Music industry isn't what it used to be, says Fariz

JAKARTA: After years of absence from the music industry, singer Fariz R.M. says that he no longer sees the music industry as a promising place for his career.

"It's not that I don't want to make a comeback," says the 48-year-old musician. "But I think the music industry today is no longer conducive for those who rely upon it for their livelihood."

According to Fariz, the music scene today is just too different to the way it was during his heyday. Back during his golden days, he says, he felt better because there were no commercial restrictions on what musicians wanted to write.

"In the 1980s, there was no intervention at all from producers or other parties," says the uncle of singer Sherina Munaf. "*During that era* music as an art was determined by the musicians' pieces, while today it is determined by the industry.

"So it seems like musicians today can be directed *by certain people*," he told newsportal indonesiaselebriti.com

Fariz, known for his hits "Sakura" and "Barcelona", released his 18th solo album titled Dua Dekade (Two Decades) in 2001. - JP