DEC 19 — One who wears too many hats often appears mediocre unlike one who masters the art of looking good in one particular hat.
In other words, a jack of all trades is often master of none.
The recent Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 20 saw Tan Sri Tony Fernandes being awarded the Anugerah Sri Wirama (lifetime achievement award). He was managing director of Warner Music Malaysia once upon a time, but has been out of the music industry for a considerable time.
According to a description of the award on Astro’s website, for the 18th AIM, Anugerah Sri Wirama is awarded to one who has been responsible in promoting Malaysian music in the international arena. It adds that only accolades achieved in the nomination year, as well as achievements overseas are taken into account.
If the same description still applies for the current AIM, what musical achievements did Fernandes contribute to the nation in 2012 and 2013?
Before I get into Fernandes and his many hats, I would like to point out that the council of judges as well as the committee members behind AIM have been changing the format willy-nilly. This is because the description given for Anugerah Sri Wirama two years ago no longer applies this year.
Fernandes has not been active in the music industry since he left Warner Music, to my knowledge, therefore he would not have qualified if the old description of the award still stands. What is the logic in constantly changing the awards’ format?
Prior to the Recording Industries of Malaysia (RIM) taking over AIM from the council of Akademi Industri Muzik Malaysia (AIMM), the awards kept to pretty much the same format every year, especially with regards to judging.
However, since RIM took over, there have been many changes that makes one wonder what is actually happening to the awards? Remember the auditing controversy last year? That was courtesy of the new management.
The best song award for Yuna’s Penakut was revoked after RIM admitted there was a “counting error” and the award was later given to Anuar Zain.
In the history of AIMM running the awards show, no such controversy ever tainted AIM. But then again, maybe I just have an aversion to change.
Another thing that irked me during AIM 20 was how Dayang Nurfaizah won best female vocal for a re-recording of her old song Seandainya Masih Ada Cinta.
Perhaps it has always been an AIM format, or perhaps it was something new that RIM cooked up, that re-recordings can be re-nominated. Seandainya Masih Ada Cinta won best song at the AIM in 2002.
Although she submitted a live album which included that song for this year’s AIM, shouldn’t there be some sort of ruling against this? Since they are allowing re-recordings, any other singer can keep recording live albums and submitting it every year with the same songs over and over again.
Again I ask where is the logic in that, and how is the industry supposed to grow? Now this brings me back to Fernandes. From the music industry, he ventured into the aviation industry and then into sports. I understand he is trying very hard to ensure that “now everyone can fly”, but is he also attempting to prove to the world that “now Fernandes can do everything?”
He was never quite on my radar except when AirAsia literally screws up my schedule or my family’s schedule. However, when he was awarded Anugerah Sri Wirama, I couldn’t help but think of how another hardworking creative musician out there, whoever he or she maybe, was deprived of that award. It just made me wonder what possible motive could RIM have had in awarding Anugerah Sri Wirama to Fernandes, and at the same time, in my opinion, having had to amend the format in order to do that.
With regards to Fernandes himself, sometimes I wonder if he can be likened to a child in a toy store who is spoilt for choice and ends up buying one of everything? He had AirAsia, and then he decided he wanted to get into the English Premier League, so he bought Queens Park Rangers, which is not quite the brightest team in the hat.
Then he wanted to get into racing, so he started up Team Caterham for the F1 — a team which according to a colleague on the sports desk hasn’t exactly sparkled on the track. And now, we have Fernandes accepting a major music award.
This is why I am very close to declaring the music industry as dead as the film industry. The only thing holding me back is that I know good people in the industry who are still making good music. One in particular is the person I married.
He is one of the reasons why I still have faith in the music industry. But it won’t stop me from criticising illogical things that come out of the music industry whenever I see it.
And right now, there is nothing more illogical to me, than Fernandes and his Anugerah Sri Wirama.
* Farah is assistant news editor of The Malay Mail. She can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @farahharith.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
