Raga Reloaded

The digital revolution of music — that initially propped up the underground music scene and then became a mainstream wave with iPods,iTunes and more — has gotten to the Indian classical music. And,high time too. For,only this newfound internet consciousness could rescue it from low sales. Now,anybody can download a bandish in Raga Kirwani by Shankar,a rendition of Raga Bhairav by Ashwini Bhide and a tabla recital by Aneesh Pradhan and Akram Khan.

“Retailing an Indian classical music in the physical form is a tough task,” says singer Shubha Mudgal. “If I bring out a CD under a music label,it will get swamped under the new albums in a week’s time. Also,in online distribution we do not lose the rights to our music.” Mudgal and husband Aneesh Pradhan have an online music store,Underscore Records. They started with two artists,including Pradhan,in 2003 and now have over 180 artists,including rudra veena maestro Ustad Asad Ali Khan,Hindustani singer Ajay Chakravarty and Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam. “I just want to make sure that the extremely traditional Indian classical musicians are acquainted with this technology. They should understand the power of this medium and be self-sufficient,without depending on big music labels,” says Mudgal.

Shankar’s daughter Anoushka will also be distributing her music through Eastmeetswestmusic,which has an archive of thousands of hours of audio and video footage. “We have some real performance gems. And we had a real desire to have this music available all over the world,” says Anoushka. These labels are also aimed at providing platform for new artists,projects,and collaborations. “At this point,it’s not so unusual for artists to want to have a direct hand in producing and distributing the music they make,” she says .

Apart from Shankar and Mudgal’s online labels,music companies in India have also tied up with iTunes and Napster to venture into digital sales. “Online sales of Indian classical music are at a nascent stage now but things will definitely pick up,” says Atul Chiromani,artistes and repertoire manager,SaReGaMa. Manu Kohli of Music Today says “the Net is a better platform for younger classical musicians to distribute their music”.

As far as the pricing is concerned,Mudgal says,“A rare raga will be priced more than a common raga,” she says. The prices also depend on the artist’s contract with the company. On Underscore Records,a 45-minute raga by the sarangi player Fateh Ali will cost $2.99 and a Mudgal song $1.5. On Eastmeetswestmusic,a four-minute Durga Suktam by Shankar will cost 99 cents. But if one orders a CD to be delivered via Amazon,it will cost a pretty $19.98.

Shankar says,“There is more than hope for Indian classical music. There is an unwavering belief that it can and will thrive,no matter what the technological state of affairs is. As long as there are ears and hearts,there will be Indian classical music.”