OPM promotes, cultivates works of Filipino artists

MANILA, Philippines -  The country’s largest organizations in the local music industry are coming together in an unprecedent- ed campaign to increase awareness and appreciation for Original Pilipino Music (OPM).

Starting last Aug. 16, pock- et performances in different venues in the Ayala central business district featuring es- tablished and up-and-coming names in the local recording industry had been held as part of efforts to appreciate Filipino music in all its forms.

The culminating event called the Pinoy Music Festival was on Sept. 5 at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, during which a presentation of the different kinds of Filipino music was staged, with live per- formances by some of the most popular names in Filipino music.

The one-day, open-air, free-of-charge celebration aimed to promote, cultivate, discover and embrace OPM and works of Filipino music artists, both the per- formers and composers.

Behind the Pinoy Music Festival was the Pinoy Music Council, a newly- formed umbrella organization of singers, com- posers, authors, producers, instru- mentalists, pub- lishers and other stakeholders in the music industry.

It is composed of the follow- ing member- organizations: The Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang- aawit (OPM), Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Pub- lishers (FILSCAP), Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino (AMP), Philip- pine Association of Recording Industry (PARI), Music Copyright Administrators of the Philippines (MCAP) and Phil- Pop Foundation.

The festival was also a follow-up activity to sustain the momentum created by the recently-conclud- ed Pinoy Music Summit, which yielded a number of recommenda- tions on how to increase support and appreciation for OPM.

According to festival director Noel Cabangon, who is also Fils- cap president and OPM VP, the Pinoy Music Festival and other activities such as the traveling My OPM Playlist would hopefully increase support for the passage of an executive order that will declare a Linggo ng Musi- kang Pilipino.

The EO seeks to enjoin individuals, academic institutions, commercial establishments, including radio stations, bars, restaurants and con- cert halls nationwide to play just Filipino music for a week, again as part of the continuing campaign to pro- mote OPM and encourage the Filipino people to love and celebrate our own mu- sic.

“The idea of the first Pi- noy Music Festival was to kick off even more activities to increase the use of our music, not just by individuals but also by communities and the business sec- tor that uses music in their operation. All these will hopefully inspire Filipino musicians and songwriters to create more original work and the listeners to appreciate their own,” said Noel.

Supporting the Pinoy Music Festi- val were the Make it Happen Make It Makati Foundation and Bactidol with additional support from sponsors such as Penshoppe, Hotel of Asia, Double- Dragon and Century Pacific Food Inc., PAGCOR and Universal Records.