough to stand on my own beliefs. ButI can also be affected by the opinion of others. I am not so young that I cannot do things for myself, but I am not old enough to be able to take care of myself by myself. I am myself.

Not an Ordinary Day at the Office

(This article was a seat work in an English literature class in PWU around 1989).

She entered the office along with her mother. It was almost noon and most of my office mates were down at the cafeteria eating their lunch. The office is almost bare except for some medical equipment we use to service the needs of workers from various industrial firms in Manila.

Here I am standing in front of them. Her mother did most of the talking. I was as if she could not speak. The mother introduced her daughter as elena, a 16 year old factory worker from a large textile factory in Valenzuela. According to her mother, elena was abuse by her employer less than a week ago.

“Elena was fired when she forgot to load a fresh spool of thread into the machine she was assigned to handle.” Explains the mother. “She pleaded for mercy and her employer agreed to hire her as a maid in his home instead.”

“During the first two days in her employer’s home, she was locked-up, beaten and raped. It was such an ordeal which affectedalmost every inch of her body and mind. It was a good thing she was able to break free when sympathetic neighbors heard her screams and notified the police.”

I could not believe such things actually happen. I looked at her bruises. They were almost everywhere. But then she does not react whenever her mother touches her arms. It is as if she could not feel a thing. Her eyes blank. Her nostrils were big and pulsating. I think deep inside her she was crying.

Then I stood up and told both of them to wait inside a room. I have to call the doctor who will attend to their needs.

How to clean Toilet (sic)

(This article is a school seat work about linear process explanation. It is a group work by Nolit Abanilla, Ma. Jeremiah T. Balbuena and Ma. Alma P. Duron for an english literature class in PWU sometime in 1989.)

Cleaning the toilet is always a drag. You must degrade yourself, kneel down and do the scrubbing. But before that, you must consider somethings.

First, see to it that your windows are closed. You don’t want to let your handsome neighbor see you in your most humiliating position.

Then you must use an appropriate detergent. Do not use your imported “floral scented” soap on the white porcelain just because you want it to smell good. A good active cleanser with deodorizer will do. Dash a few of these into the john. You might need some strong acid or toilet bowl cleaner. Pour some of these generously, and set aside for a few minutes.

Now you can start scrubbing. Scrub very well and do not leave any space unsubscrubed (sic). Make that brownish gray “holy seat” look sparkling white. And feel the glory of that miraculous change.

After scrubbing, you must wash away the soap. You can wipe bowl (sic) with a clean rag if you wish.

Finally, your toilet is clean. Now you can call your 5-year-old brother to sprinkle the toilet with god-knows-what in a manner most playful little boys do.

(Apparently the teacher did not like the story as she gave the piece a low grade of 2.50 with a note saying “topic is very ordinary.” But I think she should have given us a better grade as the purpose of the seat work was to demonstrate linear process explanation, and we did a good job on it regardless of what topic we choose. Well, you cannot please everybody.)

Combat Apathy

(Unpublished article intended for Philwomenian in 1988)

Apathy has always been an obstacle to Social Development. In this world of conflicts, apathy is never absent, serving its own interest. Such a selfish path one would take.

Apathy is defined as one’s avoidance to be involved in any struggle or conflict. Apathy include liberalism which follows the reconciliation philosophy. We all have heard people say “We must be fair, we must listen to both sides of the story, there is always right and wrong on both sides, If we could only get people to talk to one another and sort out their misunderstandings and misconceptions, conflict could be resolved.” It sounds like a genuine concern for fairness and justice, yet later we will find out that liberalism stands for unprincipled peace.

NOT ALL CONFLICTS CAN BE RECONCILED

We must take in mind that not all conflicts are based on misunderstanding and must be reconciled. In some conflict, one side is right and the other is wrong, one side is being unjust and oppressive and the other is suffering injustice and oppression. Thus one must take side. Being Christians, we are not supposed to try to reconcile good and evil, just and injustice. We are supposed to do away with evil, injustice and sin.

Neutrality is not always possible. In cases of conflict due to injustice and oppression, neutrality is totally impossible. If we do not take sides with the oppressed, then we are unintentionally taking sides with the oppressors. Since being neutral hides the nature of the conflict. The injustice continues and everybody is made to feel that the injustice doesn’t matter because the tension and conflict have been reduced. It keeps the oppressed quiet and passive and brings about a kind of pseudo-reconciliation without justice.

It is wrong to assume that tension and conflict are worse evils than injustice and oppression. It only shows one’s cowardliness to confront conflicts. They are those who are not convinced of the need for change and lack of hope. They rather flee to escapism from the realities of injustice and conflicts.

Thus, it shows that being liberal is being apathetic to realities, and being neutral is a way of siding with the oppressor. In a conflict if one side is right we must recognize this and side with them, just as Jesus sided with the poor. If the other side is wrong and in power, we must oppose them and dethrone them from power. We must realize the real root of many conflicts – The oppressive structure being implemented by the rich. God didn’t actually hated the rich. What he simply meant, is that he wants to pull the rich and powerful from their thrones, from their position in the society, because the structures of the society are unjust and oppressive (Luke 1:52:53)

God said “Love our enemies.” This does not mean for us to convert the rich and those in power to stop the oppression. The only effective way of loving our enemies is to engage in action that will destroy the system that makes them our enemies. In other words, for the sake of love and for the sake of true peace, we must side with the poor and the oppressed and confront the rich and powerful, and join the struggle against what they stand for and what they are defending.

Remember, God wants peace that is based on truth, justice and love and not the superficial peace and unity that compromise truth, covers over the injustices and that is usually settled on for thoroughly selfish purposes.

Advance peace based on social justice and not on apathy.