VIVA'S BOSS VIC RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ON NOV. 16, THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF RECORD INDUSTRY (PARI) WILL CONFER on Vic del Rosario Jr., or VRJ, the Lifetime Achievement award.

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It is in recognition of VRJ's massive contribution to Filipino music. And in this situation, the word "lifetime" is most appropriate. After all, he has been in the music business, and continually at that, for 60 years.

It was in 1966 when the 20-year-old VRJ accepted his cousin Orly Ilacad’s invitation that they put up a record company. That was when Vicor Music was born and from that day on VRJ devoted his life to music.

A school dropout, he learned everything he could the hard way. But he must have been born with a lucky star and thank heavens for his innate flair for business, he was able to put all that he learned to good use.

Frustrated that local composers were not getting royalties for their works, he formed Bayanihan Music, the first Filipino publishing company. Charged with paying payola to DJs, he called attention to the dire straits of the music industry and walked away with the mandatory radio airplay of Filipino records.

He championed the Manila Sound and had Pinoy Rock, Pinoy Jazz, Pinoy R&B and other innovations that led to the golden age of Philippine pop music. Instead of moping over Ilacad’s departure from Vicor, he brought Freddie Aguilar’s Anak abroad and made it the first Filipino song to hit big globally. When bad decisions forced him to give up Vicor, he went off and formed Viva Films and later Viva Music.