Yahoo! Rocked it for the Philippines

I appreciate listening to music from various Filipinos artists and I'd like to see more OPM (Original Pilipino Music) songs be created by aspiring young musicians. 

Last December 8, Yahoo! Philippines hosted music concerts simultaneously in Manila, Cebu, and Davao and featured live performances by 50 acts from various genres including rock, pop, indie, and soul/R&B. There were also 12 breakthrough artists who shared the stage with some of the country's top music icons including Wolfgang, Urbandub, Pupil, The Dawn, and Imago.

Yahoo! Rocks has been reported to have attracted a crowd of over 30,000 music lovers and fans across the three cities. All performing artists were selected by Yahoo! viewers via online voting. 

I got to attend the press con at Gilligan's SM MOA in the afternoon but wasn't able anymore to come to the concert proper because I had another coverage that night. From the many questions thrown by members of the media, I distinctly remember Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit Secretary General Dingdong Avanzado's reply to one question and would like to share it with you. He said if we want to support Filipino musicians and promote their music, half of the songs we store in our iPods or personal music players should be OPM. Makes good sense. Personally, I roughly estimate that my iPod has more than 50% OPM songs and are all "ripped" (is there a better sounding word? share it with me!) from original CDs I own. 

"Music is a big part of Yahoo! and since launching OMG!, we have hosted a number of online music events with great success," said Arlene Amarante, Yahoo! Philippines Country Ambassador. "In keeping with Yahoo!'s tradition of music and expanding the boundaries of mainstream listening, Y! Rocks pays a tribute to the richness and diversity of 'Original Pilipino Music' and showcases the exceptional talent we have in the country."

Amarante added that she hopes this musical platform will remove barriers and create opportunities for up-and-coming musicians to collaborate with the established mainstream bands. 

Cheers to Yahoo! Philippines and the participating bands for coming up with such a worthwhile advocacy. I heard from several blogger friends that they thoroughly enjoyed the concert despite the on and off rains that night. I hope Yahoo! organizes another one soon.