The complexity of genre and discourse in Indonesian popular music: a systematic literature review

Year 2025, Volume: 13 Issue: 2, 105 - 126, 30.06.2025

Sumasno Hadi , Sunarto Sunarto

https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20251321

Abstract

As a large Asian country with the world›s fourth largest population, Indonesia is known for its rich and diverse culture. The potential value of its modern culture is also reflected in its popular music culture, which has been developing since the 1950s. A number of researchers and experts have studied and analyzed this phenomenon, but a complete and systematic description of the results of such research is still missing. The purpose of our Systematic Literature Review is to fill this knowledge gap. Through the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method, 958 records of journal articles, scientific papers, and music magazine publications were examined. From there, 48 records were selected and analyzed in the final stage. Specifically, frequencies/percentages were calculated for (a) output within a five-year period; (b) type of publication; (c) methods used and; (d) topics found. A content analysis was also conducted on the topics covered. We found that there has been a steady increase in Indonesian popular music research output over the past 20 years. These studies mostly examined the topic of dangdut genre. The majority of the research uses a qualitative approach with interviews, observation and document analysis as its data collection techniques. An important topic covered in them is the complexity of Indonesian popular music genres. There we also discussed the key findings of studies that used historical, case study, ethnographic, discourse analysis and sociolinguistic designs. From this literature review, most of the existing studies are more interested in the political and social discourses of Indonesian popular music in the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. Thus, we suggest a number of Indonesian popular music researchers to focus on the 2000s to the present decade on top of the technological advancement of its music industry.

Keywords

dangdut genre , Indonesian popular music , PRISMA , systematic literature review

Ethical Statement

No need ethical committee permittance

Supporting Institution

No funding

Thanks

We would like to thank the Doctor of Arts Education Program at the Faculty of Language and Arts, Semarang State of University for providing academic support and a number of important literature facilities for this research. The contribution of each author’s name to the article is: The first author is in charge of designing, collecting data, and doing analytical work; the second author is the author of the publishing correspondent and provides discussion, methods and analytical techniques. The English writing and translation of the articles have been proofread by a professional translation agency.

