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Now this is Innovative marketing!!

Classical Sur on mobile

Abhilasha Ojha / New Delhi March 23, 2006



MOBILE RINGTONES go sophisticated with Indian classical music.

Punjabi pop, heavy metal, hard rock and tuneless songs from some of the recent Hindi flicks. These are some genres that lack appeal, especially when it blares from your mobile phone into the eardrums of the caller.

For more evolved tastes, Airtel, in partnership with Music Today, is offering a new genre of music — Indian classical — to its 20 million-odd subscribers.

"The business of ringtones," says Hemant Sachdev, director, marketing & communications, "is helping India to soar to a new global position."

Promoting the Indian classical genre at the announcement were music maestros Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma. Airtel subscribers can download various genres in Indian classical music including thumri, dadra and khayal, besides Carnatic music too.

"We have been working on this initiative for the past six months," confirms Gurmeet Singh, business director, Music Today. The music company has snipped nearly 100 classical tunes to 35-40 seconds pieces for Airtel and is already working on another 100 melodies to be edited especially for ringtones.

"We will work on a revenue sharing basis," says Singh, adding, "75 per cent will be with the subscriber while 25 per cent of each download will come to us."

Some of the artists whose tracks will be available for downloads include Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt Bhimsen Joshi and Pt Jasraj.

This initiative adds to Airtel's 'Easy Music' service where special outlets with a library of over 18,000 songs in multiple languages have been set up to simplify the process of downloading music.

Santoor, aalap, bansuri or the sarod, with plenty to choose from, what are you downloading next?

Originally posted by: vinit_fan

maine aisa kuch nahin kaha hai...... so aap plizzz baatein bannana band kardo..... 😕

aap ko dekh kar to insaan khamoosh ho jata hai... aur aap kehte hai hum batteee banate hai...

I just dont understand wat u r trying 2 say..... 😕

great post!!! some questions/ comments:

1. when we talk about DU, i remember folks were always into looking "cool". do we have more of that now?

2. i am not sure some regions were ever that much into classical music. when we bemoan the loss of our classical music culture, are we talking abt regions where it was previously strong? that wld of course mean more.

3. i think TV has of course changed the way we look at the world. RELATIVELY-SPEAKING (and pls note the caps here, so pls no jagda on this), it is rather boring to have to only listen- whether it's a speech or a song. Even when we see a speaker, we want more than just the content or the ability to see the speaker. We want animation, hand movements, eye contact, connection with the audience. When we have all that, we feel more involved. Classical music has a hard time offering all of that visual animation.

4. i think classical music in general has always had only a niche following. nothing wrong with that. most of us want our food served to us on a platter, similarly for music which is designed to appeal to the masses who dont have to bother to train.

5. there is still a lot to feel happy about with the influence of visual factors. case in point is the Nixon- Kennedy Pres debate. Based on folk lore, if you heard it, u'd have thot that Nixon had won. if you saw it on TV, u'd have thot that Kennedy won. With visuals, u get the total "picture" and i do not see anything wrong with having more information.

6. there is something to be said for making things user-friendly. if we are denouncing folks for being uncultured and for not liking classical music, its like attacking a customer for not liking our product. whose fault is that? and if you do want to reach that customer, who has the onus- the producer or the customer?

7. i think we always gain by being open and by taking in positive points from other cultures. for those who say that western music is vulgar etc., perhaps that's the case with some of the music. But there is a lot which is perhaps as, if not more, refined than what we have.

Overall, my answer to your question would be Yes- Indian classical music is less popular as it is not visually appealing. but of course that's a generalization and there is some music that is so appealing that it transcends the visual factors for some of us sometimes.

Ok here is the disconnect we have

Hindi film music or any regional film music is popular, most of the leading singers in either hindi and regional film music are classically trained

First if these singers/MD's are used as mouthpeices rather than the elite in the classical world that changes a outlook of a younger generation

many of our superhits are based upon classical stuff, if
sorry giggles ji I know you promised to keep HR out of this, but on the positive side, but he is a marketing gur in this stuff

Suppose singers/MD such as Shreya/Sonu/Udit/KK/HR/ARR/AS/ID/Shantanu are used this is a very easy sell
Just my POV

Note my comments in red..

Originally posted by: chatbuster

great post!!! some questions/ comments:

1. when we talk about DU, i remember folks were always into looking "cool". do we have more of that now?

well, in anygeneration looking 'cool' is important, but then again its a mtter of perception... thats y i liked RDB.. each character luked so 'cool'..they made kurtas luk funky...they made jean jackets which were dyin out of style luk classy again..i think its totally relative to wat is cool n wat is not..

2. i am not sure some regions were ever that much into classical music. when we bemoan the loss of our classical music culture, are we talking abt regions where it was previously strong? that wld of course mean more.

i still think that in most parts of india, classical music existed..in the hindustani alaaps to the carnatic gamakams, in the gujrati bhajans to the bengali folk, there has always been an essence of classical music.. in some regions proliferation of classical music has been more than others, but i think its an overall picture..in some parts of india, classical music is still given a lot of importance, girls particularly between ages of 5 - 13 are sent for music classes for a yr or 2 (like myself) n then its upto them if they wanna continue..

3. i think TV has of course changed the way we look at the world. RELATIVELY-SPEAKING (and pls note the caps here, so pls no jagda on this), it is rather boring to have to only listen- whether it's a speech or a song. Even when we see a speaker, we want more than just the content or the ability to see the speaker. We want animation, hand movements, eye contact, connection with the audience. When we have all that, we feel more involved. Classical music has a hard time offering all of that visual animation.

