SAY “NO!!”TO TURBO FOLK and PIRATE RECORDINGS - LISTEN TO AND SUPPORT CROATIAN MUSIC FOR THE GOOD OF FUTURE CROATIAN GENERATIONS

Written by Ivica Fonti Saturday, 31 March 2007 – Melbourne Australia

After the Second World War the then Yugoslav authorities tried to convert Croatian culture into some sort of alien Yugo/Serbo culture.
I have evidence of this myself, in my extensive record collection. I have 78RPM recordings from Croatia 1945 to 1960 which was then under Yugoslavian rule. On most of the labels you will have a Croatian singer listed with Serbian reference…
eg: PEVA and not PJEVA which is correct Croatian. So you would have “SAMO JEDNOM SE LJUBI” “PEVA IVO ROBIC”. This for me was offending every time I looked at a record from that part of the world. Only after the Croatian spring in the 1970’s we noticed a change in the record labels from Zagreb and Split etc to have proper Croatian writing on them.

Croatia has a rich history in music and culture that has just as our land wanted to be claimed by some other entity. If this entity cannot claim it as its own then it will make bad reference to it as rubbish etc.

This is just one example of reference to what is happening today. We have a similar situation. Only this time we have a propaganda machine of incredible proportions to propagate this strangulation of Croatian culture worldwide.

This is the pattern of events as I have followed it in the past 10 years.
Firstly on internet chat channels you would have Croatian people listening to Croatian music especially patriotic songs. These people usually rubbished and discouraged by certain elements not to listen to this music as it was rubbish or as they would refer to it as “smece” etc. Then I noticed websites popping up all over the internet with reference to “BALKAN MUSIC” “EX YU MUSIC” BALKAN MUZIKA” “EX YU MP3” and so on. These websites would mainly have music from Croatia listed for download, on them. they would have a few songs from other countries in Europe, Serbia, Macedonia, and Slovenia etc. This practice is clearly focussing people in referring to music from Croatia as Yugoslav music. Then in offering Croatian music for download it was destroying the Croatian recording industry slowly but surely.

The other problem that Croatian music has is that the authorities will not do anything about PIRATE SALES. Here in Australia we have a huge problem in certain elements copying music from Croatia burning copies of cd’s on home computers and selling them. This practice in most parts of the world is a criminal act. I would have a huge wager and win that this practice is happening all over the world with Croatian music. I have personally approached Croatian record companies to try and stop this but I have been hitting brick walls everywhere I turned.

Then we have another problem Croatian record companies have started to promote artists from other countries in Europe. Why are Croatian record companies promoting singers of the likes of Zdravko Colic and not our own singers? Because after all these practices I have mentioned above the Croatian music and recording industry has been destroyed. People have been downloading music from these so called Balkan websites and buying pirate recordings. The record companies then assume that no one wants to listen to those singers and their record sales have dropped. This is not profitable for the company hence it does not release anymore of the artists recordings as it is not making a profit for the company. The artist then does not receive any promotion and is forgotten.

This is why we as Croatians all over the world have to support our recording industry and say “NO!!” to pirate recordings and commence purchasing Croatian recordings from reputable record shops or companies on line.
This has also destroyed Croatian live performances no record sales artist cannot afford to finance recordings so we get no new releases. What has happened to singers like “DUKA CAIC” MATKO JELAVIC” NENAD VETMA” DUSKO LOKIN” GAZDE””VERA SVOBODA” just to mention a few there are a lot more Croatian artists being turned away by record companies. Their music is in a huge demand but unfortunatelly illegally.

.This is why in Croatia today you have clubs opening with so called TURBO FOLK music being promoted in them. Turbo folk is not Croatian music and has never been a part of Croatian musical heritage. There are very few clubs in Croatia today promoting Croatian music. With the influence of the internet around the world Croatian children worldwide are being exposed to music which is not heritagelly theirs. It is educating Croatian children and youth against their own cultural backgrounds and heritage.

Slusaj Hrvatsko - Zlatko Turkelj - Turki

On the 2nd of March 2006, Mr. Matko Jelavic of Split Croatia commenced a protest of Croatian musicians and singers protesting that Croatian music was not being promoted enough and being forgotten and destroyed by the authorities in Croatia today. This protest was signed by most Croatian singers and musicians in Croatia today. The Croatian musicians union did react a little, but it was short-lived. At the beginning of 2007 TURKI Zlatko Turkalj who runs the popular music show on Croatian Radio in Zagreb"Turki Party"started a campaign to get the Croatian population to start listening to Croatian music again the slogan of the campaign was “LISTEN TO CROATIAN MUSIC , It’s YOURS” he even then released a music video with all the top Croatian performers appearing in the video. This campaign has had little impact on Croatian people, but we need to do more.

