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The Hindustani Music Market Today: The Road Ahead for the Music-maker* DEEPAK S. RAJA POPUlJSMANI>RIVALFORCES Populism has beenthemost widelynoticedtendencyinpost-IndependenceHindustani music. While it has, without doubt, shaped the musicscape in the latter halfof the twentiethcentury,ithasalsoacquiredrivals.AnditistheserivalswhicharedrivingHindustani musicintothetwenty-firstcentury.Populism,by itsvery nature,iseasilyunderstood.The operationofitsrivalsis,however,relativelyopaque.It isthereforenecessarytoexamine populismalongwithitsrivals,sothatwemayacquireaclearerpictureofthedirectionthat Hindustanimusicistaking. IndependenceimposedamajordiscontinuityonHindustanimusic.Thedisappearanceof feudal patronage exposed it to market forces, and converted something that provided a securewayoflifeforthetrulygreatintoahigh-riskself-employedprofessionforall As a result, classical music suffered a depletion oftalent, along with a dccay in the processofgroomingthe subsequentgenerationsinto the art.Thegreat music disappeared along with the giants ofthe early twentieth century.As a legacy,what most ofthem left behindWasnot muchmorethanthebonsaiofabanyantree-s-veryfewcompetentdisciples, andcommercialrecordings,mostlyofthree-minuteduration. TechnologicaladvancesSOOnenabledthecreationofamassmarketforartmusic.Byrbis time,however,therewereneitherenoughmusicianswithstrongmooringsinthetradition, noraudienceswithawell-definedyardstickforjudgingwhatwas beingdishedouttothem, theseforcesgaverisetostrongpopulisttendenciesinHindustanimusic.Thesetenden cieshave,inturn,triggeredoffaconservationistreaction.whichinsistsonthesanctityof thedividinglinebetweenartandentertainment.Inthefortificationoflhisbarrier,theconser vationists have found an ally amongst Hindustani music enthusiasts and scholars in the U.S.andWesternEurope. Hindustanimusicisnow setonapathofirreversibleglobalization,whichhasraisedfears ofits 'de-culturation.'TheIndianaesthetemustnowcome toterms withthisnewreality. TheEmergenceofaMarket By the mid-1970s, mostofthe towering musicians ofthe twentiethcenturyhaddeparted. ·ElI.~tedwithkifJd pennissioooftheauthorfromhisbook HinduJtani.Music:ATraditionInTransit;on, published byD.K. Printwortd,NewDelhi,earlierthisyear(pp.432,po« Rs 850 bardback..~ Rs490 paperback),TheexcerptisfromPartIofthe book. titled'Culture,Tet;hoologyandEconomiC!' fpp.25 83).It bas beenedited minimally inaccordancewithbousestyle. andgivenanewhtle-Ed. SallgutNotok Vol.XXXIX,No.2, 2005 OEEPAK S.RAJA 4 Musicianswithinadequategroominginthemusicofthegreatgharanas invadedthestage. Fromthenon,musicianshavebeenmarketingtheirrespectivebrandsofmusicinacompeti tive,multi-mediaenvironment Thefinancialrewardsofacareer inmusicexperienceda significant boostwben, inthe mid-1960s and 1970s, Europe and the U.S. openedupin responsetopioneeringeffortsbysomeoflndia'sgreatestmusicians. Thepost-IndependenceHindustanimusiciannowaddresses an internationalmarketof considerablesizeanddiversity.Today'smarketforclassicalmusicconsistsof80percent 'innocenti',andonly20percentcognoscenti.Therewardsofaddressingonlythecognosceoti arenowbeyondthereachofmostmusicians,whiletheriskofignoringtheinnocentibas becomeunaffordable.Hindustanimusicnowfindsitprofitable10address thelowestcom moodenominatorbykeepingitselfaccessible,intellectuallyundemanding,andfamiliar.This realitydefmescontemporaryclassicalmusicmorecomprehensivelythanmostprofessiooal musicianswillcaretoadmit. DimensionsofPopulism