I think this is a matter of opinion... take any of the current concerts..say an A R Rahman concert... the younger kids might dance away to chaiya chaiya but the older people prefer sitting and listen to yeh haseen vadiyan..just because they are sitting down there, doesnt mean they ont get the connection or watever... i agree visual appeal matters, but as i have mentioned before classical music is so pure that its beyond all this... and if people cant respect it, its their loss completely

4. i think classical music in general has always had only a niche following. nothing wrong with that. most of us want our food served to us on a platter, similarly for music which is designed to appeal to the masses who dont have to bother to train.

true, but off late there has been an insult to classical music claiming it to be boring and pointless..when the fact is STILL a lot of hindi songs are based on classical songs...be it HR's songs, ID's songs or ARR's songs..they all have a classical touch to it.. so if u r talking about niche followin.. i think tat is only for hardcore..but if u like any of the current songs.. u shuld like classical music too !

5. there is still a lot to feel happy about with the influence of visual factors. case in point is the Nixon- Kennedy Pres debate. Based on folk lore, if you heard it, u'd have thot that Nixon had won. if you saw it on TV, u'd have thot that Kennedy won. With visuals, u get the total "picture" and i do not see anything wrong with having more information.

correct me if i am not wrong, the reason kennedy won was because he had a smile and a good personality to go with it.. see any of the classical singers, the glow they have on their face, its TREMENDOUS.. when Pt. Jasraj sings, its like he is being elevated and singing..they smile when its needed, they cringe in agony and they go in complete bliss when its singing about God.. if that is nto visual appeal what is it ?!

6. there is something to be said for making things user-friendly. if we are denouncing folks for being uncultured and for not liking classical music, its like attacking a customer for not liking our product. whose fault is that? and if you do want to reach that customer, who has the onus- the producer or the customer?

hehe, i kno from my thread it souns like i am againt ppl who dont like classical but thats not true.. bt i am against people who disrespect classical music... we all like classical music without realising it.. if we dont like classical music the sound track of HDDCS would never be a hit, Devdas wouldnt be a hit and Roja DEF. wouldnt be a hit! Tere Naam is supposed to be the largest music album sold in india..70 lakhs in first 6 months..it is loosely based on classical stuff... so people do appreciate it.. its just tat they dont realise what they are appreciating ! who are we to call what is cultured and what is not!

7. i think we always gain by being open and by taking in positive points from other cultures. for those who say that western music is vulgar etc., perhaps that's the case with some of the music. But there is a lot which is perhaps as, if not more, refined than what we have.

western music isnt vulgar to say the least.. just because it uses foul words doesnt make it vulgar or watever.. and not for all songs atleast... there is a lot of great western music. but do people listen to it ?! most youth today (includin myself) would prefer a Britney spears over an Eva Cassidy... Eminimen over Robbie Williams... so thats where the 'bad' things start.. we have our own culture, to take the good from the west and use it, its fine.. actly its great.. coz it adds more zing to wat we r.. western influences in our songs today are really nice... one love by shaan was great, right here right now by ab is awesome, u n i in hum tum was good, dhoom dhoom by tata young were good... the use of english is songs like sara jahan from ek khiladi ek hasina make it very funky..so english music doesnt even come into picture...

Overall, my answer to your question would be Yes- Indian classical music is less popular as it is not visually appealing. but of course that's a generalization and there is some music that is so appealing that it transcends the visual factors for some of us sometimes.

Originally posted by: sareg

Ok here is the disconnect we have

Hindi film music or any regional film music is popular, most of the leading singers in either hindi and regional film music are classically trained

First if these singers/MD's are used as mouthpeices rather than the elite in the classical world that changes a outlook of a younger generation

many of our superhits are based upon classical stuff, if
sorry giggles ji I know you promised to keep HR out of this, but on the positive side, but he is a marketing gur in this stuff

Suppose singers/MD such as Shreya/Sonu/Udit/KK/HR/ARR/AS/ID/Shantanu are used this is a very easy sell
Just my POV

good point! but what made these people popular in the first place? i think it was a combination of "face" (personality, visual factors) and "content". i am not sure they wld remain as popular if they removed the personality and the visual effects they bring... Which (if true) means it still comes down to the role visual factors play in today's world...

Originally posted by: madhavir108

Note my comments in red..

👏👏👏i agree with you madhavi didi!!!!

Originally posted by: chatbuster

good point! but what made these people popular in the first place? i think it was a combination of "face" (personality, visual factors) and "content". i am not sure they wld remain as popular if they removed the personality and the visual effects they bring... Which (if true) means it still comes down to the role visual factors play in today's world...

Visual factors matter a lot.. esp thru media.. as giggles ji told about her daughter thinkin tat Kishore da sounded like Debo !! thats hilarious.. shwoin tat media plays such a great role..

its this same media tat can change the view people have towards classicl music... morning raga showed classical music in a totally diff light.. n it was a good thing... see hema, the fact tat he learnt classical music helped him handle tat preyasi so well.... do u think twinkle or rajeev could have handled tat ?! i doubt it..they r good singers.. but to stay breathless for 15 seconds ??!

visual factors come into play to promote it, and thts y i keep stressin tat more movies like morning raga have to be made.. tell ppl tat classical music isnt so bad... in telugu industry, a recent movie shri ramadasu, which has a lot of classical songs, it became a huge hit.. y.. coz they cashed in on visual factors.. they used a media to promote classicla music.. it works..

Originally posted by: chatbuster

good point! but what made these people popular in the first place? i think it was a combination of "face" (personality, visual factors) and "content". i am not sure they wld remain as popular if they removed the personality and the visual effects they bring... Which (if true) means it still comes down to the role visual factors play in today's world...

Very true, I think it is an accepted fact the visuals of classical singing do not help in making it popular, now what visuals are possible and I addressing that point

A visual of Sonu/ID/HR/ARR speaking about classical or producing/singing classical tunes would certainly help