Warner reboots its local music arm, signs on new artists
CD production ends in March
Blessed with an elegant, pretty face and wearing leather pants, singer Aleph physically looks like a picture of confidence. In the compact confines of Commune Cafe in Makati, she sits on a barstool in the middle of an acoustic performance in front of the press.
She is happy with the tone of the proceedings but was tearful before singing one of her songs as she recalled leaving home and struggling with the consequences and other personal matters.
“I’m not going to cry.” She composes herself, and proceeds with her low-key performance, her wide eyes shut, her dark breathy voice filling her lungs.
Wholesome sexiness
Meanwhile, self-described “alternative soul” band SUD are in an adjacent area, cheerfully smooshing their faces on cupcakes topped with the Warner logo. They share the same management and are close friends with Aleph, and maybe they know her story too.
In contrast however, the band says their songs are about sexiness… but not lasciviously so, and in a way that parents won’t find offensive.
The band members are mostly in their early 20s and their youthful playfulness (“maginoo pero medyo bastos” says band namesake Sud Ballecer beneath his ‘fro ‘do) is somewhat refreshing.
Meet the ‘noobs’
Warner Music Philippines recently restarted the local artists department it shut down a few years ago. Aleph and SUD signed contracts with the label recently.
The classically-trained Aleph is influenced by Florence + the Machine and 30 Seconds To Mars although not quite evident in the acoustic performance she gave with Hulyo’s Simon Panguitan accompanying on guitar. Her vocal style is Cat Power-ed, dark and seductive.
SUD’s vocalist/guitarist Sud Ballecer, guitarist Gelo Acosta and saxophonist Carlos de la Fuente gave spare renderings of their soul-meets-rock tunes that has John Mayeresque undertones; the sax lines (really, you can’t have sensual music without a sax) validated their musical intentions. Bassist Marc Reyes, drummer Jimbo Cuenco, and keyboardist Kohl Aguilar comprise the rest of the band.
Warner retools its local artist department
Both artists’ deal with Warner is mutually realistic. The label’s local artist department (the reunited Hale is with them as well) will function differently from the old days: it will now seek out self-reliant indie artists that already have a growing following and presumably with an active social media profile.
In other words, acts will not necessarily be discovered then “developed” (meaning a lot less investment) but will be supported via content aggregation, distribution and, of course, further promotion.
The result is that artists remain independent as far as their work is concerned. The label won’t demand a “radio single” to be written. Instead, it will simply choose from the artists’ existing material what it thinks will work for larger audiences. It can also opt to select songs for, say, corporate projects that will benefit both parties. (The assumption of this arrangement is that the artists are not troublesome to work with or has material that’s way too esoteric.)
No more CDs
Most of the business will revolve around purchased downloads because Warner will cease selling physical media (such as CDs) by March.
The music business landscape has changed drastically, and the label has tweaked its operations with lesser financial risks, and less day-to-day involvement.
For artists like Aleph and SUD however, it is an expansion of their playing field and bigger audiences. On the day of their contract signing, they are upbeat and face their respective futures brightly, with nearly no compromises artistically.
At the very least, Aleph can look back at her rejections and now feel that her moment is about to arrive. Maybe she will have the last laugh, that voice once described as “not powerful enough” finally resonating in places that once rejected it.