Fortheuninitiated,instrumentalmusiciseasiertohandlethanvocal musicbecauseaudi encesarenotrequiredtocometotermswiththequality ofthe voice deliveringit,orto grapplewiththepoeticelement.Inthe 1960sand 1970s,the formidable musicianshipof UstadBismillahKhan,PanditPannaIaIGhosh,UstadVilayatKhan,PanditRaviShankar,aod UstadAliAkbarKhanovertookthegiantsamongsttheirvocalistcontemporariesintermsof popularity.Inthe1980sand19905,PanditShivkwnarSharma,PanditHariPrasadChaurasia, PanditBrijbhushan Kabra,andUstad Zakir Hussain consolidated this trend.Thisisre flectedinthegrowingdisparitybetweentheconcertfeesoftheleadingvocalistsandinstru mentalistsofcomparablestature, Thedeclineofvocalmusicthreatensnotonlyvocalmusic,butallofclassicalmusic.This hastobesobecausevocalmusicistheprincipaloriginatorofallmusicalideas,andalsoits mostauthenticexponent. Whentheoriginatorand themost authentic exponentceasesto attractthe besttalent,theart-formriskslosingitsabilityforself-generatinggrowth. Partlybecauseoftheascendancyofinstrumentalmusicovervocalmusic,classicalmusic isalsoundergoingamelodicsimplification.Thistrendalso permitswider reachtoamore diverseandlessdiscerningaudienceprofile.Fewerandfewerragasarenowheard--fromall musicianscollectively,andevenfromeachmusicianindividually.Eveninthepresentatiooof commonorpopularragas,thereisatendencytosimplify,compress,ortruncatetheformof thetraditional,andoftencomplex,compositions.Theprinciplesofsystematicandcompre hensiveragaexpositionhavealsobeenthrowntothewinds. Thesameshrinkageofvarietyandrichnessisdiscernible inthe choiceoftalas.Ektola and tintalanowdominatevocalmusic.Thebada [slowtempo)khayalsinjhumra,tilvaJa. rupakaandjhaptalaarethreatenedbyextinction.Ininstrumental music,thevarietymaybe alinlericher.However,theretoo,dhamar,chautala,andektalahavevirtuallydisaPpeared fromtheconcertplatform.TheenigmaticadochautalaisnowararityininstrumentalaswtU asvocalrenditions. THE HINDUSTANI MUSICMARKETTODAY 5 Thegallopingpopulism of classical musicisevidentalso inthe changingroleofthe percussionaccompanist.Heisnolongerinasupportiveroletotheprocessofmusic-making. Undertheguiseofsecuringfull-fledgedparticipationintheprocess,heexpectsthefreedom tointrudeuponittojustifyhispresence.Itisinthenatureofrhythmtotitillateandbenumb themind.Rhythmbinds;melodyliberates.MusicologistDrAshokRanadehasoftenargued thatifthiswerenottrue,whywouldmartialanddiscomusicbeheavyonrhythmandflimsy onmelodicandpoeticcontent? Itwouldbedifficultforanyonetoarguethatthenewcelebritystatusfortablaplayersis basedonasuperiorpublicunderstandingoftheintricaciesofthetablaidiom.Ifthiswereso, itwouldhaveshapedasubstantialmarketfortablasolos.Infact,justthereverseistrue.In the 1940sand 1950s,tablaexponentslikeUstadAbmedjanThirakwaandUstadAmeer HussainKhancouldmakealivingprimarilyassoloistsandteachers.Suchcareersarevirtu allyinconceivabletoday.Withnodemandforthecomprehensiveartofthepercussionist,it couldperishatthealtarofaudiencetitillation. Musiciansandtheirpercussionistsarefmdingitprofitabletoengageinamusicalstrip tease. unashamedly orgasmic in itsaesthetic intent. Instrumentalists-more than vocal ists-are nowexploiting the undiscerningmajorityofaudiencesbysellingRollsRoyce bodies,fittedwithVolkswagenengines.Musicfitfordiscosnowseekstherespectabilityof theclassicalplatform,andgetsit. Ragapresentationsnowhabituallyacceleratetoatempoatwhichneitherthemelodic contours oftheraga,northeaccentual structure of thetala,canretain their respective distinctivecharacters.Crossingthelimitsofaculturallydefmedmusicalitynowmeritshand