MALAYSIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY

MALAYSIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY

Here is what would be a sensitive topic, the average band for hire in Malaysia is relatively talented and can bring down the house, but one thing remains to be visible in the industry is guidelines that ensure a future for the musicians of various bands for hire in Malaysia. The average band for hire musician in Malaysia, if he is not savy with his income generally ends up living month to month and on the months he has no booking, he has to borrow to survive. When he is 55 years of age and has lost his appeal or is sickly and can’t work, he then ends up on the poverty list because in his chosen line of work, there are no real securities that are mandated by the Malaysian Government.

The issue being that the entertainment industry as a whole is really not looked into by the government and the maturity and growth of the local industry is still about 10 years behind Philippines and Singapore; don’t even think of a comparison to Hong Kong and China. The comparison would be a life time apart. The Malaysian Music or rather bands for hire section of the Entertainment industry could do with a bit more regulation and it could provide FORCED measures that ensure that local Malaysian musicians will always have a safety net.

For example; bands for hire could do with a mandatory E.P.F (Employees Provident Fund) contribution from employers, as well as a mandatory insurance provision for the duration of their employment contract. How this can be applied is actually very simple. The Malaysian government already has PUSPAL in position, which is the main body that approves permits for foreign artiste, musicians, and celebrity performances for international acts as well as the contractual bands for hire from Philippines and all over the world. Now; using PUSPAL, the Government can make it mandatory for local bands to also apply for permits like the foreign bands for hire, in the local application for Malaysian Musicians, PUSPAL can ensure that the employer has paid for the Musicians E.P.F / Insurances and most importantly: Income Tax for the duration of the contract, upon receiving the proof of payments from the various institutions, PUSPAL can then issue a "PERFORMANCE PERMIT". Now what the Federal Government has to do its make it illegal to perform without a “PERFORMANCE PERMIT”, this so called "PERFORMANCE PERMIT" benefits the musicians, as well as the Malaysian Government simply because it will ad revenue to tax collections thus also create a new from of revenue from the permit processing fee.

The so called proposed “PERFORMANCE PERMIT” can be applied to the entire industry across the board, in the case of film and movie productions as well so that actors and actresses are also provided some kind of minimal assurances for their old age, Now based on the number of night spots in the country and the number of entertainers which are locals, right down to the dj’s, we would think that it would actually be a profitable move for the Malaysian Government to do this. Every time and actor, musician or even playwright  gets gravely sick, charity events are held to raise fund to medical aid,,, but with proper system and laws in place to regulate, these entertainers for hire being celebrities or otherwise, will have something to fall back on with Insurance and their E.P.F savings.

Talents For Asia does not understand why the Malaysian Government does not want to legitimize the entertainment industry by regulating it for the benefit of its practitioners. Maybe it would face a steep up hill battle, but the kind of regulation we are proposing is actually a helping hand to entertainers across the board, not everyone is penny wise and not every one has an umbrella on a rainy day. It will be a move that will increase revenue for the government and country as well as provide a simple support structure in terms of forced savings for the entertainers via the Employees Provident Fund. And it will also ensure that the Entertainers pay their taxes on their earnings.. As Asia’s Premier Web Based Live Music Provider, we are only suggesting what can be done for the betterment of the country and its many talented entertainers.