VISPOP IN PLAY STORE

With IslaTunes, songwriter Cattski Espina hopes to see more appreciation for local music

Online streaming app will be released in Play Store in February 2017; app download is for free

STARTING February next year, an online streaming app that focuses on homegrown music--one that is written, composed, and produced by local artists-- will be released in Play Store for free.

Named IslaTunes, the app is a collaboration of Vietnam's software powerhouse FPT Software, together with homegrown musicians Jude Gitamondoc of Bisaya song crowdfunding project Kadasig and Cattski Espina of independent record label 22 Tango records.

In a press conference last Thursday, FPT Software Philippines managing director Do Tuan Anh said his company, who runs a Philippine office at Cebu IT Park, is developing the application with a group of software and test engineers dedicated on creating the mobile, web, and desktop versions of the applications.

Gitamondoc and Espina are respon- sible for curating the content and providing creative inputs on the look and feel of IslaTunes.

Bisaya pop songs, in the recent years, have become widely popular, especially among the younger generation. Two of the most popular are "Hahahahasula" and "Pero Atik Ra."

Hits from locals Lourdes Maglinte, The Wonggoys, and Martina San Diego are also anticipated from the app.

With IslaTunes, Espina said she sees more local talents will be discovered, who will further enliven the local music industry. Homegrown music means music that is written, composed, and produced locally, either in English or Bisaya.

Although both Gitamondoc and Espina do not dismiss other established streaming platforms, they said "there is nothing quite like getting your Bisaya pride straight from a homegrown app."

"Local music industry deserves a wider audience," said FTP Software Philippines chief of sales and business development Giogines Teves.

Locally, Espina said that while homegrown ones are starting to gain traction these days, there's more to be done. Generally, most still look for "outside" talents, foreign and Tagalog, when they search for good musicians and music.

With IslaTunes as a platform, Espina hopes to see more appreciation for homegrown music and disccover more local talents alongside its growth. JOG

SUNSTAR FOTO/ ALLAN CUIZON COLLABORATION. FPT Software signs an agreement with 22 Tango Records’ Cattski Espina and Kadasig’s Jude Gitamondoc for the development of IslaTunes, an application that will serve as platform for homegrown music. (L-R) FPT Software Philippines Managing Director Do Tuan Anh, FPT Software CEO Hoang Viet Anh, 22 Tango Records founder Cattski Espina, Kadasig co-founder Jude Gitamondoc, and FPT Software Philippines Chief of Sales and Business Development Gio Teves.