somerewards interms ofthunderous applauseandconcertengagements. TheHindustanimusic scene ishurtlingtowardsthe familiar, thepredictable, andthe titillating.Thecontentofmusicisfastfallingpreytothemachinationsofexpression.Agreat dealofclassicalmusicnowchallengesthedividinglinebetweenartandentertainment. TheConservationist Reaction Likeallsocio-culturaltrends,thesetrendstoohavetriggeredoff'thcirowncorrectivemecha nism.Thetusslebetweenpopulismandconservationismhascommenced. Thepopulistsarguethatculturalchangeisaninevitableresponsetochangingaudience profilesandaestheticvalues.It is,therefore,futiletoquestionitsvalidity. Inthepresent context,conservationismhastobedistinguishedfromconservatism.Conservationismdoes notresistchangeperse andisnot,therefore,reactionaryinitsinclinations.Theconserva tionistscontendthatallchangeisanswerabletoayardstickof'propriety'; andthetestof proprietyneitherbegins,norends,withpublicacceptability.Thenotionofpropriety,accord ingto them, is founded on a society's concernfor orderlyandevolutionary change.It assumesadiscerniblelinkofcontinuitybetweenthepast,thepresent,andthefuture.They seetheir taskas one ofrestoring the quality-controlmechanismwhichhasbeengreatly corrodedinrecentyears,ofgivingtheperformingartthebenefitofthescholarshipthatled tothetwentieth-centuryrenaissanceinHindustani music,andofprotectingthetradition 6 DEEPAK S.RAJA againsttheconsequences ofdiscontinuity. Attemptsatre-injecting continuityinto thecultural process haveto contendwith the absenceoftheearly-twentieth-centurygiantsgroomedundercondition~whicharenow,in retrospect,regardedasideal.The near-impossibilityofreviving the traditionalsystemof hereditarymusicianshipand highlypersonalized tutelage isalso afait accompli.Despite theselimitations,theSangeetResearchAcademy(SRA)inKolkatahasproventhepossibil ityofcreatinganenvironment conducivetotheperpetuation ofdistinctivestylistictradi tions eveninanenvironment unfriendly to the forces ofcontinuity.Anothersignificant experiment waslaunched in the early 1980s, when theGovernment ofMadhyaPradesh sponsored the Dhrupad Kendra at Bhopal to revive the medieval genre threatenedwith extinction.Thisinstitutionhasbynowproducedqualitymusicianshipinsignificantnum bers,andhelpeddhrupadtoreturntothemainstreamconcertplatform. Thereare,indeed,divergentopinionsabouttheSRAandtheDhrupadKendraasmodels forbuildinginstitutionsfnrreplacingthetraditionalpedagogicalmodel.However,thesuc cessoftheseinstitutions- whateverthe magnitude-hasstimulateddiscussionamongst musicians,musicologists,andscholarsonthewholeissue.Thisisasignificantdevelopment inthefieldofartmusic. Anotherimportantphenomenonistherecedingfamineofconcert-lengthrecordingsof thegreatmasters.Therestorationofold,poor-qualityrecordingshasnowbecomefeasible andeconomical. Pricelessoldmusicisnow hitting themarket onasignificantscale.Its popularityisencouragingrecordingcompaniestopursuethissegmentmoreavidly. Individual as well as institutional archivists, who have hitherto been possessiveand secretiveabout theircollections,nowrealizethattheirtreasures willhavenoaestheticor commercial valueasSOonasthe present fifty-plus generationoflistenersdeparts. They haveverylirtletimeinwhichtogetanykindofpricefortheirlaboursofpreservation.This realizationispersuadingthemtosurrendertheirgemstotherecordingcompaniesforcom mercialization.Thesearchivescanserveasasubstitute,howeverlimited,forqualitytraining. whichhasall butdisappeared. Moresignificantly,contemporary