Palash Sen calls out streaming platforms, music artistes opine ‘Ganda hai par dhandha hai yeh’ - Hindustan Times
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Palash Sen calls out streaming platforms, music artistes opine ‘Ganda hai par dhandha hai yeh’

Hindustan Times | ByMallika Bhagat, New Delhi
Sep 01, 2020 04:25 PM IST

Recently Euphoria band’s face and singer Palash Sen posted a video saying his latest song isn’t being promoted on YouTube. Other artistes in the industry share their experiences.

The cacophony over the alleged bias by streaming platforms is getting louder in the music industry, with several artistes having voiced their displeasure publicly. The latest in the list being singer Palash Sen, the face of the band Euphoria. He recently took to social media to express that he’s upset how the band’s new song Ladaaii is not being promoted by YouTube. In the video uploaded on Euphoria’s Instagram handle, Sen says his request for paid promotions have also been denied, and that this is the “third or the fourth song of ours that YouTube has refused from promoting, which points to the fact that independent artistes will not be supported by the platform.”

Singer Palash Sen in a still from the new song Ladaaii by the band Euphoria.
Singer Palash Sen in a still from the new song Ladaaii by the band Euphoria.

Euphoria’s song that was released one week ago has 66K views on YouTube, while Badshah’s song Hot Launde from two weeks ago has 878K views. This has refuelled the question whether streaming platforms are biased against independent artistes as opposed to artistes backed by record labels. “There are platforms who have supported us wholeheartedly and there are some that have made sure we disappear in a small corner of their app. With the labels, all the stars involved and their annual volumes, the platforms tend to bend over sideways to make everything possible for them. When we do an independent release, we have to struggle endlessly for a minuscule piece of the giant pie,” he says, adding that often creative control is with the labels and rarely the artistes.

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I Seek You. I Seek Help. I Seek Answers.

A post shared by Palash Sen (@instadhoom) on

Singer-songwriter Ankur Tewari agrees that artistes backed by labels do get a head start, but “you only last if your music resonates with people”. Tewari adds, “If you are playing the game that the labels are playing, you will be disappointed. Unlike old times, the only bargaining tool music labels have now is to assure artistes’ greater visibility. We are in a capitalistic world; people are buying viewership, likes and subscribers and creating an image. But, you need to decide whether that is your world.”

SInger-songwriter Ankur Tewari.
SInger-songwriter Ankur Tewari.

“Palash Sen is relevant because he still makes good music. So when his song catches the imagination of his audience, it will work, regardless of labels,” opines Tewari, and for singer-songwriter Neha Bhasin, who has given her voice for Indian films across industries, says the answer to a possible label-streaming site nexus is not black or white. “I do agree that most streaming platforms are more inclined to partner with labels since they bring with them a plethora of artistes, hence more business. More artistes equal more streaming and more money. This impacts their attention towards individual artistes, and I’ve faced that myself!”

Bhasin affirms that much like everything else, this is just about business for these platforms, and not so much about good music. “Streaming platforms do banners, etc for labels on their home page, not so much for individuals. And the traction is dependent on that. So it’s mostly about mass appeal,” she adds.

“Everyone loves to be paid more, including me and you! But, didn’t we choose to be indie or independent artistes in the first place?”
– Subir Malik, Parikrama band

This is probably the reason why Subir Malik, of Parikrama band, feels it’s unrealistic for indie musicians to expect to be treated at par with those who have been signed by labels. “Everyone loves to be paid more, including me and you! But, didn’t we choose to be indie or independent artistes in the first place? It’s not only the streaming services themselves, but these labels with big pockets who drive up the promotions,” says Malik, sharing that few artistes actually end up earning from streaming websites to begin with.

Sen says this business model forces artistes to make choices detrimental to their craft. “A new entrant or even established ones are resigned to sign on to labels who ensure they are the only ones published, in turn making them slaves and taking away most of their earnings,” he says. Sharing that the need of the hour is to establish a democratic ecosystem that provides an equal opportunity to everyone regardless of their advertising spends, Sen adds, “Because that is fair. When you don’t have that, how can you blame someone for purchasing fake views to trick an algorithm that’s inclined towards more numbers and not good music?”

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

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