Does music sell anymore?

Audio gramophone records, cassettes and now CD’s have they all become things of the past? Does music sell anymore in physical form? How many days has it been since you visited a music store to buy music? How much of music do you listen or download from youtube or other sources of net?

Within hardly a decade music lost its physical existence. I still remember picking up cd’s from the store odyssey at panjagutta regularly. It all seems to be just yesterday, but days have passed so fast that eight years seem to have just got over in a wink of the eye. It used to be fun picking up cd’s of choicest musicians and singers and listen to them in leisure hours. Sharing the cd with friends in exchange for other songs rather it was an activity on mind that used to get some priority at times. But none of that seems to have relevance now. A song is just a commodity freely available on various pirate web sites.

With technology helping to listen to the song at anyplace at anytime, who will really be an ardent follower to buy and pay?

So, why do we have to pay for music? Wish we had sites that allow us to wear a dress for a party for free, use a perfume for no cost, borrow a car for a ride absolutely free, rent a house for 100% discount. Then why is it that only music is freeware and shareware? Mute your ears for a week and stop listening to music. If you do not have the urge for listening to music after that then I am not talking to you at all. My dialogue is only with those who are hungry for music, so my point is why, we don’t pay to listen. Remember that what we pay leaves a share to the person who created it for all. If we regard them for their musical contribution, then we should feel pride in contributing back to them.

There is also a lot of music albums that find place on the rack of music stores and there are some buyers for them if not like before. These albums mostly comprise of abstract music, classical music and devotional albums. The commercial film music is of course launched but do they really sell is a million dollar question. Compared to any other product, the MRP of CD’s have been falling over the years. It is not affordability but prioritization that makes a difference.

Radio has done extensive damage over the years. I was asking a student who said, “The latest songs are played by radio jocks, so why do I require to buy it again”. True, almost every genre of music, latest songs, bytes of celebs and song promotions play 24/7 on several channels that are free. The music channels play the videos for free all through the day. So really, who would want to invest on music again? You are already paying your internet charges, cable and mobile bills which cover the cost of music, that you listen to. In the point of view of the user he is justified not to pay for music.

Regulating organizations such as the  PPL and IRPS societies have been doing their part to ensure that the original rights holder of music gets his rightful share of music royalties from all these sources who are using their music to sell their channels. There might be some who are misused but that is mostly due to piracy. Today every mobile company or radio office has a software generated log report of what they play or upload and the log reports help determine the royalty payments. The problem is lack of awareness of the musician to cash his talent. Most of the times, they enter into agreements that make a one time settlement of outright purchase of the compositions. This disables their right to claim over the sales in future. Lack of confidence on their own music or pressing needs push them into such arrangements most of the time. The trader knows the pulse better and coaxes them to sell it for petty amounts giving them wrong projections. It is not just the farmer, who is exploited with his harvest, it is even worse when a composer reaches the market to sell his works. Literally, there are no takers for music today, be it the Big brands or the small ones. Earlier there used to be music producers who used to do the intermediary job of investing upfront, pay the musicians and artistes and sell the finished good to music companies. Today music is still surviving only because of the requirement of songs in Indian films. Though the film audio does not sell as a product anymore, the film sells because of a song in it. So musicians and composers are paid by film producers.

Thanks to Indian cinema and cinema goers that music is alive in the country.

What would have been the fate of music industry if India was Hollywood? No songs in films. Musicians would have had to survive only on music shows. Ticketed shows are always a flop. No one really buys a pass to a show. We all wait for an invitation or a free pass to attend such shows. It is the sponsor who comes as a savior to bear the costs. Musicians are paid in another instance if the show is called for by an individual or a corporate or government bodies that organize cultural shows and events. Do you know that if a song is sung or played in any public place like a mall or a restaurant the user has to pay up royalty charges to the original composer of such music? The system has been devised to let the composer or the original producer to make most of their artwork.

So it is time that every musician gets awareness about the copyright acts and make their moolah and stop saying that music does not sell anymore. Music sells and it is bought also, maybe not by the end user directly like earlier days. There are several mediums and platforms where music is bought to be used, be it in pubs by dj’s or for inflight airway display or for playing on ships for cruises or radio or tv or mobile any public display. They are the ones who buy and make it available for the end user who may not be paying for it at all.

So Music sells always.