THE THAI POPULAR MUSIC INDUSTRY: INDUSTRIAL FORM AND MUSICAL DESIGN NALIN WUTTIPONG, BFA, M Mus Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy SEPTEMBER 2011 o ABSTRACT Popular music, as it is generally defined in its commercial existence, originated in the West and has been widely discussed in Anglophone academia. One of the key means of approaching it is in terms of political economy, by viewing the culture industry essentially as a model of capitalism, with the purpose of maximizing profit [Bumett, 1996; Frith, Straw and Street, 2001]. The debates between political economists and other popular music scholars have predominantly taken as their subject Western popular music. Yet it is important to point out that whilst studies focused upon cultural industries outside of Western contexts have been few and far between, many have proved extremely fruitful and enlightening, exploring issues not considered in Western-centered accounts. This dissertation will attempt to examine and describe the causes and effects of corporate control over the major labels, which have been influential in the Thai popular music industry since 1982, when the first major label was established. Furthermore, this dissertation will argue that the popular music industry in Thailand presents something ofa variation on Adorno's theme of mass culture, replicating certain aspects of his description while also diverging in important ways. The study of the development of Thai popular music in this dissertation can be divided into five important periods: the Pre-pop Era (from the emergence of The Impossible to 1982) and the Pop Era (1982-1994), the Indie Phenomenon (1994-1997), the Major Retum (1997-2002) and the present day (2002 to today). These terms were used to emphasis the most prominent event happened in each period. 1 Acknowledgements The idea of studying popular music and writing this thesis came to me many years ago when I was a graduate student in Jazz Performance at New York University. I had an assignment to write about the history of American music. While I was searching for information on American jazz and popular music in the NYU's library it suddenly struck me that if music students in Thailand would like to study our popular music (and, of course, other Thai music genres), where they could reach such information or learn about our music? Although there are a number of music departments and conservatories of music which have opened and taught popular music during the last decade in Thailand, there is no official textbook on Thai popular music. Moreover, these music schools lack scholars who essentially concentrate on studying and writing on Thai popular music. As I have received generous financial support from the Royal Thai Government and will have a position as a music instructor in a Thai public university after finishing my degree, it will thus be an advantage for Thai music students if I can now sow the seeds of knowledge on Thai popular music in my country. This thesis has been finished as a result of support, advice and encouragement from a number of people who earn my thankfulness and gratitude. I would like to show my appreciation for the Royal Thai Government for financial support over the six years of my Master's and Ph.D study, as well as Professor Natcha Panchareon for giving me a chance to prove myself and receive this scholarship. I also thank the staff of the Office of Civil Service Commission and Office of Educational Affairs (the UK and the US branches), for taking care of me while I have been so far away from home. 2 A special mention must be reserved for my supervisor Professor Adam Krims, who has always generously supported and been patient with me throughout the whole four years. Before this, I was a performance music student who had never concentrated on reading, writing and thinking in an academic field. However, he serenely taught me how to think and express my ideas as a music scholar as well as advised me on my academic work at the deepest level. I am also indebted to my two examiners, Dr. David W. Hughes and Dr. Nicholas Baragwanath, for their profound reading of my thesis. I would probably not survive without the support of all my friends here and everywhere in the world. First, I would like to thank my little sister Amie Kraisoraphong and Mr. James Disley for helping me on editing and proofreading my thesis. Second, credit must be given to Pam, Cherry, Ae and Dr. Joe for reading and translating my interviews. Third, my Nottingham gang (Soh, Jan and Jill) and my Oxford gang (B, Chris, Katie, Steve, Paul, Doug and Alex) deserve my thankfulness. Furthermore, I would like to give my appreciation to all the artists, producers, songwriters and other who gave me a chance to interview them and provided me with the information essential to this thesis. Dr. Panote Prapansilp deserves tremendous thanks for his love, encouragement and support. I am really lucky that you are always beside me, for better or for worse. I really thank you for being my friend and partner (plus, of course, for being my dad sometimesl). I would also like to give my gratitude to the Prapansilp and Chuenpennit families for their love and support. 