Malaysian musicians struggle for steady incomes


Sudirman was quite the showman. Filepic

The sad tale of a national treasure, pianist Ooi Eow Jin, barely eking out a living in his twilight years brings into sharp focus the deplorable level of awareness of artiste management in Malaysia.

The former bandleader of Orkes RTM, composer, arranger, record producer, and music instructor doesn’t even own a house, living in a rented house in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, with his wife and son. Why is a 77-year-old music legend, who was recently conferred a Datukship by the Penang State Government, living in such circumstances?

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