Music Industry : The new paradigms

Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

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While there is a squabble going on in the Hindi cinema about the audio rights of the films that are being released the same is becoming a discounted commodity in the west. A new trend has been initiated in the western countries of offering the music as a free download from the websites. Now the music is being released on the websites, and those who want to copy it can download it, there is also no fixed cost to it, and this option has been left to the aficionado to pay whatever he wants to if he finds the music captivating.

The moot question of making music available on the net is that now the consumer has become the king. He is being pampered in all the ways possible and in such a scenario why should he buy an audio CD which may cost more than Rs.150/-, but from that CD only one or two songs may be a hit. It is not acceptable to the customer at all. If one were to rake the memory and try to find out a composition of Hindi film in which all the songs have been a super hit it would be like searching a needle in a hay stack.

The advent of music downloads by the mobile phone companies as called IDs or ring tones is already eating away into the margins of the music industry and with the level of sophistication being acquired into by the mobiles, it is practically neigh impossible to stop the music being downloaded. Therefore, it indeed makes a sense to offer the music as download. A trend has already been initiated by few Indian companies like Rajshri Films and Yash Raj Films where they have started offering the films as downloads. Once the films are being offered as downloads how long music would be able to keep itself aloof is a matter of conjecture.

View Om Shanti Om Movie Stills

Even the likes of Apple had to bow to this unfolding scenario and it fixed a minimum floor price for the songs to be copied on to the i-pods, and this has phenomenally increased the revenue of Apple Corporation as well. If the music is good, the word of mouth publicity it would generate would automatically translate into revenues and the success of the music of SAAWARIA is an ample testimony to it. The songs as teasers being released in succession would further add to the popularity of the films as is being done with SAAWARIYA and OM SHANTI OM.

The coming days for Hindi music industry in the country would indeed be in a state of flux and from this churn probably the golden era of Indian music would surely return and it would be the technology of the times which would trigger this change.

http://www.glamsham.com/movies/features/07//nov/07_feature_s aawariya_om_shanti_om_110714.asp

Thanks Di.

Its actually a very scary scenario. SOme movies like yatra or water may not be sa popular as OM shanti OM or sawariya, but the songs they have they are simply mindblowing. So in the given situation if the movie fails, chances are that songs will fade into oblivion even before they have been tested....

Not really sure,if this is a 100% good idea...

Thank you for the article Di. Music is so readily available on the net that its easier to download songs and not pay for a CD. This really must affect new singers too who are trying to come up when their CDs are not sold.

This also means I should go out and buy the album 😆

Here oldies songs are way cheaper so I tend to get one CD at least after grocery 😳

Exactly Minali. Thats what I am feeling. How is this going to help the basic business of the music industry. Isn't this going to effect the sales and thus revenue???

Originally posted by: Barnali

Now the music is being released on the websites, and those who want to copy it can download it, there is also no fixed cost to it, and this option has been left to the aficionado to pay whatever he wants to if he finds the music captivating.

But why should they bother to pay after getting the audio's!!! Thats what I am yet to get. Either then they need to make sure to keep the audio of lesser bit rates so that they are now forced to pay and download the CD quality audios. But with innumerable websites offering good quality MP3's how long can they carry this on?

Didi thank for the article.

This really established a new paradigm for our understanding of the Music Industry. The innovation that leads to our ability to digitize music, share, and discover it only continues to get better. By creating technology that allows people all of us find, listen to, discover and share can't be wrong. The real question lies in how this is monetized.

I think this fat music industry is pathologically not capable to find the silver lining in the dramatic technological changes occurred in the last 10 years. They try to stick to old distribution models, built on controlled environment. I don't think our society will sacrifice its speed in technological development in order to keep a single or two industries satisfied with their voracious appetite for profits.

I think the music industry will survive because of 'old world mentality folks' like me 😆 Inspite of all songs available on the net these days, I still prefer to buy CDs that I like (though I am terribly falling short of space in my CD racks these days 😆)

I also think that typically the music industry used to keep a huge margin between the production costs and final sale price of the CDs.. If we notice in India these days, the cost of VCD and DVD may have come down significantly these days, but the audio CDs have still maintained the price level... so perhaps the margins are still good enough to survive inspite of the falling sales... One cannot get away from the fact mp3s will be available on the net, how much ever rules are tightened - one probably just needs to mandate that if downloads are done from the official sources, a price has to be associated with it...

Free downloads anyway bring up the whole big problem of piracy - and the whole entertainment industry has been a victim of it.. The only solution to that, I feel, should come from us the viewers and the audience... we will need to have the consciousness that we will not subscribe to this, we will ensure that the industry gets back its cost of providing us the entertainment.. else no rule ever will work!

Even if the companies dont offer the songs, how much time will it take for the public to rip the CD and upload the songs?? Just one buys the CD and rest avail it from the internet.. And now there are too many ways to download the online version of the songs!!

So, with all latest Technology invading us, getting songs shouldnt be that difficult..

Regarding the sales and revenue - The production companies are getting benefited thru various other sources otherwise why would they take chance by giving out songs for free.. Nothing comes in this world without money.. So, Im sure, they are gonna get equally benefited..

Originally posted by: Anu.Rad

Even if the companies dont offer the songs, how much time will it take for the public to rip the CD and upload the songs?? Just one buys the CD and rest avail it from the INTERNET.. And now there are too many ways to download the online version of the songs!!

So, with all latest Technology invading us, getting songs shouldnt be that difficult..

Regarding the sales and revenue - The production companies are getting benefited Thur various other sources otherwise why would they take chance by giving out songs for free.. Nothing comes in this world without money.. So, Im sure, they are gonna get equally benefited..

But Anu Just one buy and rip is another story free downloads bring up the whole big problem of piracy. Like Jaya said in her post that should come from us the viewers and the audience key word is our conscious and respect for the law. I think this fat music industry is trying to find the silver lining.

Originally posted by: *Jaya*

I think the music industry will survive because of 'old world mentality folks' like me 😆 Inspite of all songs available on the net these days, I still prefer to buy CDs that I like (though I am terribly falling short of space in my CD racks these days 😆)

U too 😆 same here....but true the more these free downloads are allowed more piracy would start. I too am not sure how this is going to benefit the music industry....what i can see here is they are offering us the tracks for free. so most would not go for buying the CD anymore. and now today if these music companies themselves give out tracks for downloading to us then they loose the chance to ask others not to do so. Final result - Pirated CD's and that too for free.