If we can remember while Dr.Franjo Tudjman was the president in Croatia he made it priority to promote the Tamburitza and Croatian culture. This was working during the 1990’s and was making a huge impact on the youth of Croatia, but today this has been all but forgotten.

In my opinion I really don’t know what is wrong with the Croatian government of today killing its own culture in the name of joining some failed European Union that does not give any benefit at all to the common resident of Europe. The Croatian government in it’s expedition to be a member of the European Union would sell its own culture, and that is a sad event.

Here is an example of what Australian musicians and performers have come together and made it law that Australian singers and performers have equality amongst Singers and performers from other countries. In one example if a singer or performer comes from another country to perform in Australia it is mandatory that an Australian act opens the concert with equal billing and advertising. It is compulsory to play at least 20% Australian music content on the Radio or Television in Australia. Maybe Croatia should take some examples from Australia. I must add that any Australian government in power will strongly support this and it does not matter from what side of politics the government of the day is from.

I really hope that Croatians of the world come together and support and promote CROATIAN MUSIC as it should be promoted to show respect to their heritage and culture the respect it deserves and not try to kill our Musical culture with alienated music from other countries which does not even fit Croatian heritage or culture. Once again we will see the growth of the Croatian music and recording industry as we did during the late 80’s and 1990’s into an invincible and proud member of the Musical and cultural world we live in today.

Split song Festival

Tamburasi with the Croatian National Instrument Tamburitza

I would plead to the record companies to promote singers as they did before and to remember forgotten performers that people around the world really want to hear. Not the music they have started to promote in recent months. Croatian people want to hear the Croatian sounds and Patriotic songs. Just like composers of Croatian music have embedded into our culture … ZDENKO RUJNIC , STIPICA and NIKICA KALOGJERA, DJELO JUSIC etc. I am sure there are composers today that are creating the real Croatian sound but the record companies are blind to there own peoples demand and wants and rather promote foreign acts. The popularity of Marko Perkovic Thompson paints the picture of what the Croatian public really want.

Marko Perkovic Thompson

Singers of the likes of …

Mate Mišo Kovac
Marko Perkovic Thompson
Nenad Vetma
Duka Caic
Ivo Robic
Vice Vukov
Ivo Pattiera
Dusko Lokin
Vera Svoboda
Krunoslav Kico Slabinac
Vinko Coce
Matko Jelavic'
Jasna Zlokic'
Mladen Grdovic'
Dražen Zecic'
BARUNI
grupa MAGAZIN
Tomislav Ivcic
Ivo Fabijan
Jasmin Stavros
Šima Jovanovac
TRIO GUŠT
Vladimir Kociš Zec
Zlatko Pejakovic'
Marina Tomaševic'
Dražen Žanko
SLAVONSKE LOLE
Nenad Vilovic'
Milo Hrnic'
Mate Bulic'
Vlado Kalember
grupa DALMATINO
Emilija Kokic'
Mucalo
Alen Nižetic'
Dordi Peruzovic'
Duško Jelicic'
Pero Panjkovic'
PATRIA
Ivo Amulic'
Mirela Meic'
Zdravko Škender
Zrinka
Ivica Covic' Pipo
Nenad Šiškov
Botric' Eduard
grupa NEVERA
KRISTALI
Damir Mihanovic' Cubi
grupa CUVARI SVIRALA
Stjepan Jeršek – Štef
GAZDE
Zlatni Dukati
Tina Vukov
Vanna
Minea
Najbolji Hrvatski Tamburasi
Tereza Kesovija
Arsen Dedic
Gabi Novak
Ivica Serfezi
Just to mention a few of the artists forgotten.

“SUPPORT CROATIAN MUSIC AND ARTISTS SAY “NO!!” TO FOREIGN RECORDINGS,PIRATE RECORDINGS, AND TURBO FOLK !!”

Ivica Fonti – CroRadio.net Croatian Radio Melbourne Australia March .2007

Croatian Folkloric group Tamburitza Orchestra
the Tamburitza is the National Instrument of Croatia