This entry is a statement on behalf of all people in my building, the Ananda Sukarlan Center, and of the Indonesian Classical Music Foundation (YMSI) whose office is there too.
Last week for a few days suddenly a flock of people came to our office to ask for reimbursement of a cancelled concert .. but not a classical music one! It's the cancellation of the visit to Indonesia of a Korean boyband, CN Blue. Apparently the Event Organizer, one called "Starlight Management" has put our address as their office. It was stated in their website (not available anymore) and on the tickets. Now that the show has been cancelled they dismantled everything to make themselves inaccessible to hundreds (or thousands) of those who've bought the "tickets" and want their money back. They don't answer the phone and even their website is down. Fortunately after coming to our building people understood that we, all of us who are at the Ananda Sukarlan Center, know NOTHING about them and are only aware that we are being used by Starlight to cheat the public. We have been told that many people are reporting this to the Consumers Foundation (Yayasan Lembaga konsumen Indonesia) and even to the police, and we told them to go ahead, since we at the Ananda Sukarlan Center are also victims of their hoax. Not financially, but they are using my name, my office and my foundation to back up their "plan", and this whole thing do disturb us in the midst of our preparation of our Java New Year Concerts.
Yesterday the whole story and its investigation by the Trans TV was broadcast on their channel, you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiiqI0WcbI . The person talking on the phone was Chendra Panatan, my manager and the director of Ananda Sukarlan Center, not me, by the way. If you want to have an English translation, please click the "cc" button on that video.
Now that I am stating about this hoax, I would also like to clarify other things. Our office and foundation doesn't finance anything that is not stated at our website or facebook. Our foundation is not a big and bombastic one, we focus on small things and do it honestly. Greatness, for me, is making ourselves and things around us better, doing small things in a great way. I don't want to change the world! We give musicaleducation to children who are less priviliged and few scholarships, and we are thankful to some donators. We admit, we do need to market ourselves better, not to get fame and acclaimed for our small achievement, but in case of a hoax like now, people should know our foundation and our very clean reputation. Our next authentic event is the JAVA NEW YEAR CONCERTS, and we have done that event for the 7th year now. It doesn't involve thousands of people and we don't sell expensive tickets. It is meant for those who really love classical music, and our ambition doesn't go beyond that (unfortunately). This year is very special for us, since we are doing it in 3 cities: Jakarta (Jan.8), Surabaya (Jan.13) and Bandung (Jan.15). We are grateful for the collaboration with Amadeus Enterprise of Surabaya (who also organized the National Vocal Competition and therefore we could get the winners, certainly the best Indonesian classical vocalists of today to perform in these events) and Bandung International Music Academy. If you want to know more about it, please check http://www.facebook.com/events/321042434575881
Do NOT think that the world of (classical) music in Indonesia is something very clean, no no, it's the ugly business of beautiful music. A number of people have put the status "Dr." or PhD in music without being one, and that's just an example. I might be the most badly bruised musician in Indonesia. My music has been pirated and used without my permission (oops sorry, I should say a couple of them indeed asked for permission, but after Chendra caught them red-handed). Not only my music: an article from this very blog has been published in a major newspaper in Indonesia under a different name -- and yes, translated in Indonesian, therefore it couldn't be categorized as plagiarism. And now just my name, not my work, is used. And this case of using my name is not the first time that it happened, but since this very moment those who do anything of this kind will have the honour of being mentioned by me in my facebook and twitter account. Enough of being a good boy, I am now defending myself clearly, since my trust & kindness has been badly abused by some people.
I would like to express my deepest sympathy to those who have been cheated by Starlight Management. It is a highly irresponsible and insensitive act, and I obviously condemn it. If there is anything me or any staff of the Ananda Sukarlan Center could help, please just let me know by tweeting me at @anandasukarlan . I, myself, feel cheated and am on your side, so I'd be more than glad to help.