References

• Adhiatmaka, I. A. (2018). Kelompok pengarsipan musik populer indonesia: atribusi nilai dan makna pada produk Budaya populer (Indonesian popular music archiving groups: value attribution and meaning in popular culture products). Master thesis. University of Indonesia. Indonesia.
• Adhiatmaka, I.A. (2021). Dari Ngak Ngik Ngok ke Dheg Dheg Plas: Perjalanan Musik Pop Indonesia 1960–1969 (From “Ngak Ngik Ngok” to “Dheg Dheg Plas”: The Journey of Indonesian Pop Music 1960-1969). Binatang Press.
• Andrés, A. (2009). Measuring academic research: How to undertake bibliometric study. Chandos Publishing.
• Andrie, S., & Sarvia, E. (2024). Studi komparatif: efek musik pop, hip-hop, dan tanpa musik pada kewaspadaan dan perilaku mengemudi (Comparative study: effects of pop, hip-hop, and no music on alertness and driving behavior). Journal of Integrated System, 7(1), 98–110. https:// doi.org/10.28932/jis.v7i1.8925
• Aryandari, C. (2021). The Indonesian popular music industry: navigating shadows of politics and cultural uncertainty. In A. Johan & M. A. Santaella (Ed.), Made in Nusantara: Studies in Popular Music (hal. 164–171). Routledge.
• Ashaf, A. F. (2006). Sikap Politik pemerintah Dalam Perwacanaan Musik Populer tahun 80- an dan 90-an (The political stance of the government in the popular music scene of the 80s and 90s). Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.22146/ jsp.11028
• Bachri, N. A. R. (2022). Transformasi Medium Musik Stambul di Jawa 1920-an - 1942: Dari Panggung Sandiwarake Industri Musik Transformation of the Stambul Music Medium in Java 1920s-1942: From theatrical stage to music industry). Bachelor thesis. University of Gadjah Mada. Indonesia.
• Bader, S., & Richter, M. M. (2014). “Dangdut” beyond the sex: creating intercorporeal space through “nyawer” encounters in West Java, Indonesia. Ethnomusicology Forum, 23(2), 163–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/174 11912.2014.926629
• Barendregt, B., & Zanten, W. van. (2002). Popular Music in Indonesia Since 1998, in Particular Fusion, Indie and Islamic Music on Video Compact Discs and the Internet. Yearbook for Traditional Music, 34, 67–114. https://doi.org/10.2307/3649190
• Blauch, E. (2002). Alternative Music and Meditation in Late New Order Indonesia. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 3(2), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/1464937022000000 138
• Blauch, E. (2020). Genre Publics: Popular Music, Technologies, and Class in Indonesia. Wesleyan University Press.
• Darajat, I. R., & Waluyo, W. (2022). Memori dalam Lagu-Lagu: Memahami Pengelolaan Arsip Musik Populer di Indonesia (Memory in Songs: Understanding the Management of Popular Music Archives in Indonesia). Khazanah: Jurnal Pengembangan Kearsipan, 15, 62–83. khazanah.71510 https://doi.org/10.22146/
• Darlene, E. (2024). Identitas Kultural Musik Pop Indonesia dalam Konteks Seni Urban (Cultural Identity of Indonesian Pop Music in the Context of Urban Art). Tonika: Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengkajian Seni, 7(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.37368/tonika.v7i1.573
• Decker, A. (2020). Hidden for their protection: gendered power, provocation, and representation in dangdut competition television. Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde, 176(1), 37–69. https://doi. org/10.1163/22134379-17601002
• Dhesita, S. J., & Sanjaya, A. (2024). Musik sebagai Kritik dalam Sejarah Politik Indonesia Pasca Kemerdekaan hingga Pasca Reformasi: Sebuah Kajian Historis (Music as Criticism in Indonesian Political History from Post-Independence to Post-Reformation: A Historical Study). Nagri Pustaka: Jurnal Pendidikan, Ilmu Sejarah, dan Budaya, 2(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.62238/ nagripustaka.v2i1.33
• Farram, S. (2014). Ganyang! (Raid!) Indonesian Popular Songs from the Confrontation Era, 1963–1966. Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde, 170(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379- 17001002
• Fitriyadi, I., & Alam, G. (2020). Globalisasi Budaya Populer Indonesia (Musik Dangdut) di Kawasan Asia Tenggara (Globalization of Indonesian Popular Culture (Dangdut Music) in the Southeast Asian Region). Padjadjaran Journal of International Relations, 1(3), 251–269. https://doi.org/10.24198/padjir. v1i3.26196
• Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England.
• Hermawan, M. I. (2024). Digging through the network of the Indonesian noise scene. Contemporary Music Review, Indonesian Music. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2 024.2391155
• Kariko, A. A. T. (2009). Pop Melayu: Hegemoni Media Massa dalam Ranah Musik Populer di Indonesia (Pop Malay: Mass Media Hegemony in Indonesia‘s Popular Music Scene). Master thesis. University of Indonesia. Indonesia.
• Kristanto, Y. (2015). Bersenandung dalam Politik: Eksistensi Musik dan Musisi pada Kampanye Pemilihan Umum Masa Orde Baru (1971-1997) (Singing in Politics: The Existence of Music and Musicians in the New Order Election Campaign (1971-1997). Bachelor thesis. University of Gadjah Mada. Indonesia.
• KS, T. (2013). Rock ‘n Roll Industri Musik Indonesia: Dari Analog ke Digital (Rock ‚n Roll Indonesian Music Industry: From Analog to Digital). Penerbit Buku Kompas.
• Kusumaningsih, D. (2021). Eksploitasi Seksual Dalam Lirik Lagu-Lagu Dangdut Berbahasa Indonesia (Tinjauan Sosiolinguistik) (Sexual Exploitation in the Lyrics of Indonesian Language Dangdut Songs (Sociolinguistic Review). Doctoral dissertation. University of Sebelas Maret. Indonesia.
• McGraw, A., & Miller, C. J. (2022). Sounding out the state of Indonesian music. Cornell University Press.
