A lot of artists this year chose to release their music independently. While this could be an option for the lot which can pay for the production, distribution, marketing and lawyers, this can’t even be a consideration for most other musicians.
Earlier this year, we highlighted some interesting facts about how digital music has been the cause of no physical sales in Pakistan. Bottomline: like CDs killed cassettes, MP3s put an end to era of CDs. That said, American market could still sustain itself with launch of iTunes in 2003 which could let people buy less-tangible-mp3s too. With no model of online sales in Pakistan, the indie releases have to be carried out the traditional way with physical distribution of CDs. This ultimately results costing a lot more money than most indie artists in Pakistan can afford.
With record labels carrying out releases at the pace of snail, musicians have lost faith in them. Fire Records only managed to release less than 20 percent of the 60 releases they had planned for 2010. This resulted in a lot of independent releases this year. Last year Overload made their album “Pichal Pairee” available for free download online while Mekaal Hasan Band started to sell “Saptak” on CDBaby and iTunes independently. With little online buyers in Pakistan, most of the audience couldn’t get to hear the sound of Saptak.
This year, musicians seem to take yet another route. Ali Zafar has already announced his own record label and filming studio called “Alif Records“. Annie is also working on launching her pop career at UK with her own label by the name of AK Records (probably abbreviation of Annie Khalid Records). Hadiqa Kiani has also been spotted with her very own record label by the name of HK Records. Rohail Hyatt in an interview with Madeeha Syed, a renowned local journalist, talked about plans to release his solo album and also somewhat nodded when asked about starting a (rumored) record label.
This still appears to be an independent journey but with traditional distribution. With traditional distributions planned, it is obvious this journey can be fruitful for only a few artists. What direction should rest of the industry take?
5 replies on “Pakistani Musicians Taking the Indie Route”
Nice Post!
In last 10 years, due to Pakistan producing mostly crappy music, the boom of mobile phones, spread of mp3s, launch of countless TV and radio channels, shops that sold CDs and tapes have been forced to close shop and the owners had to move on. The real future of music business still lies in physical sales, doesn’t matter if artists are getting royalties or lump sum, at least in Pakistan. But there are very few shops left in the market, the distribution of releases is slow, the Fire Records versus The Musik records is not helping the industry at all, ARY channels ignore Fire releases while Geo channels ignore Musik releases, they are killing the business. I remember when I couldnt wait to buy the newest album after hearing about it, now when I want to, there is no place to buy it from, most of the times I am forced to download, but I am a music enthusiast, not everyone is like that, people dont have time to find out what is new in the market, they hardly ever watch a program on TV in its entirety because they switch channels during commercials and before we know it, two hours pass.
The industry need to be more focused and work together, the problem will not be solved if Fire releases 60 albums or if Rohail Hayat launches a royalty based record company, everything has to work together.
@ Saddaf
Please correct me I f I am wrong, but this is all what I practically faced.
Reasons for this Bullshit
Being a Musician and Music Critic what I think
1- Still not decided that Music is Halal or Haram.
2- there are very few audiance in the country, which you will find in every show every
concert, which realy do not make a difference.
3- FIRE records can not promote music, because KOI KHAREEDTA NAE HAI YAAR ! COME ON , ata
cheeni kae paisae nae hain , blasts ho rahae hain , larko kae bcom kae papers honaae walae
hai … aba cheekh rahae hotae hain sub kae … DID YOU GO FOR YOU ACCOUNTING CLASS ? shit
… and this is the youth that listens to music somehow , aisae main do you think FIRE
RECORD can do any thing ?
4-Govt is the most bullshit one ever seen. The only man Musharaf who was a art loving
president, he went … so … end result is ZARDARI now digest it.
5-Upto the date, music is not a profession in our country, why because the investers are in secure, because of the religious attitude of the people, because ofthe country’s Govt and what not bullshit….
There are many many … manyth of the other things I can point out, due to which musician or artist is forced to go out of the country ….. Big Example Sajjad Bhai, Sheki Bhai, Alamgeer , and also …
6- Even I my self, after my music graduation from NAPA and Launch of first music Video I came to UAE, because … otherwise there was lot of bullshit to welcome me in my Own Mother Land …..
@ shehzad.
first of all i would say that i have no personal grudges ok. its just a discussion forum and i am doing that.
Regarding you coment that you still not decided whether the music you yourself is doing is halal or haram. come on man. you graduated in music. you chose music as a profession for your life. and the basic building block of your life’s earning, and look what are you saying “is music halal or haram”……i am really surprised by your comment man.
We have all the talent that exists in the world. but you know what no body cares. these record labels just want to earn money. there been no proper promotion of the artist. one such example i know is that there was a band i hope that might still be, they wanted to release there album through fire records and the administrater said that put my name as a lyricist on ur album. now thats our bloody mind. we dont invest and instead we buy others work that is of indian work i am talking about.
for example take cinemas, our investor invest huge to buy an indian movie. but they dont even bother to unite at one platform and give that particular money to our directors who are short of budget to make a good PAKISTANI movie. nooooooo they wont. because this require alot of work and passion. that they dont want to dooo….
i had watched your video already and i like your voice. i am a fan of PAKISTANI music from my childhood. this doesnt means i belong to a mummy dady family where u know…what. i mean to say. …..:)
again one thing i personley feel is that u must know wat music is i mean halal or haram. one of renowned alim Mr Ghaamdi says that you can listen music unless and until it contains any shrkya thing. or u might say that it must not contain vulgarity in terms of videos…..i hope you get what i am trying to say.
about government…yar bhai i dont want to coment on that. JAISAY HUM KHUD HAI WAISAY HUKAMRAN HAM PER MUSALAT KIAY GAIY HAIN. that what i think if i am wrong plz do make me right.
in the end KEEP DOING GOOD MUSIC. SLOWLY BUT SURELY YOU GONA GET WHAT ARE YOU AIMING FOR. I WISH AND PRAY YOU GET A BIG NAME IN DOING GOOD MUSIC. AMEEN.
Still not decided that Music is Halal or Haram. ???? this is my TANZ over the bullshit system dear. for me its my life i know this already. but i was talking on general about the people …. any way thanks a lot for your prayers and views ….