3 I could not be who I am today without my family; my super mom, Jaree, who always shared my dream and my soul, my dad, Chaowalit ("you are my hero!"), my sister, Noree ("I am the luckiest sister in the world"), and my auntie, Kannika, who always takes care of me as her little girl. I am so proud of being a "Wuttipong" . 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY 6 LIST OF FIGURES 7 CHAKRI DYNASTY 9 INTRODUCTION 10 THAI ROMANISATION 32 CHAPTER 1 37 A History of Thai Popular Music - Its definition and the Industry CHAPTER2 109 The Pop Era - When Music Became a Cultural Commodity CHAPTER3 168 The Indie Phenomenon CHAPTER4 240 The Major Return - The Slump in the Popular Music Industry CHAPTERS 297 Time for Celebrity and a New Business Model CONCLUSION 341 ALTERNATIVE NAME 346 SURV AY QUESTIONAIRES 349 BIBLIOGRAPHY 351 AUDIO EXAMPLE 352 5 GLOSSARY Phleeg: The word generally means 'song', but can be used to fonn nounal and adjectival compound terms which refer to specific types of music (for example, instrumental music is 'Phleen Banleen' and vocal music is 'Phleen Roa'n'). 'Phleen' may also be employed to refer to music more generally ('Fal) Phleen' meaning 'to listen to music'). Dontrii: There is some semantic overlap between this term and the word 'Phleen' as both may mean 'music'. However, 'Dontrii' is generally employed as an umbrella term, one which encompasses multiple genres and types of songs ('Phleel)', on the other hand, often more narrowly refers to a specific type or style of music). For instance, 'Dontrii Thai' is a tenn which covers all types of songs which may be deemed 'traditional' in the sense of having Thai lyrics and requiring Thai instruments, comprehending genres such as 'Phleen Thai Doorn', 'Phleen Kiiaa'w Khaa'w', and 'Phleen Chooj'. Saakon: The term's meaning is dependent upon context and it may be employed in several senses; it may denote that which is 'universal', that which is 'foreign' or 'international' , or more specifically that which is 'Western'. For instance, 'N aaAn Naam Saakon' means 'international waters', 'Saakon Cagkra'waan', the 'universal' or 'worldwide', and 'Muuaaj Saakon', 'western boxing'. When employed in context of Thai music (both traditional and modem) the term refers, almost exclusively, to music which has been influenced by distinctly Western styles and forms (that is to say, the term normally does not encompass music influenced by other Eastern cultures). 6 LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 1 Figure 1.1 Thai musical notations from the song 'Khamee'n Saaii loa K' Figure 1.2 Tata Young imagesfrom Young's first and third Thai album Figure 1.3 Tata Young images from Young's international album Figure 1.4 Album covers offour youngfemale superstar singers from Grammy Figure 1.5 Examples of So 'mchaaj Khe'mkla 'd and Boy Scout album covers Chapter 2 Figure 2.1 Combination and Target Audience of Three Music Genres in Thailand Figure 2.2 Market Share of Thai Music Industry from I980s to Present Figure 2.3 Market Share of Album Sales in Thai Popular Music Industry from I980s to Present Figure 2.4 Thefirst album cover of Raptor Chapter 3 Figure 3.1 A Survey of Why People are Interested in Indie Music in Thailand Figure 3.2 First line: (left) Micro Album Cover (right) SMF's Image, Second line: (left) Thoonchaaii McIntyre Album Cover (right) Mas and Tata Magazine Cover Figure 3.3 An unusual fashion of Modern Dog Figure 3.4 The Cover of Modern Dog's First Album Figure 3.5 The Cover of Smile Buffalo's First Album Figure 3.6.1 The main melody of 'K;);)'n ' 7 Figure 3.6.2 The improvisation with new lyrics Figure 3.6.3 The improvisation with melodies Figure 3.7 The vocal melody and speech tones of Kh ':XJb Caaii Ci~JCin Figure 3.8 The vocal melody and speech tones ofW'i Maan Din and F'aa Figure 3.9 The vocal melody and speech tones of Naal'ikaa Taaj Figure 3.7 Transcription of Vocal Melody Line of 'Ra 'g Khun Khaaoo" LH 'w ' from the duration 1.26 to 1.36 Chapter 4 Figure 4.1 The Value of the Thai Popular-Music Marketfrom 1997 to 2006 Figure 4.2 Triumph Kingdom and theirfashion Figure 4.3 Grammy Music Lower Casefrom 2002 to 2006 8 CHAKRI DYNASTY Reign I King Bhuda Yot Fa (Rama I) 6 April 1782 - 7 September 1809 Reign II King Bhuda Loet La (Rama II) 7 September 1809 - 21 July 1824 Reign III King Nang Klao (Rama III) 22 July 1824 - 2 April 1851 Reign IV King Chom Klao (Mongkutl Rama IV) 3 April 1851 - I October 1868 Reign V King Chula Chom Klao (Chulalongkoml Rama V) 1 October 1868 - 23 October 1910 Reign VI King Mongkut Kloa (Vajiravudhl Rama VI) 23 October 1910- 26 November 1925 Reign VII King Pok Klao (Prajadhipok/ Rama VII) 26 November 1925 - 2 March 1935 Reign VII King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) 2 March 1935 - 9 June 1946 Reign IX King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) 9 June 1946 - Present 9 Introduction Popular music, as it is generally defined in its commercial existence, originated in the West and has been widely discussed in Anglophone academia.