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MAN ON THE SIDE

How Sindikato went from being a prod house to managing musicians like Ben&Ben, Callalily, and more


“Sindikato” translates to syndicate, and the Tagalog word somehow sounds sinister, connoting something wicked or unsavory.

Sindikato the organization is anything but. The production house founded in 2006 by a group of college friends has made a name for itself in the local media and advertising industry for its creative work, mostly in the digital space.

Because they work closely with local artists and musicians, the company soon ventured into talent management, handling the careers of some very well-known bands as well as a few up-and-comers.

On Thursday, July 12, Sindikato made the talent management venture official, launching at 12 Monkeys with its roster of talents that includes Callalily, Ben&Ben, Sud, Hulyo, Fighting River Blindness, Unit 406 and Fern.

“It was a natural progression for Sindikato to go into talent management,” Sindikato CEO Enzo Valdez told GMA Lifestyle. “It came to a point where all we were doing is pure advertising. We missed working like how we started, collaborating with an artist. It was refreshing for us every time.”

With seven artists in their stable, Sindikato is now one of, if not the biggest local talent management company handling mostly independent artists.

“We used to work a lot with Callalily and have been handling their career for a while now,” Valdez said. “Ben&Ben and Fern, we heard from a friend. And that friend recommended Sindikato [to them]. Sud has been a friend from way back, and Fighting River Blindness, too, because Sud is (a part of that band) also. It just grew."

 

Sindikato CEO Enzo Valdez
Sindikato CEO Enzo Valdez. Photo: Sindikato/FB

Valdez, who is a nephew of OPM great Basil Valdez, said that the usual process was that they listened to the songs of the band or artist and then meet with them to discuss a plan of action for their career. The artist then decides if they’re on board with the plan and if they want to work with Sindikato.

“Hindi namin sila pinipilit (We don’t force them to join us),” he said. “If they want to do something else or they want their careers to go another way, then maybe another management team can do that for them.”

Still, numerous other bands and artists have come knocking on Sindikatos doors asking to be managed. Valdez explained that if they’re unsure about how to “sell” the artist, they say no, but not without giving them advice.

“Every time someone approaches us, we’re open to talking with them, but we don’t commit to anything. If in a week’s time we feel the fit isn’t right, we wish them well and just tell them to come to us if they need advice.”

Valdez revealed that Sindikato has different contracts for each of their artists, mostly because of the number of members for each band. Ben&Ben for instance, has nine members, while Fern is a solo act. What is uniform for all is the 70-30 split between artist and management on all of their bookings.

“So the goal is for them to be performing artists —to play in big crowds, in festivals, in schools, at events.”

Eventually, Valdez added, when the artists start getting the hang of it, Sindikato will lessen their cut with the understanding that they’re going to have to start spending on their own for things like their music videos. The idea is for the artists to eventually become self-sustaining.

For now, though, Sindikato seems to be working its magic for its artists. Ben&Ben is currently having a stellar year and will be playing in Dubai in a few months. They also have a song in the upcoming film Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral. Callalily just celebrated its 13th anniversary with a successful show at the Vertis Tent and they also played a show in Singapore.

Sud is emerging from quite a controversial few months with a new single called “Sana Bumalik,” while the other bands all previewed music videos for their new songs at the launch.

Sindikato is continually on the lookout for new talents, with their ears peeled for  local female rappers. But ultimately,Sindikato’s goal is to expand into producing original content in the digital space. And to do that, they’ll need digital content artists. Think the next Moymoy Palaboy, Mikey Bustos or Petra Mahalimuyak.

“Sindikato is not just about music,” he said. “We’re a production house so we’re looking to get into producing original content, so the next step, maybe in the next year or two, is to find digital artists. The next viral sensation.” — LA, GMA News

Paul John Caña is a writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana

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