music can nowbeheld answerabletoademandingyardstickofmusicianship,whichrefusestogoaway. Archives,asrestorersofcontinuity,have often been pooh-poohed on the pretextthat thereISnosuchthingastimelessmusic;andtherefore,itisimpossibletorespondmeaning fullyto music, especially artmusic. fromasubstantialdistance intime.This argument. however,underestimatesthehighlycreativeandcomplexprocessby whichtheenquiring musicalmindabsorbsandutilizesoldideastogeneratenewones. . Theeducationofaudiencesisgainingmomentum.Inthisendeavour,culturalorganiza~ nonsareincreasinglyholdingpublicseminars,lecture-demonstrations,music-appreciation c~urses,andworkshopsatdifferentlevelsofsophistication.Theseareattractingaprogres~ sivelylargernumberofpanicipants. co~servationist The movementisnowshowingsignsofbecominggalvanized.Thisphe· nomenonISbestreflectedintheactivitiesofTheMusicforum,aninformalbodyrepresent- THE HINDUSTANI MUSIC MARKET TODAY 7 ingallthesignificantsegmentsoftheclassicalmusiccommunityinthemajorcities.The movementwaslaunchedinMumbaiattheinitiativeofthescholar-musicianArvindParikh, andShantaGokhale,[formerly]theArtsEditorofTImesofIndia,withtheobjectiveofcreat ingahealthierclimatefortheevolutionofclassicalmusicinthecity. TheMusic Forum movementhasnow spreadtoKolkata,Chennai,andDelhi,andcould,oneday,becomea formidablevoiceofsanityintheclassicalmusicworld. Despite isolated success stories, the magnitude ofthis endeavourmay notbe able to keeppacewiththegrowthoftheaudiencepopulationandthedilutionofaudiencediscern ment.Thesheermagnitudeofthetaskissufficienttocondemniliafailure. TheUnlikel)'AI~v The conservationists at home have, in recent years,forged an interesting alliance with HindustanimusicenthusiastsintheU.S.andEurope.TheWesternmarketforIndianclassi calmusic mightstillbe numerically small.But, ithasaconsiderablepresenceofserious scholars within it,andeven theJess initiated members approachHindustani music with respectfortheseriousnessofitsmusicmakingprocess.Thissensibilityisabletoexpress itself-tosome extent-in theirpreferences,becausethesizeofthepopulaceinvolvedin Hindustanimusicisnotlargeenoughtotriggeroffthedynamicsoramarket.Ifthereisno 'market',thereisnoincentivefortheproducttopandertothelowestcommondenominator. Insuchanenvironment,arthasabetterchance'ofremainingtruetoitsideals. Inthiscontext,theIndianMusic&TheWestSeminarheldinMumbaiin1996wasavery significantevent.OverthirtyWesternscholarsandmusicianspresentedpapersandperfor mances. The understanding and respectthey exhibitedfortheessentialsof Hindustani musiccouldhaveembarrassedmanyanIndianmusicianandscholar. ThesuperiorityofWestem scholarshipsurprisesnobody.Therealsurpriseisthecred iblechallengeposedtoIndianmusiciansbyWesternperformers.Severalforeignperformers ofHindustanimusicaresteadilybecominghouseholdnamesamongstIndianconnoisseurs, especially the Swiss sarodist Ken Zuckerman, theAmericanflutistSteveGom, and rhe ItaIiandhrupadvocalistAmeliaCuni. ThetrackrecordoftheinternationalrecordingcompaniesinproducingHindustanimusic isevenbetter.TheRotterdamConservatoryofMusicresearchedanauthoritativecontempo raryanthologyofragas,andNimhus,aBritishlabel,publishedit.NavrasRecords,theleader intheHindustanirecordingsmarket,isaBritishcompany,thoughownedbyNon-Resident Indians.IndiaArchiveMusicLtdandRagaRecordsInc(bothinNewYork),ChhandaDhara ofStuttgan (Germany), and Makar Records(France)haveemergedasseriousspecialist producersofHindustanimusic.Someofthesecompanieshavevirtuallynodistributionm