Rieka Roslan Stops Speaking Out on Royalties: "I'm Tired, I'm Focusing on Creating"

Songwriter Rieka Roslan says she no longer wants to speak out loudly about music royalties. She has chosen to return to the creative path that has long been her identity. She made the decision when met in the Thamrin area of Central Jakarta on Tuesday (22/9/2026).

Rieka admits she is tired of a long debate that has yet to reach any clarity. "It's not that I don't care anymore, but I'm just tired of talking about it all the time," she said. She even said that the emotional involvement in the royalty issue had at times disrupted her productivity as a songwriter.

Rieka has long been known as one of the most vocal songwriters fighting for economic rights, particularly performing rights, or royalties from live performances. Together with AKSI, she has demanded that singers obtain permission from songwriters to use their works, as well as openness from collective management organizations in distributing royalties.

But those efforts appear to have yet to yield significant results. Rieka instead feels that the state has not fully recognized the condition of songwriters, which she describes as "mati suri" (barely alive). "Hopefully the state can finally see that songwriters are dead, barely alive," she added.

"Now I just write songs to be happy." — Rieka Roslan

Even so, Rieka has not entirely left the music world. She now enjoys the songwriting process more, and has even begun teaching music and creating works for her students. "I've even started writing for my students because I teach," she said.

Rieka's change in attitude is not merely about personal exhaustion. It reflects a larger problem in Indonesia's music ecosystem. Songwriters often find themselves in a weak bargaining position when dealing with singers, promoters, and collective management organizations. Royalties from live performances often do not flow fairly into composers' hands.

For industry players and investors, this signal deserves attention. When songwriters choose to focus on their craft rather than fight for their rights, there is a risk that the lopsided royalty system will continue without structural reform. Yet the sustainability of the music industry depends heavily on economic incentives for creators.

On the other hand, Rieka's move can be read as a survival strategy: protecting her mental health and productivity by not getting caught in the exhausting whirlpool of advocacy. She keeps creating, albeit with a lighter approach.

Going forward, the question is not only whether Rieka will become vocal again, but whether the state and stakeholders will move without pressure from artists like her. If not, more Indonesian songwriters may choose silence, and the music industry will lose one of its important pillars.