KunoKini, an ethnic experimental band based in Indonesia, performing at Archipelago Festival, kicking off the UK/ID Festival 2018.  ©

Doc. by British Council

From electronica to jazz, traditional to folk, and classical to indie, we work across all genres of music. The British Council Music team works with the organisation's global network of arts managers and partners to plan, resource, deliver and evaluate high-impact arts projects involving professional artists and organisations from the UK. We aim to strengthen the international profile of UK music and creativity, to communicate the diversity of UK society, and to establish long-term partnerships overseas. 

Our work in Indonesia seeks a stronger, more collaborative music ecology that is better connected with UK sector – engaging with wider audiences and allowing opportunity for inclusive growth. While the UK music sector is well known in Indonesia, there is a lack of access and opportunities for Indonesian and UK music sector to engage and form mutually beneficial relationships, that can further support the development of music sector infrastructure in Indonesia.

Our work this year focuses on enabling a professionalized music sector by opening opportunities for mutual learning and dialogue, inviting UK and Indonesian music practitioners to network for future opportunities of collaboration. We are also supporting the sector through developing a new body of research, that focuses on the ecology of the music sector of Indonesia.

2019 Milestones

  • Bandung Metal Affair - series of talk with Metalhammer UK (June 2019)
  • #SamaBisaBisaSama Campaign - at We.The.Fest (July 2019)
  • Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage mini-residency at West Java World Music Festival/Rawayan Festival (September 2019)
  • UK Music Delegation Visit to Jakarta and Bali (October 2019)
  • Music Journalism Landscape through the Decades exhibition at Archipelago Festival (October 2019)
  • Merakit Ruang Kolaborasi - inclusive music workshop for deaf and disabled with Yura Yunita (December 2019)
  • Research and mapping on the music sector ecology in Indonesia 

Mapping the Music Sector Ecology in Indonesia

This research maps out the opportunities, strengths, and challenges faced by the music sector in Indonesia, with data collected from 2019 in three cities: Bandung, Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali). The results of this research hopes to feed into a wider discourse of music sector related policies and programmes.

The research piece was written by Idhar Resmadi and Rendy Pandita Bastari, commissioned by the British Council.