It is a well-known fact in the South Asian community that one of the main reasons desi artists do not do well at the box office or in record stores is because of our community’s acceptance of piracy. Why pay full price for something, when you can get a rip-off of the original for half the price, right?
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I know there have been some raids on Indian stores in the US, more for pirated dvd’s than music, but it seems that the meteoric rise of the British Asian music industry has sparked British law enforcement into action. Last week, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), began raiding Indian stores to try and stop the sale and distribution of the album “Authorised” by DJ Sanj which was released on bootleg records but who is signed to EnvyRoma records, mainly for its illegal use of uncleared music samples and vocals, a problem that seems to be a regular occurrence in Asian music—think PMC’s Mundian to Bach Ke biting from busta rhymes, who bit from Knight Ryder. That sample was eventually cleared, but most of the samples aren’t.
The BPI confirmed it was investigating complaints by some of its members surrounding the remix album, released by Bootleg Recordings and distributed by the Birmingham based Hi Tech Music label. BPI Director of Anti-Piracy David Martin said: “We believe that this remix album uses lengthy samples of our members’ sound recordings without permission.” He added: “Of course we take every complaint we receive in relation to our membersÂ’ rights very seriously, and we are investigating the situation.”
(There are also some questions abput the relationship between EnvyRoma and Bootleg, and the excellent Asians in Media is followed up on this. )
Desi DJ’s in the US and in the UK, and probably diaspora-wide, are notorious for straight up beat and sample jacking. It isn’t a healthy borrowing of a note here-and-there, but full hooks, choruses, or series of notes that are often used. That is fine if these mixes are going to be given away as promotional materials or just played at a club. But, to make cd’s full of these uncleared samples and then sell them, well, that is kind of shady.
The problem of piracy does not end with the artist however. Sure we can put some of the blame on the download crew, the users of bit torrent and kazaa, but what about the people in the industry who are keeping prices artificially inflated. Is it fair that cd’s cost 15 dollars, dvd’s 20, or tickets to movies 10? Do musicians and movie stars really deserve million dollar payouts? Yeah they all work hard, but what makes their work worth so much more than mine or yours?
And then, what about the shopkeepers who sell the pirated materials? Many of the DJ remix albums which are promotional material and conveniently make their way into the hands of pirates and shopkeepers who make copies of the promo for sale. I know I have been in stores in Jackson Heights and even the DC metro area that have cd’s for sale that have never been released in the US, which by the way, contain tracks that have never been released anywhere. For example, I read somewhere that stores were selling Jay Sean albums that featured demo tracks that he recorded on his home computer before he even met Rishi Rich.
Now I don’t know if Sanj released the album unofficially or if some shopkeepers/pirates jacked a promo copy, and made copies, but for the industry to move forward, for asian music, and asian film to succeed, we all need to work together towards a solution. I don’t know if that means a boycott of pirated materials, stores that carry pirated materials, overpriced cd’s, movies, etc. But some kind of compromise or agreement needs to be made. I can’t even begin to estimate the amount of money the industries have lost because of this problem.
I know everyone has a bottom line to meet, but the real bottom line should be the loss of marketability of our artists. If the mainstream does not view the Asian industry or artists as a viable one, why would they or anyone else even consider involving themselves with it?
Easy, timely availability of movies on DVD would help prevent piracy to a large extent.
I live in a market that is not that “hot” for Indian movies – almost no Indian movies get released here, and DVD’s are not available (at least not until a few months after the movie is released), so we end up renting pirated DVDs at Indian stores.
I spoke to a guy that runs an Indian store here, and asked him about the renting of pirated movies, and he told me that they buy say 3 or 4 ‘legitimate’ copies, and make about 30 bootleg copies. They work on the hope that when there is a raid, no more than 3 copies will be in the store (the others will be rented out).
It is a well-known fact in the South Asian community that one of the main reasons desi artists do not do well at the box office or in record stores is because of our community’s acceptance of piracy.
Can you cite something to justify this? I’m not saying it’s not true or that it is, but it’s a little too easy to throw it out there without any evidence.
Here are few amongst lot of things that are need to be done before industry and artists start blaming public for everything.