theIndianmarket.Despitethesmallsizeofthemarkettheyservice-theU.S.,andWestern Europe-theirstandards,acrosstheboard,canmakeIndianrecordingcompaniesblushin embarrassment. Indop~i~emo~·ement. However.thesearedevelopmentsatthemostseriousendofthe in theu.S.andEurope.Qualitatively,whattheWestern'market'forHindustanimusiccontnb- 8 DEEPAKS. RAJA utes byitsseriousness islargely setoffbythe undeveloped state ofdiscernmentamongst audiences,andtheisolation ofthemusic fromculturalmeaning. Itis,nodoubt,significant thatthecommitmentofsomedevelopedcountriestoaseriousmulticulturalismshouldpro vide astrongimpetus tothe sustenanceand growth of Hindustani music. John Naisbitt's "GlobalParadox"iswith usalready.But,itisnotclearwhetherthis representsutopia. India,anuncompetitiveexporterofmosttangibleproducts,nowtakesprideinthesuc cessful andprofitableglobalizationofitsclassical music. Thispride istingedwithanxiety about the paradox inherent in the situation. Hindustani music. as we understandit,isun likely tosurvive withoutceasingto belongexclusively to the people ofHindustan. Ithas becomedependentontheWestfor economicsustenance. discerningaudiences,andschol arlyinputs. A significantmanifestationofthis phenomenon is the numberofbrilliantyoung musi cians whohave becomesobusy and successful inUSA and Europe that theyhave neither thetime.northeeconomicnecessitytocultivateIndianaudiencesfortheirart.Isolatedfrom anactiveengagementwiththeculturalmeaningoftheirmusic,manyofthemareevolvinga musical idiomthatrecallsthesigns outsidemany establishmentsduringthe colonial era "Forwhitesonly: Indians and dogs notallowed." Under thesecircumstances. the anxietyabout the 'de-culturation' ofHindustani music wouldbenatural and.manybelieve.legitimate.But. ifthis process isirreversible.itreally doesnot matter whetherthese concerns are legitimate or not. How, then, musttheIndian aesthetecometotermswiththisreality? Responsiblemusicologists often citethe example ofWestern classical music, whichis tendingtostagnateandbecome excessivelyintelIectualbecauseithas remainedinsularand parochial.Againstthisbackdrop,theyseetheglobalizationofHindustanimusicasasignof itsvitality,andaguaranteeofitssurvival.This view appearstohavethesupportofhistory. Hindustani music survivedthesecondmillenniumbecause itadapted itselfto thetastesof itsnewpatrons fromtheMiddle East,byassimilatingPerso-Arabicinfluences. Itisinevitablethateconomicswindrivethecontentandform ofHindustanimusic.asof everyotheraspectofasociety'sartistic expression.Economically,HindustanimusicisnOW beingdrivenbypopulismathome,andelitismabroad. Inboththese tendencies,theperform ingarenaallowsthemusictoevolve freefromaccountabilitytotheIndianconnoisseur.who constitutes the principal element ofthe qualiry-control mechanism in Hindustani music. Comparedtothefinancial muscleoftheaudiencesthat sustain Hindustani music.thesalu tary presence ofthe conservationistforces athome will remain too miniscule. feeble. and disorganizedtoinfluenceHindustanimusic inasubstantivemanner. Ofthetwodiversionaryforces.globalismisperhapsthemoreinsidiousbecauseitwields greaterfinancial cloutandisalsopregnantwith a'de-culturation'ofHindustanimusic.The irnp~ndi~gdi~orc~ ofmusic from cultural meaning. and the burgeoningpresenceofalien mU~lcalldeas mHmdustanimusic arealmostaforegoneconclusion. Ifthis is thecase.the Indian aesthete shouldderive some satisfaction from the fact that,in India as well asthe THEHINDUSTANI " usle MARKET TODAY 9 Westernmarkets,thereexistsaseriousconservationistforce,howeversmall,tosetoffalarm