If Korean pop has the likes of Music Bank, Inkigayo, and Music Core, has the time finally come for OPM (and P-pop) to have its own chart show?
In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the interest and following for personalities in the local music scene. Driven by bands like Ben&Ben, December Avenue, This Band, among others, coupled with the rise of P-pop groups SB19, BGYO, BINI, MNL48, and more, the spotlight seems to be on for original Filipino music.
Not just that, it no longer appeals to the local audiences only, but is now steadily gaining traction across the rest of the continent, and even the world, for some artists.
Here at home, however, television exposure for these artists seems sparse and rather disorganized.
Currently, these musicians are seen mostly online, heard through the radio, and sometimes perform there as well.
As for mainstream television, they only tend to appear mostly via noontime variety shows (including those on Sundays). Their songs or singles are also ‘promoted’ in non-linear fashion, with some groups or artists being able to showcase their songs on TV only, at the modest rate, weeks or months after those were initially released through other platforms.
In contrast, Korean pop groups and artists are rather challenged to promote in their TV music programs within hours or days after their songs are released or fear losing in the charts, especially those who aren’t huge in the industry yet.
While that could pose no worry for the most digitally-savvy of fans and casual listeners, the current set-up we have in the Philippines, modesty aside, actually sucks if cultural exposition and introduction of new Pinoy pop acts to the local and global audience are the primary goals for bringing these artists to TV shows.
Now, what can be done?
Look no further and maybe a chart show of our own is the way to go about this.
One may ask, “how could that be possible?”
Before that, let’s familiarize ourselves first with how Korean music shows work. Every week, the show will air and artists can opt to promote their new songs for as long as they want (a.k.a. how negotiations between agencies and the showrunners went), with the comfortable period being two to three weeks. Members of groups also get the chance to host the program.
Throughout the show, the songs are ranked, depending on how they charted that week, which is then dependent on the chart provider employed by that particular show.
Fans can also vote to push their idols to the top of the rank via either live votes or pre-show polls. At the end of each week’s show, groups or artists get a trophy for winning the chart.
In the Philippine setting, a lot of the things mentioned are already in place or have been made before, with text and online voting methods being the most ubiquitous in local television shows.
However, there are hurdles that need to be addressed. One of them has something to do with cooperation between the music industry and the TV stations/networks themselves.
In Korea, the programs do not clash in the time slot of one another, a far cry from how most of Pinoy live variety shows are aired. That method also allows the appearance of artists without being caught up with the schedule of another program.
Thus, that also allows artists to have at least one rest day during promotion periods, with no live TV music shows being permanently scheduled on Mondays.
Locally, all days of the week, musical and variety shows air directly opposite one another on the major nets. Hence, there should be a “gentleman’s agreement” made to get these mainstream players and even smaller stations to make their schedules coordinated and accommodate a music chart show without having to directly face competition.
For visualization purposes, here’s how a schedule could pan out, if all major networks were to adapt. Note that this is not a suggestion, but a mere example only.
- Wednesday: GTV
- Thursday: TV5
- Friday: Myx
- Saturday: GMA
- Sunday: ABS-CBN
Another hindrance-in-the-making is the contractual relationship of some musicians with record labels owned by media establishments with their own TV channels (e.g. Star Music, GMA Music).
Should a music chart show come to life, they must be allowed to attend these music chart shows and promote their songs freely, despite that program airing on a rival network.
With the recent launch of survival program ‘Dream Maker’, it is somehow imperative that to make Filipino music much competitive in the global scene is to make it literally competitive.
First, the would-be-idols, second, it could be the idols themselves for the top song of the week. Not only that would hook already those who are familiar with the formats, but would help bring a sense of excitement to those who aren’t.
Now, on the question “is it time for a Filipino music chart show?” The answer should always be a resounding yes, until the time that one show had become materialized. ‘Til then, no one will know how warm or lukewarm the audience can be to such an idea.
But if the current energy and clamor to local songs are to be observed and measured, the forecast is bright for such a project that will ultimately raise our flag in the glocal space through music.