Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Use of DataIrama Nusantara (Indonesian for 'Rhythm of the Archipelago') is a Jakarta-based nonprofit foundation dedicated to the digital archiving and preservation of Indonesian popular music recordings. Established in 2013 by a collective of record collectors, music journalists, and cultural enthusiasts, the organization collects, documents, and digitizes Indonesian popular music releases spanning from the early 1900s through the 2000s, with a focus on vinyl records and cassettes from the post-independence era.
Irama Nusantara was initiated in 2013 by seven founders — Toma Avianda, Mayumi Haryoto, Alvin Yunata, Chris Priyonugroho, David Tarigan, Norman Illyas, and Dian Wulandari — many of whom are record collectors, independent label founders, and musicians who had previously run informal archiving initiatives. The project emerged partly from the founders' frustration that Indonesian labels from the mid-20th century were being reissued by foreign labels without proper documentation of the original releases. An earlier precursor project, Indonesia Jumawa, had attempted something similar in 1998 but was short-lived. In 2020, Irama Nusantara partnered with Indonesia's Ministry of Education and Culture to digitize a further 1,000 releases. The project celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023 with a major public exhibition and events series at the National Awakening Museum in Central Jakarta.
As of recent reporting, Irama Nusantara has digitized over 4,000 releases, representing approximately 40,000 songs. Holdings include vinyl records from the 1950s to 1970s, cassette tapes, and album cover imagery. The collection encompasses kroncong, dangdut, pop Indonesia, rock, and other genres from across the archipelago. Audio files are made available for free streaming on the organization's website, accompanied by scanned album covers and transcribed song lyrics.
Irama Nusantara operates on the principle that archiving popular music is a shared national responsibility. The organization invites public participation and collaboration from collectors and communities across Indonesia and positions its collection as an educational and academic resource, documenting the social and cultural history of Indonesia through its recorded music.
The archive is freely accessible online at www.iramanusantara.org. Audio streams, album cover images, and related documentation are available without registration. The organization is a nonprofit foundation (Yayasan Irama Nusantara).
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