signals,howeverinaudible,whenwarranted. An enlightened viewofthescenarioshouldcertainlylamentthatthegreatgharanasof Hindustanimusichavenowmergedintothe'cocktailgharana',But,thisviewshouldalso permitprideintheemergenceofa'Rotterdamgharana',anda'SanRafael-Seniyagharana', whosecommitmenttoexcellencemightrevitalizeI£industanimusic,evenifitdoessoinways wecannotforesee,andinwayssomemaynotreadilyapprove. "liAr IFPf.A1II1JTSIS YOUPAY DiscerninglistenersofHindustaniclassicalmusic,therasikas,areanunhappylot.Theyfind thatmusicnolonger matchesuptotheirstandardsofexcellence,andthattheyhavebeen reducedtoaminorityunabletoholdmusicprovidersaccountableforthequalityofmusicin circulation Therasika's reductionto aminorityhasbeencausedbyasteadydeclineinthepriceof musicto the consumer,andtheresulting explosioninthesizeofthemarket Explosive numericalgrowthhasbeenaccompanied,predictably,byadilutioninthediscemmentlevels ofaudiences. The result ofthisprocess isabrandofmusicthatfailstoqualifyassound classicalmusic,asunderstoodby discerningaudiences. Theprocessof'commoditization' ofhighartisnotuniquetoIndia.Post-wardevelop mentsintheIechnologiesofstorageanddistributionhavemadeitaglobalphenomenon.In theWest,classicalmusicwasinsulatedfromtheforcesofmarket-drivenpopulismbygreat institutionswithsubstantialgovernmentandcorporatefunding.Bul,asubstantialcontribu tiontowardsthesustenance ofhighartwasalsomadebythewillingness ofaudiencesto payexorbitantratesforaface-to-faceencounterwithclassicalmusic. In India,neithergovernmentsupportnorcorporatepatronagehavehadanysignificant conservationist impact.Theonus ofpreserving thoroughbred music hastherefore been SUbstantially on the rasika.Not realizingthis,hebecameanunwittingaccompliceinthe processthathasdrivenqualitymusicoutofcirculation.perhapsforever. The Changing Can/ext Fortoday'srasikas,thebenchmarkisthemusicthatwasperformedbetween1940and1950, thetailendoftheperiodoftendescribedastheGoldenAgeofHindustanimusic. Inthatera,theconcertplatformwasrheprimaryinterfacebetweenmusiciansandaudi ences,Thepenetrationofradiowasbelow10percentofurbanhouseholds,whilethegramo- phonerecordhadperhaps notreachedmorethan5percentofthem. . Otherthanthepatron-employersofthemusicians. itwasthearistocracy inthema~or citieswhichtypicallyhostedconcerts.Audiencesattendedfree,andbyinvitation.Thesize oftheaudiencerarelyexceeded350-400.ThiscouldbepartlybecauseamplifIcationaCOUS ticswerescarce,andpartlybecauseselectivitybasedonaestheticcultivationwasaninte- 10 DEEPAK S. RAJA gralpartofthemusicalcultureoftheera. Ifthisdescribesthe'GoldenAge'ofHindustanimusic,wewouldalsoneedtoacceptthat itofferedidealconditionsforthecreationofmusicweconsidergreat Themusicworldhas changedsubstantiallysince then. Withthefadingawayofaristocraticpatronage,audienceshavestartedpayingforatten dance.But,theconcertplatformhasitselfceasedtobetheprimaryinterfacebetweenmusi ciansandtheiraudiences.Thisshifthasbeencausedbytheexplosivegrowthoftheelec tronicmedia-e-firsttheradioand.Iater,pre-recordedmusic,especiallyaftertheadventofthe audio-cassette.Ifweconsiderthetotalityofthese trendsintermsofcostofmusictocon sumers,wefindthattheyaregettingtheirmusiccheaperbytheyear. TheEconomics Letusfirstlookatthecostofconcertadmissions.Accordingtomyinformation,thesystem ofaudiencescontributing,inanorganizedmanner,beganintheearly 1950s,whenconcerts movedoutofprivategatheringsintolargeauditoriaandopen-airpandaIs.Thehighestlevel ofconcert-admissionwasaroundRs100persealin1961,Rs150in 1971,Rs 