• Mediteranio, B. S., Damayani, N. A., & Kusnandar. (2023). Digitisasi Sebagai Upaya Preservasi Arsip Musik Klasik Populer di Yayasan Irama Nusantara (Digitization as an Effort to Preserve Popular Classical Music Archives in rama Nusantara). Diplomatika Jurnal Kearsipan Terapan, 5(2), 92. https://doi.org/10.22146/diplomatika.79014
• Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & Group, the P. (2010). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 15(4), 264–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2010.02.007
• Mulyadi, R. M. (1999a). Industri Musik Indonesia: Suatu Sejarah (The Indonesian Music Industry: A History). Koperasi Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial.
• Mulyadi, R. M. (1999b). Industri Musik Nasional: Pop, Jazz, dan Rock, 1960-1990 (The National Music Industry: Pop, Jazz, and Rock, 1960-1990). Master thesis. University of Indonesia. Indonesia.
• Mulyadi, R. M. (2014). Koes Plus: Tonggak dan Karakteristik ke-lndonesia-an dalam Musik Pop (Koes Plus: Milestones and Characteristics of Indonesianness in Pop Music). University of Indonesia. Indonesia.
• Natasya, Aqmar, L., Triana, K., & Faith, T. (2024). Perkembangan Minat Para Remaja Di Bandung Terhadap Genre Musik Dangdut Koplo (The Development of Teenagers‘ Interest in the Dangdut Koplo Music Genre in Bandung). Multiple: Journal of Global and Multidisciplinary, 2(2), 1238–1247. https:// journal.institercom-edu.org/index.php/ multiple/article/view/323
• Noviana, A. F. (2017). Pengelolaan Arsip Audiovisual di Lokananta: Studi Kasus Arsip Musik sebagai Memori Kolektif Bangsa Indonesia (Audiovisual Archives Management at Lokananta: A Case Study of Music Archives as a Collective Memory of the Indonesian Nation). Master thesis. University of Indonesia. Indonesia.
• Nurfitria, A. (2021). Preservasi Arsip Musik sebagai Memori Kolektif: Studi Kasus di Irama Nusantara (Preservation of Music Archives as Collective Memory: A Case Study at Irama Nusantara) [University of Indonesia]. https://lib.ui.ac.id/detail?id=999992052041 0&lokasi=lokal
• Pertiwi, A. (2014). Larangan Soekarno Terhadap Musik Barat Tahun 1959–1967 (Soekarno‘s Ban on Western Music 1959- 1967). Avatara: e-Journal Pendidikan Sejarah, 2(3), 334–345.
• Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006).Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing.Resmadi, I., & Baulch, E. (2024). Indonesian critiques of the new musical system. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/103 04312.2024.2393878
• Sakrie, D. (2015). 100 Tahun Musik Indonesia (100 Years of Indonesian Music). Gagas Media.
• Skala Survei Indonesia: Political Research and Consulting. (2014). Jenis Musik Yang Dicintai Publik Indonesia (Types of Music Loved by the Indonesian Public). Skala Survei Indonesia: Political Research and Consulting. https:// www.skalasurveiindonesia.com/jenis-musik- yang-dicintai-publik-indonesia/
• Tan, L., & Sin, H. X. (2019). Flow Research in music contexts: a systematic literature review Leonard. Musicae Scientiae, 25(4), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864919877564
• Tapiheru, A., & Anshaari, N. (n.d.). Memoar Memori Musik Populer Indonesia (Memoirs of Indonesian Popular Music Memory). https:// www.balairungpress.com/2023/09/memoar- memori-musik-populer-indonesia/
• Tumimbang, M. A., & Saliareng, R. (2024). Simfoni Kebhinekaan: Menggagas Peran Musik dalamMemperkuat Persatuan Bangsa Berlandaskan Nilai-Nilai Pancasila (Symphony of Diversity: Initiating the Role of Music in Strengthening National Unity Based on Pancasila Values). In M. Haris (Ed.), Prosiding Seminar Nasional Ilmu Pendidikan Agama danFilsafat(hal.45–55).AsosiasiRisetIlmu Pendidikan Agama dan Filsafat Indonesia. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.61132/ prosemnasipaf.v1i1.4
• Wallach, J. (2008). Modern noise, fluid genres: popular music in Indonesia, 1997– 2001. The University of Wisconsin Press.
• Wallach, J., & Clinton, E. (2013). History, Modernity, and Music Genre in Indonesia: Introduction to the Special Issue. Asian Music, 44(2), 3. https://doi.org/10.1353/ amu.2013.0020
• Weintraub, A. N. (2006). Dangdut Soul: Who are ‘the People’ in Indonesian Popular Music?, Asian Journal of Communication, 16, 411–431. https://doi. org/10.1080/01292980601012444
• Weintraub, A. N. (2008). Dance Drills, Faith Spills: Islam, Body Politics, and Popular Music in Post-Suharto Indonesia. Popular Music, 27(3), 367–369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ S0261143008102185
• Weintraub, A. N. (2010). Dangdut Stories: A Social and Musical History of Indonesia’s Most Popular Music. Oxford.
• Weintraub, A. N. (2013). The Sound and Spectacle of Dangdut Koplo: Genre and Counter-Genre in East Java, Indonesia. Asian Music, 44(2), 160–194. https://www.jstor. org/stable/24256937
• Weintraub, A. N. (2017). Titiek Puspa: Genered Modernity in 1960s and 1970s Indonesian Popular Music. In Vamping the Stage: Female Voices of Asian Modernities (hal. 144–173). Hawai’i University Press.
• Yampolsky, P. (2013). Three Genres of Indonesian Popular Music: Genre, Hybridity, and Globalization, 1960-2012. Asian Music, 44(2), 24–80. https://doi.org/10.1353/ amu.2013.0018
• Zakaria, F., Malawi, D. P., & Qotrunadha, S. (2016). Lokananta (Lokananta). Perum Percetakan Negara Republik Indonesia.
• Web Sites Web 1. https://pin.it/3GSH5XcqR
• Web 2. https://pophariini.com/koes-plus-
• lima-dekade/
• Web 3. https://www.kompasiana.com/ji msharianto/63a93dff08a8b528d2239d52/ setengah-abad-god- bless-bermusik-cadas- keras?page=4&page_images=3
• Web 4. https://kumparan.com/nilam- khoerunnisa/parasocial-relationship- menyoal-dampak-hubungan-imajinatif-fans- terhadap-idola-20v0CSjNYvl/full