What does a digital producer do?
Digital producers always start their work with research to find out what kind of content fits social media. The brainstorming process continues with the discussion with the Editor-in-Chief and also budgeting before we shoot with musicians. Once it is ready to be published, we also have to consider the content promotion strategy. It is important to note that online media is not like television and radio. A Digital Producer has to carefully choose the right keywords, attractive thumbnails, and also prepare the captions. The whole process can take a week.

Why is it important for IN Today Media to have music content?
Music is part of the youth and it will never be outdated because there will always be new pieces. We also want to help musicians promote their new singles or albums.

What kind of musicians can be featured in INSTRUMENTS?
We work with Indonesian musicians or artists from abroad who have at least one original song. They can be someone who’s completely new in the entertainment industry or someone well known, as popularity is not important factor at this point.

Sometimes we approach the musicians but there are also talent managers who reach out to us. We accept all genres for INSTRUMENTS. Most of them are pop because it’s what’s currently trending in Indonesia. We welcome rock musicians, even rappers or dangdut singers.

Swedish musician Summer Hearts was recently featured on INSTRUMENTS, what are some factors to consider when featuring foreign musicians?
A record label that manages foreign artists reached out and informed me that Summer Hearts has recently released a new single, so we asked him to record his performance, followed with an online interview. This year, IN Today Media will also feature a soloist from South Korea. We hope there will be more foreign artists featured here.

How do you shoot during the pandemic?
Mostly in studios. Before a tighter restriction was imposed, we used to work with MRT to shoot outside train stations. These days, we still can no longer shoot outdoors as it can draw crowds. Everyone involved in the shoot must undergo antigen testing.

INSTRUMENTS started in July 2021. Eight months later, what are the lesson learned?
When INSTRUMENTS was in the development stages, lots of talent managers doubted us and we were ghosted a lot. The key is not to take it personally. Our plan to shoot outdoor was also not realised due to COVID-19. The rest of it was very pleasant, the musicians are humble and cooperative. 

In your opinion, what does an ideal press release look like?
Proper releases should explain the single/album, its meaning, the story behind it, to the interesting behind the scene stories, maybe the song was created within five minutes or because of heart break. At the end of the press release explain how we can stream the song and their social media handle.

How should recording labels work with IN Today Media?
To be featured on INSTRUMENTS, musicians or talent managers do not need to pay a dime. We welcome opportunities to feature and interview them. Related to music, we also have FreshINToday on Instagram that contains information on new music launches. This is also effective at making musicians or talent managers build relationships with us, usually they will message us on social media to exchange WhatsApp numbers.

In the midst of the new normal, what activities can be done in the music scene?
Music concerts from home, virtual concerts, and online press conferences for new single. While COVID is still present, virtual events can help us cope with the longing. We should try to be productive.

What kind of music will be popular in 2022?
From what I can tell, pop and ballad songs will still dominate the market. TikTok plays a significant role because viral songs will become hits.

You used to work for radio stations, how did you navigate online media?
It is never too late to learn. While working in radio, I only dealt with audio. Now, I have to learn visual imaging, keywords, trending topics, how to write captions, all the way to making thumbnails. I also learn how to utilise Google Ads and different analytics to measure content performance.