200in1981, Rs250in1991,andsettleddownatRs500attheendofthelastcentury. Ifweapplyaninflation-adjustmentfactor10thesefigures,wefindthatafront-rowseatof Rs 100in1961isworthRs 2100incurrentrupees.Againstthis,wearetodaypayingonly Rs500forfront-rowseats.Ifweplotalong-termtrend-lineon inflation-adjusteddata,we concludethattherealcostofconcertadmissionshasbeenfallingby40-50percentevery tenyears. Althoughtheaveragedurations ofconcerts have also been shrinking, they havecer tainlynotshrunkattherateof40-50percenteverytenyears.Tothisextent,itcanbeproved thateventhecost-per-hourofconcertmusichasbeenfallingsignificantly. Now,considerrecordedmusic.Here,ofcourse,thecostperunitoftimehastobeapplied tofullyunderstandtheeconomics. The78·RPMrecord,withsevenminutesofmusic,costRs3.5in1958,orRs0.5perminute. Theinflation-adjustedpriceofthatrecordtodaywouldbeRs12.62perminute. Thencarnethelong-playingrecordwith44minutesofmusicatapriceof'Rs22in1963--64. Theinflalion-adjustedpriceoftheLPtodaywouldbeRs9.96perminute, Thiswasfollowedbytheaudio-cassettewith60minutesofmusicatRs20around1968-69. Theinflation-adjustedpriceofthatmusicworksouttoRs4.12. Then, considerthepresentscenarioofCDswith74 minutesofmusicatanaverageof Rs295,andaconsiderablevolumeofqualityclassicalmusicavailableonCDsforaslittleas Rs90.ThisbringsthepriceofthecontemporaryCDtoRs 1.20perminuteofmusicatthe lowerend,andRs4.92attheaverage. Thus,fromthe78-RPMrecord.whichsoldmusicatthepresent-dayequivalenlofRs12.62 perminutein1958,thecostofmusicOnaCDhascomedowntoRs4.92perminuteintheyear 2000-0Iattheaverage,andaslowasRs 1.20perminuteatthelowerend. Whataboutmusicians'fees?Iftheconsumerispayinglessandlessforhismusic,isthis THE HINDUSTANI MUSIC MARKET TODAY 11 hurtingthemusicians?Thisdoesnotappeartobethecase.Accordingtoreliablereports,in 1945,UstadFaiyyazKhan,andKesarbaiKerkar,thehighest-paidmusiciansofthatera,were paidRs750--Rs 1000foraconcert.Adjustedforinflation,thisworksouttoaboutRs85,000 1,I0,000atcurrentprices(circa2000-01). Thesefiguresare shockingconsideringthat-accordingtoindustryfigures-the high est-paidvocalisttodayispaid250percentto300percentofthisamount,aodthehighest paidinstrumentalistsreceiveasmuchas500percentofthisamount.Whilethisdataonly establishes acomparison atthetopendofthescale,itisindicative oftheoverallrisein remune-rationsofmusicians,disproportionatetothebasicrevelofinflation. Howreliablearethenumbers? Ihavereconstructedthepricehistoryofconcertadmis sionsandpricesofrecordedmusicfrommyownmemory,andthememoriesofseniorobserv ersofthemusicscene.Forinflation adjustment, Ihave usedthetime-series dataofthe WholesalePrice Index, aspublished bytheReserveBaokofIndia.Neitheroftheseisa perfectsolutiontounderstandingthetrendsintheeconomicsoftbemusicmarket.However, asimilarreconstructionofhistorybyanyotherraconteur,submittedtoanalternativeinfla tionaryadjustruent,isnotlikelytoleadtoverydifferentconclusions.Theordersofmagni tudecould. ofcourse.belessdramatic. The consumerpayslessandless,whilethemusiciangetsmoreandmore.Howdothe sumsaddup?Whomakesthearithmeticwork? Thesumsaddupbecauseoftheroleofthetwodominantintermediaries inthemusic market: therecordingcompaoies, andconcertsponsors. Theyarebothplayingaprogres sivelylargerfinancialroleinthemusicmarket-withouthavingeithertheneedorthedesire topromotequalitymusic. Considertherecordingcompaniesfirst.Theirexpertiseliesinmakingaprofitonvolumes. Theirstrategiesare guidedby thelogicofthepopularmusicmarket,whichisessentially price-sensitive. Theyhaveallowedthesamelogictoworkintheclassical-musicsegment