Streaming Live

Music being so readily available online and on digital platforms can only be better for music composers,as it reaches a lot more people. Every home nowadays practically has access to some sort of internet plan. For that reason we are relieved,because we strive for more people to listen to our music.

Even though we may be a little unaware of the business model of music,we acknowledge that there is a flipside to music going online. People who go to websites to download our music rarely take time to make sure they are downloading the right sound quality of the track. Sometimes,they end up with a lower quality,musically weak MP3s,and that disheartens us because we spend months making sure the sound of music is perfect. We can’t prevent people from going online to access music,especially because there are so many sites available for people to download that.

There will always be that small fraction of an audience that still goes out to the market,or logs onto a website to buy a music CD. It has a certain nostalgia value,and it’s still a preference with music aficionados who want to physically cherish their purchase. However,we are thrilled with digital space becoming so popular,as it helps our music reach a wider audience easily.

The soundtrack of Shuddh Desi Romance,for example,which we composed has an international feel to it. Even though the film is set in Jaipur,we know that the music is reaching out to millions of people across the globe through online music platforms. There is that scope for experimentation because the listening spectrum is so large. From a small kid,to a grandmother,everybody has access to our songs at the click of a button.

There’s space for all kinds of music listeners to exist — the people who buy CDs,and the people who download all their music from the web.

Bhushan Kumar

Chairman,T-series

Everybody knows how important the musical score of a Bollywood film is. About eight to nine years ago,all music companies depended on physical sales of CDs and cassettes for their business and we even had lavish music launches. However,as of now,physical sale of CDs amount to hardly three-four per cent of our business model.

The digital spaces have increased and people are downloading their music online. The mobile phone has become the new iPod. While our business ratio has definitely been hampered,we are in a business after all,and have to move on with technology. It is 2013,and we are aware that very few people buy CDs.

Our competition is not with the digital space. People go online to download music mostly because it is free and they can stream it on the spot. We have tied up with many websites that can offer music for free,such as http://www.saavn.com or http://www.gaana.com.

All we want is that people don’t visit illegal sites,and increase piracy. The psychology is the same. On these sites,you still get to download your music for free or stream them without having to wait. The business from these sites cannot be compared with the kind of business we used to get many years ago with CDs and cassettes. But we understand that trends have changed.

We only want that an audience who download music online be literate enough to understand that free music can also mean the quality will be low. Don’t just randomly download music online. Ofcourse,CDs will guarantee the best quality,which is why we cannot do away with CD sales altogether,but in a couple of years,everything will be totally digital. Which is why we urge the audience to use the digital space smartly.