CARAT Philippines concludes ALAB: The Independent Musician Rising Awards

Many Filipinos are gifted and prolific musicians, creating tons of musical jewels. But a lot of them are virtually unknown to most of the general public. To bring their wonderful music to the fore, letting it be heard by a wider audience it deserves, CARAT Philippines launched a grand initiative, ALAB: The Independent Musician Rising Awards.

CARAT is no stranger to music events; it is the organizer of Fusion, one of the most influential music festivals in the country which started in 2015.

ALAB aims to manage, groom and propel independent musicians in the genres of rock, pop and hip- hop. These talents are responsible for producing 90% of music output, and yet they struggle to gain mass recognition. ALAB seeks to give fresh impetus to their careers in a sustainable fashion by helping establish their fan bases over the course of the competition, ensuring the production and distribution of their music and securing a talent contract and professional management for the winners.

CARAT’s advocacy project distinguishes itself from other similar competitions for budding musicians by allowing a broad range of artists to take part. By taking full advantage of the firm’s resources and connections, the artists are able to perform in several branded campaigns, giving them the exposure and experience they need.

ALAB drew 256 entries from Sept. 7 to Nov. 6, 2016. Those entries were placed under the scrutiny of ALAB’s esteemed panel of judges — OPM icon and FILSCAP Vice- President Jim Paredes; artist and music producer Marcus Davis, Jr.; songwriter and music entrepreneur Darwin Hernandez; and music marketer and CARAT’s Chief Executive Officer Gladys Basinillo. On Dec. 8, the deliberations of the judges ended.

From Dec. 9 to 10, the best participants went on a bar tour, performing at places like Saguijo and Splice. Then, on Dec. 14, at the Fusion 2017 Press Conference, the top three artists in genres of rock, pop and hip- hop were announced — the rapper Ryke and the bands Alab and Sileph. On Jan. 11, the three artists squared off at the Ruby Hall, Max’s Restaurant, Scout Tuazon, Quezon City. They were judged according to the following criteria: content (25%), musicality (25%), originality (25%) and audience impact/ fan engagement (25%).

Sileph, a six- man band formed in 2006, was declared the grand champion. Apart from taking home P300,000, the band has secured a talent contract and has been signed to a record label, among others. Ryke and Alab, meanwhile, received P20,000 each and a talent contract, and signed to a label as well. All three will have special spots at Fusion 2017, whose previous edition was attended by over 40,000 people.

“Their journey doesn’t stop there,” said Marian Magturo, associate media director at CARAT Philippines. “CARAT will always be an advocate of OPM… We will create an avenue for these guys because… the Philippines and the world deserve to hear very good Filipino music.”