The Return to Silence

But as this is the inaugural column on all things musical,I will stop being the pessimist and raise the proverbial half-full mug of beer to the artists out there who are relentlessly churning out fantastic music. So what if the music industry is not the billion-dollar enterprise it used to be? Even back home,in the last five years or so,we have seen an explosion of contemporary music spawning a rapidly growing industry complete with artist managers,event producers,large scale festivals and indie record labels.

Piracy is the new radio something even classic rocker Neil Young admitted to in a recent interview. But he also mentioned that while the exchange of mp3s was fine,what annoyed him was the quality of these files. According to him,it was only 10 per cent of what the artist had put in and,hence,a sort of disrespect to the work. Long live LPs, he declared and stated that it would be ideal if a new form of file preservation and playing was figured out that would deliver to the listener the complete 100 per cent. He even claimed to have roped in Steve Jobs to do this though his death brought the project to a halt. Its ironic because Jobs,having single-handedly killed the concept of listening to entire albums,used to go home everyday to his vinyl collection.

But does this mean the good old LP is the answer to the industry troubles? Will this innocuous black analogue storage medium make a roaring comeback?

Amarass Records is an indie label based out of Delhi run by a bunch of audiophiles. They have a few folk artistes on their roster including a troupe of Manganiyars Rajasthani singers who have been entertaining merchants and maharajahs for centuries. Apart from making their music digitally available on CDs and iTunes,the label has made a bold move by pressing around 500 copies of 180gm LPs. The LPs are priced at Rs 2,500 each and,as the owner Ankur Malhotra claims,sales have slowly started picking up. Malhotra believes that the return of analogue could slowly start changing the game and Id like to believe him. The records are sold online and through a small network of independent retailers.

Already in the independent music industry worldwide,where all sorts of creative and almost desperate measures are being employed to make a living,vinyls have made space for themselves. Many small indie labels press a few hundred vinyls,ship it out with a good markup while throwing in some extra goodies,like a hand signed cover or even the option of digital download of the same music. The idea is simple you can listen to mp3s but an LP is forever and its long shelf life will always fetch a great resale price,making it a worthwhile art investment as well.

EMI-Virgin India recently re-released a few classic rock albums on LPs to an eager market,making them the first major label in India to do so. The label claims that even if digital sales and downloads were to double,the LP as a physical format would still be around having already outlived the more handy cassette tape thanks to the evolution of turntables and itchy DJs around the world.

At the moment,the contemporary music industry in India discounting Bollywood is heavily dependent on live performances. Alcohol companies have helped a lot. Not many realise but the direct advertising ban on alcohol companies has been a boon for the music scene in India. Sponsoring a festival featuring a few bands definitely beats a 30 second ad on TV. But for a long term foundation,the business model still needs to be directed towards the listener and thats where the harmless dusty old LP may just prove to be useful. What the LP essentially does is bring back the art of listening to music. Its a process that requires some amount of time and patience you take the vinyl out of its cover,dust it,place it gingerly on the turntable and gently drop the needle on the track you want to play. Now sit back and read the jacket inside out while the LP slowly spins its magical sonic yarn. Its an experience. And it needs listening to.

To save the music industry,we first need to bring back listening. To listen,we first need to appreciate silence.