All of us have an inner diva, balladeer or rocker waiting to be unleashed given the right moment. Just in case you haven't noticed, our singing alter egos come out during every Filipino party; be it friendly reunions, Christmas, birthdays, and so many other special occasions. Why is this so? It's because the videoke machine has become a big part of every celebration in Filipino culture. Admit it or not, the presence of karaoke makes any gathering twice or even thrice as fun.
There's no way for me to really tell when, how and why videoke has meant this much to us but I'm inferring it's because Filipinos are not only naturally music lovers but also because most of us are gifted enough to carry a tune. In fact, a lot of our fellowmen have amazing singing prowess and even our very own Philippine music industry is teeming with world class talent. Despite all these talent in our music scene, our very own musicians, composers, singers and producers feel very helpless against piracy.
There's no way for me to really tell when, how and why videoke has meant this much to us but I'm inferring it's because Filipinos are not only naturally music lovers but also because most of us are gifted enough to carry a tune. In fact, a lot of our fellowmen have amazing singing prowess and even our very own Philippine music industry is teeming with world class talent. Despite all these talent in our music scene, our very own musicians, composers, singers and producers feel very helpless against piracy.
I know, videoke singing is indeed so much fun but while enjoying ourselves, most of us are either ignorant or indifferent about piracy, which has taken billions from our local music industry. I'm not going to lie that a part of me has participated in it a few years back and I feel guilty for being one of those who have caused people in the business to lose their jobs and royalty earnings because they do not get what's due for them. Now, in my own little way, I'm proud to say that I have stopped buying pirated music CDs a long time ago (can't say the same for foreign movies though) and avoided downloading free songs over the internet. For tracks that I haven't purchased, I'm happy listening to free online playlists or radio stations.
My gesture is merely a tiny step to fight this robbery in our industry. On the other hand, there's an organization that has unwavering passion in pushing for the rights of musicians - The Filipino Society of Composers, Authers and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP). It is an association (affiliated with a worldwide music copyright society [CISAC]) of composers, lyric-writers, singers and producers that aims to administer the rights of creators and owners of original music works. FILSCAP controls an extensive worldwide repertoire of copyrighted local and foreign music and has the power to grant or deny permission for license to music users and provide compensation through fees for usage of such works.
In this war against piracy, FILSCAP has found an ally in RED BOX. Red Box is said to be one of the leading music hubs in the city since it opened last 2003. More than just a business enterprise, they claim to be the only music establishment that helps revive the music industry by supporting Filipino talent by paying royalties for OPM tracks they have on their song lists. I have to say I'm quite impressed with Red Box's effort to comply with its corporate social responsibility and help make a difference in the industry.
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| Photos taken from Red Box's facebook page |
Not knowing that food will be served, Aisa and I had dinner before we arrive and so, I wasn't able to taste anything on their menu. Still, I'm very satisfied with its very updated music collection and got a bit frustrated with the new technology of song selection, haha. Instructions are provided but it will take some time before you get used to it. I miss browsing through song books! Haha.
Don't worry if you need anything, there's a phone in each room and you can simply dial and request for service and/or assistance. Funny because a waiter taught us how the high-tech song selection works and still, we didn't get it. Haha. So we decided to sing random songs from the most requested list.
You can tell through these series of photos that we genuinely had a blast!
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| Channeling Katy Perry, Spice Girls, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga |
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| Spice Girls wannabe: Melai, Keigh, Aisa, Ana, Krissy |
Group photos from Ana, Aisa and Keigh.
