ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a reading of popular eras of dangdut koplo within the Indonesian music industry in 2003, 2013, and 2017. Through an investigation of the construction of a genre-based music industry, the discussion begins with Inul Daratista’s dangdut koplo, proceeding then to the Cesar’s dance phenomenon. Local dangdut is read only as product variant, not as a logic or local strategy, in negotiation with the centre. Because it was popularised at the national level, dangdut koplo disrupted the stability and the scheme of national dangdut music – as well as Jakarta’s music industry – with distinct patterns from central or national to regional experiences. The popularity of dangdut koplo during the third phase shows that regional dangdut is able to negotiate and even dominate centralised versions of dangdut. The music industry, the audience, the community, and even the “King of dangdut”, Rhoma Irama, adapted to this genre.