THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION - International Indian

[ BUSINESS OF MUSIC ]
The Rhythm
of Money
“... with technology advancing so rapidly, musicians want a share of the pie on not just
cassettes and CDs but also from radio and television channels that air their songs,
from sites that allow people to download music, and from ringtones that are being
downloaded at a rapid pace.”
[ By ARCHISMAN DINDA ]
The century old Indian music
industry, one of the prime forces
that promotes Indian culture and
makes India so omnipresent in the West is
making up lost ground faster than any other
music industry in the world. The industry
from its high turnover of Rs 1,150 crores
in 1990 touched the abysmal low of Rs
450 crore in 2002, but since then has been
growing at a normal pace and is expected
to touch Rs 1,500 mark by 2009 with both
CD and digital sales combined. Though
all that seems good news, there are notes
of discontent, and the melodies are shaky
as the industry tries to rejuvenate itself
from the slump. The growing discontent is
openly voiced.
“As long as the issue of royalty remains
unsettled, musicians will continue to be
insecure,” said a well-known composer with
a request for anonymity. Music companies,
he felt, need to have faith in their artistes,
and the industry on the whole needs to be
structured properly and give artistes their
rightful share of money. What’s more, with
technology advancing so rapidly, musicians
want a share of the pie on not just cassettes
and CDs but also from radio and television
channels that air their songs, from sites that
allow people to download music, and from
ringtones that are being downloaded at a
rapid pace. “These people are using our
creations to earn money but are refusing to
pay its rightful owners,” said Sonu Nigam,
who launched Singers’ Association of
India (SAI) a few years back along with his
colleague Alka Yagnik. “ The association
aims to tap the real issues that music
companies fail to address,” he added.
Music composers are disturbed by
the lack of recognition. “If you hear the
hit song Kajrare from the film Bunty aur
Babli, it’s called the Aishwarya-Amitabh-
Abhishek song. No one calls it the Shankar
Mahadevan-Alisha Chinai-Jaaved Ali song.
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THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN