Kuching, Sept 10: From now until the end of 2021, SACOFA Sdn Bhd (Sacofa), Sarawak’s leading ICT infrastructure provider, is calling all musicians to participate in an online platform titled ‘THE MUSIC MUST GO ON Virtual Gig 2021’ with a cash fund totalling RM20,000.
With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its negative impact on people’s livelihoods, Sacofa has been actively reaching out and giving assistance to needy individuals and communities such as those in the B40 group whose income had been badly affected because of the necessary measures taken to temporarily suspend many trading and business activities.
The musician community is also badly affected as many activities such as live physical music shows and talent showcases have been prohibited for the time being due to restrictions imposed by the current standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 in crowded venues with no physical distancing.
In addition, music lovers are also deprived of live music events which have been given less priority and attention over the course of this pandemic.
Sacofa is largely known to be as a longstanding leader involved primarily in the telecommunications industry. What many people may not know is that Sacofa has many talented musicians in its ranks.
Through their collaborative effort, the company is planning to release Sacofa’s very first anthem titled ‘We Are The STAR Team’ which they wrote and recorded in conjunction with the company’s 20th anniversary celebration activities. The song will be posted on the company’s Facebook page and YouTube account in the near future.
“A vast majority of the music community are in dire straits now as they find it nearly impossible to monetise their musical talent and skills given the current restrictions on live music events.
“As part of Sacofa’s corporate social responsibility, we are honoured to do our part to bring a little cheer back into the music world by organising this virtual gig. This is our way of reaching out to a segment of community which has often been overlooked.
“With the continued absence of events and gigs such as concerts, bars, weddings, corporate functions and so on, they are struggling to earn a living. I was deeply saddened to read some newspaper articles which had highlighted the plight of some of our legendary musicians who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic so I wanted to reach out in the best way possible,” Sacofa managing director and chief executive officer Mohamed Zaid Zaini said.
“So as a precursor to the virtual gig, we are especially honoured to have reached out to three highly-esteemed musicians whose lives have been significantly affected by the pandemic, namely Abdul Rahman Mahmood (better known as Man Kidal of Lefthanded) who we are thrilled to bring on board as Brand Ambassador, Baijuri Abdullah (Cikgu Ben), and Muhammad Husaini Troki of The Skeletons.
“To optimise our reach to musicians and awareness of this programme, we have decided to collaborate with Front Row Entertainment which has made waves on the virtual music stage with ‘Unlock Your Talent’ in Sarawak,” Mohamed Zaid announced during a presentation ceremony to hand over mock cheques to Baijuri Abdullah and Muhammad Husaini Troki which was witnessed by Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs Abdullah Saidol.
To Abdullah, the situation was tough for many people.
“All sorts of assistances are very much desired. This is the time when humanity, compassion and generosity are sought after more than ever.
“Even the tiniest moral support or motivating words will be appreciated. Despite all the difficulties, life must go on. You can’t stop singing. The music must go on. Well done and congratulations to Sacofa for their efforts and kindness,” said Abdullah, who is also Semop assemblyman.
In line with the trend of shifting traditional physical activities to online platforms, THE MUSIC MUST GO ON Virtual Music Gig 2021 will enable musicians to showcase their talent while getting paid via an ‘online tip jar’.
At the same time, music lovers can continue to be entertained online via social media.
“Front Row Entertainment is very excited to collaborate with Sacofa to extend a helping hand to musicians who have been hit hard during this pandemic. We truly believe that this initiative is an excellent opportunity to help the creative community who have mostly been overlooked,” said Creative Director of Front Row Entertainment, Alif Putra.
Meanwhile, Brand Ambassador Man Kidal was greatly honoured to the part of THE MUSIC MUST GO ON Virtual Gig 2021.
“I thank Sacofa and Front Row Entertainment for this noble initiative for musicians. Currently, musicians have resources and plans to continue playing music but with a lot of free online content, it is difficult to make a living from it.
“This platform not only helps with monetising their talent and performance, but also has great potential to bring together all kinds of artists on a digital realm and revitalise the music world. I fully support this initiative and look forward to working with Sacofa and Front Row Entertainment to make this programme a success,” he said.
Musicians are invited to take part in THE MUSIC MUST GO ON Virtual Gig 2021 which is open for submissions from now until the end of this year. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.asia/ or email info@frontrow.asia. — DayakDaily
