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Music
channels refuse to air songs from Noor Jahan \
It
is simply the most original music we have heard in a long time - the melodies
of Cinevista’s TV epic Noor Jahan. And the music channels have refused
to air it!
Let us take the sequence of events:
After composer Talat Aziz excelled himself in the compelling score, Cinevista
decided to come out with the exceptional songs in the form of an album.
Obstacle one arose when a couple of music companies they approached hemmed
and hawed and said that though they found the music good, they did not
know where to slot it! Finally Champak Jain of Venus heard just one song
and brought the rights. The producers intended to come out with more albums
and Venus was game, as the first album contains eight tracks and many
more have been already recorded.
It is mandatory today to have a music video to accompany a non-film album.
Even a couple of films (like Thakshak) have had a specially crafted video
quite removed from the film itself. The video generates curiosity and
is aired - free - on the electronic media from a fortnight or so before
the music is released. This gives an added incentive to the dealer to
stock the product, since the consumer is aware of it.
| We are in touch with Venus and it’s wrong to say that we will not air it. Once they satisfy us with the quality, we will put it on air immediately Music Asia spokesperson |
Accordingly, a special video was conceptualised for the album by Glen-Ankush,
starring Gauri Pradhan and Milind Soman who play the key characters. The
video was shot in the internationally au courant Digital Beta format.
Venus handed over the video to the four music channels that purport to
exist for or largely market Indian music - MTV, Channel [V], Music Asia
and ETC channel. It has been a month since the music has been out in the
market, but it is yet to go on air.
The official MTV stand on it is that it was a policy decision not to screen
an ‘advertorial’ promoting a tele-serial rather than a video
created to promote an artiste, according to Kalayanasundaram, Director,
Programming, who also hints that "We do not play music that does
not meet our quality standards."
A Channel [V] spokesperson says candidly "It wasn’t the kind
of music that fitted in with our channel." There is even greater
ambiguity in the desi music channels which should be decidedly more compassionate
towards our own music.
A Music Asia spokesperson talked vaguely about the lack of "production
values and the visual quality" of the video. "Every video handed
over to us goes through a process of creative scanning and the feedback
decides whether we air it or not. We are in touch with Venus and it’s
wrong to say that we will not air it. Once they satisfy us with the quality,
we will put it on air immediately."
But when it was pointed out that the video quality is state-of-the-art,
the spokesperson said, "Well, I cannot talk about the technical aspect.
Maybe the print was bad... as I said we are in touch with Venus."
But shouldn’t an Indian music channel be more sympathetic to Indian
music than the foreign ones that only screen Indian music because they
cannot survive without it? "Certainly. We are a different kind of
channel from them. But there are no issues here, it’s only a matter
of quality..."
The stand taken by ETC even gets a shade confused when it says that the
video, despite "not having the requisite quality" has been sent
for airing in their programme "Pop Unlimited". Why has it not
been aired then - for over a month? "It will be aired soon,"
says Allan Vaz, Talent & Artiste Relations man, vaguely. "Let
me check on this." A day later he is still unsure whether the video
will be aired at all.
A desperate Venus is trying to convince the TV channels to see reason
for the last few weeks, but to no avail. Says a resigned Liaqat who looks
after the electronic media promotions for Venus, "These are all excuses.
We have fulfilled all the requirements. We have given them new video material
and they just cannot say that they are plugging a serial. The video meets
exacting technical standards. There are unfortunately no clear-cut guidelines
and no one is willing to give us anything in writing. And the relationship
between music channels and companies is mutual and we cannot take up issue
with them over this one album because they do air our other products.
We are trying to work things out. Aur kya kar sakte hain?" he shrugs.
Champak Jain, partner, Venus Records And Tapes Ltd., is more forthcoming.
"These channels always have some reservations about serials, and
this problem arose even with Amaanat. But I feel that music channels should
not refuse to promote any music. Kya matlab hai music channels ka agar
woh music promote nahin karenge? Our video is very beautifully made, how
can they say that yeh fit nahin ho rahaa?" he wants to know. Will
this discourage Venus from buying more such music? "Definitely,"
he admits. "We had planned to market more albums of Noor Jahan in
future. But if we encounter such problems and have to rely on paid 60-second
promos rather than these free airings of songs, then we will have to do
a re-think on this." Can’t the IMI have their own channel? "We
definitely can, providing we come together, and it will be an excellent
solution for this kind of impasse," feels Jain. "But that will
take time, even if it does materialise." And that’s the tragedy
of good, original and ethnically melodious music today. Says Prem Kishen
of Cinevista, "This is our first foray into music, and it’s
not been pleasant.
Venus is trying their best, but these music channels are cooking up excuses.
At the press conference-cum-launch for the music album, the video was
extremely well received. How can they say it’s not upto the mark?
This will act as a disincentive for a music company to market good music
from a serial."
Scoffs Nida Fazli, lyricist, "My Sailaab (a TV serial) title-track
Apne marzi ke was converted into a video for an album by Jagjit Singh.
Both were aired by all the channels. It would seem as if the channels
have something against the composer."
| Even
if the video does end up plugging a DD serial, how does it hurt the
music channel? Every video they show plugs someone or something, an
artiste, a music company, a multi-crore film. Look at the crap they put on air! And then they have the weirdest objection to good, original music! Talat Aziz |
We finally take the case to the film’s composer, singer-actor-composer
Talat Aziz, the man who has invested three years of blood, sweat and creativity
on the fabulous score. Roars Talat, "The whole system is ridiculous
and I’m acutely disappointed! First, the music companies try to categorise
mousiqi (music composition). Then Venus buys the music on merit - and
now this! Even if the video does end up plugging a DD serial, how does
it hurt the music channel? Every video they show plugs someone or something,
an artiste, a music company, a multi-crore film.
Look at the crap they put on air! And then they have the weirdest objection
to good, original music! The whole set-up is so rotten that I feel like
tossing away everything and resigning!"
"If originality and creative effort is punished like this, who will
be encouraged to create original music? Which music company will get the
incentive to market such music? No wonder our music is appreciated better
by foreigners. A Kuwaiti music group called Miami 2000 have composed a
song which is in Arabic but is completely Indian in its orchestration
and choral pattern. And the song is one of the biggest-ever hits there!
In India the tragedy is that we have to fight for the survival of our
own music with such forces!"
What is the solution to this situation? "More knowledgeable people
who are passionate about music should be inducted into these channels,"
says Talat. "There should be genuine music lovers in these channels
- only then will their decisions be responsible ones."
Rajiv Vijayakar