becausetheyhavefounditprofitable.Itisunderstandablethattheyshouldhavenoprovo cationtoadoptadifferentstrategyforthissmallmarket-reportedlylessthaol.Opercentof thetotalrecordingsmarket. Bytreatingthetwosegmentssimilarlyintheirmarketingstrategy,theyhaveencouraged thequantitative expansionoftheclassicalmusicmarket. But,insodoing,theyhave also dilutedthediscernmentprofileoflistenersaccessingthemusicand,thereby,thequalityof musicthatwouldbedeliveredthroughthepre-recordedmedia. . ' ~emg Now,considertheconcert-sponsorship situation.Sponsorshipisincreasmgly. of feredby corporate entities for the promotionofcorporateaodbrandpersonalities. Toa smallerextent,thisfunctionisalsobeingperformedbygovernmentorganlzal1Onstowards culturalortouristpromotion.Therewardssoughtbyacorporateorgovemme.Dtspo~sorare unrelatedtothequalityofmusicthatisdelivered.Theirmotivationswouldlogicallytiltmore stronglytowardsquantitativereach,thanthequalitativecriterion. _. Noneofthemajorparticipaotsinthemarkethashadanyreasontoconsiderthequalita- \2 DEEPAKS.RAJA tivedimensionoftheculturalprocess.Whiletheclassicalmusicmarket isnotdefinedby economicstatus,itcanbearguedthatmusicismore likely toattract trulydedicatedand discerningaudienceswhenitdemandsaneconomicsacrifice.thanwhenitissubsidized.As acorollary,whenaudiencespayafairpriceforthcirmusic,theydonotneedtosurrenderthe righttoselectthemusictoanunworthyintermediary, TheBoltom line Inthetotalityofthisscenario,thebottomlineispositiveforallparticipantsexcepttherasika Because heis inahopeless minority. itsuits everyone to ignore himandreach outto audiencesatalowerlevelofdiscernment. Whilethetyrannyoftechnologyandeconomicstendstobeirresistible, thecommunity of rasikas cannotconsideritself blameless. It had the opportunity ofcreating a market segmentthatdemandsqualitymusicandiswillingtopayforitThiscommunityofrasikas happilygaveitskidsRs2000toattendaMichaelJacksonconcert,butfeltnopangsofguilt whilepayingonlyRs200tohearUstadVilayatKhan.Italsolovedtheideaofpayinglessand lessforconcert-lengthrecordingsofPanditBhimsenJoshi,alongwiththeconvenienceof listeningtohiminthecomfortofhome.Intheprocess,itsurrenderedtherighttochoosethe musictounworthyintermediaries. And,nowthattheconsequencesareuponthem,theyarecomplaining.Audiencesgetthe musictheydeserve;buttheyalso get the music they pay for. Toquote Peter DnIcker, amongstthewisestmenofourtimes,"Ifpeanutsiswhatyoupay,monkeysiswhatyougel." GOVl:RNMENTtBVSISESSAI\VCLASSIC."LMUSIC Forseveraldecadesnow,theStateandtheCorporatesectorinIndiahavetried\0convince usthattheyhaveefficientlytakenOverthepatronageofHindustaniclassicalmusicfromthe aristocracyofthepre-Independenceera.Unfortunately,suchadevelopmentisneitherafact noraforeseeablepossibility. Thereasonsforthisarecomplexandfundamental.Mndemgovernmentsandbusinesses are bothmanagedthroughabureaucraticdecision-making process, which is, initsvery nature,inconsistentwiththedemandsofthepatronagefunction.Thisrealityoperateseven moremercilesslyagainsttheclassicalartsbecausetheiraudiencesconstituteamicroscopic minorityofthepopulation.Therewardsofcompetentpatronageofclassicalmusic,there fore,cannotenhancethelegitimacyoftherepositoriesofpowerandmoney. IfIndiansocietyhassubstantialfundstodiverttowardsthepromotionofclassicalmusic, as 1\ evidentlyhas, it will have to find more intelligent and less destructive meansof channellizingthemthanithassofardone. The Traditional Patronage Model Toappreciatetheissues,itisusefultoidentifythesalientfeaturesofthetraditionalmodelof