Jakarta, 8 April 2026 – The Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf) is encouraging the development of jazz music as one of the drivers of a sustainable creative economy ecosystem. Despite having a relatively niche segmentation, jazz is considered to have a loyal audience base and strong business potential.
Deputy Minister of Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Irene Umar, received an audience with musician Berry Likumahuwa and filmmaker Jeremy Teja Sanger at the Office of the Ministry of Creative Economy in Jakarta, Thursday (2/4/2026).
This was highlighted during an audience between Deputy Minister of Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Irene Umar, with musician Berry Likumahuwa and film creator Jeremy Teja Sanger on Thursday (2/4).
During the meeting, Irene emphasized the importance of designing a jazz performance that is not only strong artistically, but also well-developed from a business perspective. She encouraged every element of the event to be prepared comprehensively, from talent curation and collaboration concepts to post-event strategies.
“We must see this as an ecosystem. Jazz performances do not stand alone, but can be connected with other subsectors such as culinary, fashion, and hospitality. This collaboration not only enriches the audience experience, but also opens up new and sustainable economic opportunities for industry players,” said Irene Umar.
The Ministry of Creative Economy, which oversees 17 subsectors, views cross-subsector collaboration as key to building a healthy ecosystem. Music, as one of the strategic subsectors, has significant potential to grow if it can synergize with other aligned sectors.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
The performance initiative initiated by Berry Likumahuwa together with Jeremy Teja Sanger serves as a concrete example of such collaboration. The concept being developed not only presents a jazz concert, but is also packaged as a documentary film and involves young talents from various regions across Indonesia.
Berry Likumahuwa stated that the audience provided new perspectives in developing a broader and more integrated performance concept.
“This audience helped us see how each element in the creative economy can be interconnected. For nearly 20 years in this industry, the biggest challenge has been the lack of synergy. Input from the Deputy Minister encourages us to further develop this idea into something more explorative and impactful,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Teja Sanger assessed that government support and involvement serve as a positive signal for creative industry players to continue innovating. The collaboration between music and film currently being developed is expected not only to result in creative works, but also to become a model for sustainable ecosystem development in Indonesia.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
