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New Kid On The Block: Bobby Singh; Bhagwati Prasad
The proliferation of smaller companies in the market is not only an indication of trying to break the autonomy that some companies enjoyed in the music world. But also reflects upon the newer forms of media production. Interview with this upcoming singer was just one of the ways adopted by the researcher to investigate this trend. The singer's album has just been released by a music company called Nupur Cassettes.
On 1st august I got an opportunity to interview a new singer called Bobby Sing. Born in a family of a government servant in Delhi, bobby admits that no one else in his family is into music.When he was in school, he would sing sabad kirtan and that's how got interested in music.
"...While i was doing BA from Khalsa college in Delhi University, I also worked with Daler Mehndi's group. That's when I thought that I should be doing something of my own. Thats when I prepared an instrumental album. I adopted the following startegy. I prepapred 200 albums.Apart from printing my address, i printed "not for sale" on the cassette cover. I distributed it freely, especially in DJ parties. The idea was that when it'll be played at various places then it's possible that someone might hear it. Further I gave it free to people who had contacts in the music industry, so that they could give my music to some company. Some person gave this album to Nupur cassette company's Saurabh Gupta who contacted me. Nupur cassette company released his instrumental album in July. It was titled: "Real Soft memorable film song on piano". It has a total of eight songs which have been played on piano..."
He says that between 1997-1998 when Punjabi albums were getting flopped, then a new trend started emerging in the music market. Music companies would release music of new singers and advertise them through radio stations. For this the singer would not get any money. Infact, the money required to make the master was also paid by the singer only.
These days most of this work is done through contracts. If you want to prepare a music album of eight songs, then you will have to give it to one music composer on a contract. This will require an expenditure between 50,000-1,00,000/- This money does not include the expenditure of lyricist.
Music composer uses this money to rent a studio where singer has to go and sing. The music studioes in Delhi are of three categories. a) where recording of big albums is done b) Where light albums are recorded c)where small albums are recoded, like devotional albums.
It takes about 50,000/- to prepare a small studio. This studio has to have a keyboard, mixer, digitiser and analogue techniques are also there. The studio owner has no role in preparing music. He just takes rent on an hourly basis. The rent varies from 600/hour to 800/-
Around 1990s the music companies would sign contracts with singers. These contracts would be for 6-7 years. But now its not like this. Now contract is on the basis of the album. If you have signed contract for three albums then you cannot sing for any other company. Along with this, singer has to do two to three free shows as well. The contracts are all legal and done on stamp paper.
It can take from 1 hour to 1 week to complete one song. But these days music directors take up lots of work on contract and therefore work in factory production format. Thats why they try and finish up loads of work in less time.
In a remix song, one singer does not get any publicity because today its the time for video albums. Everybody recognises and demands albums through their video and not through their singers. In fact thenames of singers are given smetimes only at the back covers.
On 1st august I got an opportunity to interview a new singer called Bobby Sing. Born in a family of a government servant in Delhi, bobby admits that no one else in his family is into music.When he was in school, he would sing sabad kirtan and that's how got interested in music.
"...While i was doing BA from Khalsa college in Delhi University, I also worked with Daler Mehndi's group. That's when I thought that I should be doing something of my own. Thats when I prepared an instrumental album. I adopted the following startegy. I prepapred 200 albums.Apart from printing my address, i printed "not for sale" on the cassette cover. I distributed it freely, especially in DJ parties. The idea was that when it'll be played at various places then it's possible that someone might hear it. Further I gave it free to people who had contacts in the music industry, so that they could give my music to some company. Some person gave this album to Nupur cassette company's Saurabh Gupta who contacted me. Nupur cassette company released his instrumental album in July. It was titled: "Real Soft memorable film song on piano". It has a total of eight songs which have been played on piano..."
He says that between 1997-1998 when Punjabi albums were getting flopped, then a new trend started emerging in the music market. Music companies would release music of new singers and advertise them through radio stations. For this the singer would not get any money. Infact, the money required to make the master was also paid by the singer only.
These days most of this work is done through contracts. If you want to prepare a music album of eight songs, then you will have to give it to one music composer on a contract. This will require an expenditure between 50,000-1,00,000/- This money does not include the expenditure of lyricist.
Music composer uses this money to rent a studio where singer has to go and sing. The music studioes in Delhi are of three categories. a) where recording of big albums is done b) Where light albums are recorded c)where small albums are recoded, like devotional albums.
It takes about 50,000/- to prepare a small studio. This studio has to have a keyboard, mixer, digitiser and analogue techniques are also there. The studio owner has no role in preparing music. He just takes rent on an hourly basis. The rent varies from 600/hour to 800/-
Around 1990s the music companies would sign contracts with singers. These contracts would be for 6-7 years. But now its not like this. Now contract is on the basis of the album. If you have signed contract for three albums then you cannot sing for any other company. Along with this, singer has to do two to three free shows as well. The contracts are all legal and done on stamp paper.
It can take from 1 hour to 1 week to complete one song. But these days music directors take up lots of work on contract and therefore work in factory production format. Thats why they try and finish up loads of work in less time.
In a remix song, one singer does not get any publicity because today its the time for video albums. Everybody recognises and demands albums through their video and not through their singers. In fact thenames of singers are given smetimes only at the back covers.