Page 37 - IB January 2023

Music Music

“Moneywise, it’s difficult for every artist as you can’t really
rely on streams. We’re touring now that everything is back
opened.”
DPM has 18 shows booked in America in February. It will be
their first time in the United States.
“In the last Australian tour, we did 40 shows in three
months, which is quite a feat for any Pacific artist,” says
Lopez. “We sold out probably 90% of those shows. We went
out to the outback of Australia. We have a huge fan base with
the indigenous community there which is a big deal for us.
They don’t usually gravitate to too many artists as they have
their own taste. But they loved DMP. They knew the words by
heart. It was a blessing to be able to tour those places and
those communities.”
Cairns-based Lopez says he is on a mission to promote Solo-
mon Islands and Papua New Guinean artists. “It still amazes
me even with our label when we first linked up with them,
they didn’t even know where the Solomon Islands was – they
had to look it up. Since I’ve come on board, I really wanted to
change that narrative and create awareness.”
Lopez has also set up his own distribution company, Distro
Pacific. “Basically what I wanted to do is offer a free service
2022 was good in other ways for DMP. “We recently came for artists instead of them having to pay the usual yearly fee.
second in a DJ song competition,” says Lopez. “That was early For artists that stop paying yearly all their music get taken
last year. That was out of 7000 artists… Before that we had down and the streams get erased, and I didn’t really like that
won the Djookey music awards which was the world’s largest pressure on a struggling or up and coming artist. So I decided
online music awards at that time. to create a model where we can offer it for free with no
“In January, Arak and Evin Rush then won the number one obligations. For instance, if one of the major companies like
song with the single ‘Body Shape’,” says Lopez. “I’m a dance Sony want to release that song it will just be having me pass it
producer and I had a dance song in, and I came second. over to them and for them to keep the streams and nothing to
Three months after that in March and April DMP won it, and lock someone down. I really wanted to build a platform where
we have won it three times in a row now.” they get their exposure and not have to pay. These other dis-
tribution companies have extras, and the artists have to pay
Dancing to the DMP beat for the extras, and I don’t really see a struggling artist or an
“The meaning from a lot of the songs is mostly from a male up-and-coming artist afford this.”
perspective as it’s a boy band,” says Lopez. “A lot of the DPM’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music and some
songs are about relationships and a lot of our fans can relate other 250 digital platforms.
to this. We have up-tempo songs like ‘Wine Up’ that’s set for “We hopefully will come to NZ soon; we haven’t been
a party atmosphere and the song works well on stage. We will there. On our Spotify and Apple Music show that our number
sing a part and the crowd will sing back.” one listeners are in NZ. Hopefully this year we will make it
For Lopez, making music is not about making money, it’s a happen. We don’t want to just go in and out, we want to do
passion. “For the guys to be together for 10 years and still be- three or four shows around the country. We’ll make it hap-
ing united and being together and not broken up and be able pen.”
to still make music – that’s a blessing. Only God knows where
this will take us. editor@islandsbusiness.com

Islands Business, January 2023 37