The New Age

The New Age
Music & the Internet
Published in Images [DAWN]
Sunday, 19th March, 2006


With the sudden explosion of the internet in Pakistan, a fresh and innovative channel has opened its doors to the local music industry. It has managed to reel in a new age and new form of listening to music. The lack of any rules and regulations for internet usage means that people from all age groups find “cheap” and “comprehensive” entertainment through the World Wide Web. Furthermore, marketing through the net ends up being much cheaper than it is through other mediums and therefore, underground bands which are not financially strong find it a cost-effective way of advertising their music.

It is safe to say that an internet presence has become compulsory for any musician who wants to make his or her mark in the market. It also allows our local musicians easy access to the world market, since the World Wide Web has now become “a global business directory”, as Mr. Arshad Mahmud, Editor of World Music Magazine and Director Programs of NAPA very rightly points out. Much to their glee, the Pakistani communities abroad can also now listen to [and to some extent directly participate in] the local music scene. Their “jazba” for their country can be manifested through their active participation by way of the internet. It is avenues such as “blogs”, “discussion forums”, “communities on Orkut”, “webzines”, “ezines”, “music portals”, “and yahoo groups”, which are available to the global community for this very purpose. The much visited and talked about Orkut for example, is an online community site designed for friends. The main goal of their service is to make the visitor’s social life, and that of their friends, more active and stimulating. One can also create and join a wide variety of online communities which have been launched by the myriad music bands, artists, producers, and directors which make up the Pakistani Music Industry. Orkut to some of the upcoming music artists has become a marketing haven and self promotional platform. Every important TV Channel, radio station and music website has a community on Orkut and it provides the added advantage of having the presence of an international audience. Therefore, one can almost immediately gage the importance Orkut possesses in the bigger picture of things. Other than Orkut though, one of the most visited music oriented e-zines is called Bandbaj.org, and as their writer and PR Manager Huma Imtiaz explains “Bandbaja was one of the first e-zines that came up with comprehensive reviews and interviews that took a fresh look at the state of affairs in the music industry. Not only that but we have promoted a lot of artists that were being ignored elsewhere”. E-zines are online versions of music magazines that can be viewed by anyone in the world.

I feel that an apt description of the relationship between the internet and music is best described by Mr. Adeel, owner of the popular online entertainment e-zine DesiTwist: “It is plug-and-play, turn on your favorite music website, download and/or play the track”. The truth is that the internet is having a “label – breaking” effect on society. This is a medium which anyone, anywhere can use to voice their opinions, to listen to or watch what they want. With its advent, we are no longer an “isolated” society. Furthermore, limitations of time have also been countered by the internet. Music is available at your fingertips “when” you want it … unlike TV and radio channels where you have to wait for a specific program to be aired. Cellular technology has also supported this explosion of access to music; you can use your mobile phone to use the internet and listen to the latest music. However, there are some negatives to the whole scenario also. With the use of the internet comes a sense of responsibility on the part of the website administrators – to ensure that only those singles and albums are made available for download which the musician has given permission for. The wide availability of unreleased music leads to decreased album sales for the musicians. As says Mr. Arshad Mahmud of World Music Magazine: “The only download sites which are popular are the sites which offer free downloads. We some how never acquired and acknowledged the responsibility of spending money on entertainment”.

Another infamous creation of the internet is the internet radio station, which has become popular because of the wide variety of music it offers and the relative lack of commercials it airs. Listeners can also customize play lists to their own liking, thus giving them greater freedom than ever before. There is FM Mast 103.com, FM 100, City FM 89 and a few other internet radio sites for the Pakistani youth to listen to.

Although TV and radio are also important modes of communication for the music industry, the internet I feel is the medium of the future. It has no limitations and can be accessed from anywhere in the world at any time of the day. Furthermore the availability of constant updates and downloadable material online is unprecedented. One can be linked and have instant access to the ‘going-ons’ of the local music industry, sitting at literally any location on the globe. However, it is important to note that with all the freedom it enjoys, the electronic media also has a responsibility to promote and project our music industry and a more “liberal” way of thinking. This is the only means for our industry to evolve and make a name for itself internationally.


By: Fariha Rashed.