Listen to This: Vote for FARI

With all the media hype over the elections on the streets of Kuwait and all the rage over president-elect Trump, I thought I’d take a crack at being a devious politician, too. With each one of the candidates making promising ideas and creating alliances for votes, I thought about sharing with you what I would promise if I were to run for office (in terms of music). I’ve been working in the Music industry since 2002, and feel like I’m at the very least, credible enough to have an opinion. So, if I were to run for the head of Culture & Arts to get my shot at the oval office, my campaign slogan would be: “We are going to bring back music and we are going to build a wall around it”. Even though it sounds outlandish and vague, unlike my other candidates, I am going to show you my plan.

First thing I would do in Office is to locate or create, a credible Art Fund that was financially generous when it came to experimenting with new ideas, like having musicians play at airports on arrival? Sure, why not. This Art Fund, think of it like a Bank, would see itself as the stimulus towards creating a music culture. Art Funds are not a new concept, there are plenty all over the world, but unlike them I would outsource media and events creation to third party companies. Because this is where Art Funds go bad. “But, why Amin?” you might ask, “Why not just keep it all in-house?” Because Art Funds often underestimate the amount of work and field experience that goes into properly executing Public Relations and Event Production. For example, the head secretary should not work as the ticket seller and host on the mic, too. Not outsourcing is usually what determines where an event falls on the fine line between what I like to call “small firework shows” (successful, fun events that bring in crowds, but don’t really go anywhere past that point) and symbolic strategic shows that are impactful or open to stimulate the economic growth of an industry. So, yes, outsource PR and Event Production to third party companies, and throw in a Talent Agency to collaborate with the PR and Event Production companies, and let the Art Fund focus on curating and investing in the Arts.

But why Public Relations at all? Because Music as an art form has a bad reputation, and just like dirty politicians use PR campaigns to bleach their life back to squeaky clean, this PR company would clean up the music reputation in Kuwait by hiring Scientists to research and collect data on the effects of Music and health, and Theologians and religious clerks who are pro Arts to dig into the history of the relationship between Music and religion. These individuals would be Music’s PR go-to team – credible, knowledgeable, and respected experts who could, based on facts, bleach the industry clean by educating the public. While the PR company works towards changing how Music is viewed, the Event Production company would have to understand the importance of positive viral media sharing, and that success is not necessarily measured in how many people show up to events, but why. So, instead of focusing on hip, popular events to make people feel cool, they would focus on putting on events that served a purpose, that had meaning. Like working with Children’s hospitals, injecting music into their patient-care programs, or collaborating with Cancer and Diabetes Foundations to throw concerts that bring both, public awareness and funding. By integrating Music into things like hospital patient-care programs and schools, we can finally begin to see the positive influence Music has on our well-being, and its incredible healing power. As they begin to change the public’s mental association of Music with the undesirable, they can then begin working towards introducing these shows as part of the curriculum in public schools and universities. This would be a huge undertaking on the part of the Art Fund; a major overhaul that requires time, patience, resilience in the face of rejection, and most-importantly, deep pockets. “That is how we are going to bring back music!”

Now, earlier I threw a Talent Agency into the mix. This Talent Agency’s job would be to filter through its pool of artists to put forward those that best represent a positive image of Music: artists who are daring, but respectful, who can tackle social issues without coming at them head-on. Time and time again I’ve seen people come up to an artist and say “shinu hatha?”, which is kind of like saying “what the hell are you doing?” So the artists have to be smart, witty, creative individuals who know not only when to push and when to show restraint, but how. While working to showcase the positive musical talents of Kuwait, this Talent Agency would also look to diversify its range. From traditional Kuwaiti Ba7aar music groups, to Kuwaiti Pop, all the way out to straight-up Western mainstream. The point is not to erase our music culture and replace it with a new, modernized one, but to redefine its parameters on what constitutes “local” Music, and on a macro level, its appreciation as an art form.

What my proposed Art Fund hopes to do is to change a negative value system toward the Arts, and bring a new form of appreciation for it. And, if anyone were to come in and try to shut these programs down, the Public Relations company, with its Music go-to team of Scientists, Theologians and religious clerks, would respond with their research-backed facts. This would open the door to public discussions, possibly on radio shows, or in newspapers where these “experts” could formally articulate why Music is not only valuable to the growth of an economy, but that contrary to societal views, it does not come at the price of selling your soul to the devil, but that it can be extremely good for you and society. “And that is how, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to build a wall to keep music safe.”

As we begin to redefine Music in society, this Art Fund, along with its PR company, Event Production company and Talent Agency would come together to curate a Music Business Conference, the focus of which would be; look how much money we can make here! This conference would ask things like; how many people travel to Dubai, or Bahrain, to attend concerts? How many people does the Entertainment Industry in Dubai or Bahrain employ? Think of the amount of jobs it could create. The goal is to redefine Music appreciation, while simultaneously reciprocate with business. Because there are two things that Kuwait responds really well to; religion and business, and to find a middle ground between the two is what you need to change how Music is viewed on a societal level.

Now, wouldn’t you elect me as your Music Industry representative?

Lend me your ears! Vote for FARI.

Love, Music and Peace
Amin FARI

Post by Amin FARI
Are you a musician looking to perform? On the flipside, are you a host looking for musicians to book? Or maybe you’ve just got an awesome idea you’d like to share? Get in touch [email protected] / Instagram: @xxmrfarixx