THE Ministry of Information introduced a new 25-member Executive Committee for the Myanmar Music Association in the last week of November.

The new chairman of the committee is well-known Myanmar classical songwriter U Maung Maung Latt, while U Lay Nyunt and U Ko Ko Htway have been named vice chairmen.

Long-time singer Playboy Than Naing is taking over as the committee’s secretary, and Yan Paing Soe, U Win Thu and Nwe Yin Win will be joint secretaries.

The Executive Committee presides over five subcommittees – Myanmar Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Modern Music, Recording Industry, and Producer – the members of which were elected by Myanmar music industry representatives in early October.

U Ohn Gyaw, the former chairman of the Myanmar Music Association, transferred the work schedules, cash, statistics and other data to the newly appointed Executive Committee at the headquarters of the association in Tarmwe township on November 20.

U Ohn Gyaw has served as the association’s chairman since November 27, 1991.

Incoming chairman U Maung Maung Latt said the first order of business would be to draw up a basic organisation chart that included all five subcommittees.
“After we form firm subcommittees we can move on to other work,” he said.

“We are also examining the association’s membership, which will be reorganised in the townships,” he said.

U Maung Maung Latt also said the committee would inspect documents from music producers to make sure that concerned singers, songwriters and musicians have signed the agreements to have their albums released.

“There have been problems in the past where songwriters and musicians haven’t been paid fully for their works even after releasing an album,’ he said.
Playboy Than Naing said the new Executive Committee will do its best to work for the well-being of people in the music industry, including songwriters, singers and players, and producers.

“We all have only aim: to work for the well-being of all musicians without using our positions to our own advantage,” he said. “We want the association to be something that every musician can rely on and believe in.”

Maung Thit Min, one of the elected members of the Modern Music Committee, said the five subcommittees will work together to discuss and solve problems in the music industry as a whole.

“Myanmar musicians, whether classical, contemporary or modern, are all the same. By not viewing the groups differently, we will be able to work for the well-being of the musicians and protect their rights, as well as the rights of producers.”

The association also plans to work to end the market in illegal bootleg VCDs in the country.

“This is the worst problem our music industry is facing – producers can barely earn their capital because of the bootleg market,” said Iron Cross Music Entertainment director U Ko Ko Lwin, who has been elected to the Producer Committee.

“We have to solve the problems in some way. We haven’t got these illegal sellers arrested yet, but we are considering possible ways to stop the practice.”

Maung Thit Min said that one way to solve some industry problems was to cooperate with the Motion Picture Enterprise.

“There are a lot of videos that use songs without the knowledge of the singers or songwriters. The Music Association can’t solve this problem alone – we need to join forces with the Motion Picture Enterprise,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Contemporary Music Committee has been busy planning entertainment for the National Convention, which reconvened last week.

Singer Yan Paing Soe, a member of both the Executive and Contemporary Music committees, said the latter committee has no other pressing concerns at the moment.

“At present we are focusing on holding a music concert for the delegates at the National Convention in late December,” he said.