By Arundhuti Banerjee
Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS): Recently, popular rapper Badshah confessed to Mumbai Police that he had paid Rs 72 lakh to buy 72 million fake views, in order to create the record of 'most viewed song' for his track, Pagal, in 2019.
Now, Abhigyan Jha, director of the upcoming music web series, "The Socho Project", claims there is a section of rappers, musicians, and even music companies who pay to popular restaurants and nightclubs to play their songs, as this is one of the fastest ways to gain popularity.
"The whole business of music has changed and it is different. It is not only about buying fake views on social media but there are clubs and restaurants paid to play songs of some artistes under some music labels. That is how one kind of songs are getting promoted, more than other genres of music. When you, as a listener are listening to their songs on every radio station, and in every club and restaurant, you are bound to believe that the artiste is popular! But guess what? That is fake popularity!" Abhigyan told IANS.
His words are justified from an artiste's point of view, but many may argue that there is nothing wrong in this business model, especially for the clubs and restaurant owners, because at the end of the day they are here to make money, either from the music companies or from their customers. Abhigyan has a different view.
"There are age-old places, cafes, and clubs that are still running. In Mumbai and in other metro cities, clubs and restaurants mushroom and also closing down soon after. Why? Because food, music, and ambience make the signature of every brand. By playing the same music that people are hearing everywhere, those places are not left with any signature," he said.
"Tell me, why is Punjabi music being popularised as if music from other regions of the country almost do not exist! There is a difference between promoting one kind of music and overshadowing every other genre and artiste, not based on merit but by money and power structure. That has exactly happened in the recent past," answered the director, who earlier worked on youth shows like "Jay Hind", "Movers & Shakers", "Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahaan" and films like "Krishna Cottage".
In his upcoming show, "The Socho Project", the director has worked with several new talents. The series has 25 new songs and it features known television actors like Lopa Mudra Raut, Gaurav Khanna, and Sahil Vaid among others.