Make DVDs available as soon as movie is released, at least in areas where there are not movie theatres screening a hindi movie. Even in areas where there are such theatres, not everyone can afford to watch every crappy movie that bollywood releases.
Price them right.
I donÂ’t want to buy a whole music CD when there are only 2 good songs and rest of them are fillers.
Again price them right.
Piracy in any form is theft. Doesn’t matter if retail CDs are overpriced — whch they are — if you copy someone else’s stuff (a soundbite from a song, an entire album etc.) and profit from it financially, you are stealing. So I don’t mind that Sanj got busted, but it’s too bad BPI made him the poster child for all that’s wrong with the Asian music biz. In any case, the only difference it’ll make is his album won’t be available in stores; instead it’ll just drive it farther underground.
If it puts his label or him out of business, that sucks, but they knew this was a risk they were taking by releasing an album with so many uncleared samples.
Yash Raj Films has estimated that it loses $5 to pirate sales for every $1 of legitimate sales. I don’t need to do the math for you, but for a desi film to be marginally successful, if Yash Raj film’s figures are right, it would have to be 5 times more sucessful than it is already.
Obviously a bad film or a bad song is not going to do well no matter how much it is pirated.
But I know it is a huge concern, and Miramax, because of piracy, had everyone screened for camera’s (including phone cameras) to avoid people taping before the film’s release. I read somewhere, that the film lost a lot of theater-audience because of piracy in the Indian community. And as far back as 1999, Taal when officially released in the U.S. did well, but not as well as it could have because of piracy. (see the rediff story here ) In Taal’s opening weekend, the film was ranked 20th among all the films showing in the US according to Variety. In the second weekend the film had dropped approximately 38 per cent in box office receipts, and I think this can be attributed to piracy.
People should be allowed to download free movies from the internet. Bollywood, Hollywood and Lollywood make millions of bucks + ££ every day pricing retail DVD’s to high to purchase.
Otherwise offer demo or shareware movies so if people like it they buy it after watching otherwise everyone should have the right to download every movie from the internet and there should be no such thing as piracy.
Or offer subrscription websites to join for £1.50 every month and download free movies.
To say downloading free movies is piracy is a violation to the freedom of human rights.
Jaffa’s comments prompt me to post to this otherwise old thread that no one is probably going to read.
Jaffa, when the producers of content get all the tools they need to produce content for free, its conceivable we could see the world you envision.
But in today’s world, where I have to pay licensing fees to various vendors, (eg., Dolby) of thousands of dollars, incur expenses in buying, processing, editing media, and once I’m done incurring this upfront expense, if I just give it away, depending on some honor system, and the milk of human kindness, I have no doubt I will soon fit the description of a starving artist very well.
Ciao! Nikhil K
bethoven, Mortzart, did not need the music company. it is the creator who should/will get the mullaha by the end. free distribution is here n will be here no matter how had people like u fight,
these times they r a changing, go with the flow.
Stock brokers don’t exist any more as we knew them, they have re-invented them-selfz. So should the DJs n the music Co.
good part would be DJ’z would diappers,
there is a thing called a PLAYLIST. good subsitute. 🙂
-Udaiveer
I think every desi video store here in vancouver has mostly illegal videos being sold
Look!! F** the press and f* the industry. Desi bootlegs rock and we dont give a f*!! All u haters can suk sum Dik. Check out my new mixtape ‘Underground Desi Vol 2’ Its sample jack heaven!!!!!!! Holla!!! Hahahahahahahah!!!!
© RIP in 1969 when 2 comps got connected. Uncle Sam is really controlling the world
now it is in the open WELCOME to India my Firangi mate. no jews pl.
can anyone one define what is copying ABCD…Z is copy from ur school text written by god knows who. do u pay royality for that all Bull Copy – Right what a oxymoroninc word if u can COPY – u have hte RIGHT the answer my mates is flowing in the wind/re.
UdaVinci
SDAUKXIOSXJ
Good. Steal Shi(f)t go to jail. Benjodh guys, If it’s their stolen shi(f)t that is downloaded they consider it bootleged and then raise a stink. HAHAHA! pay the damm royalty, bennnnjodh.
Hey DJ D, how about i still you’re benjosd name. Then stick my name on you’re shitty album, call it ‘Ma De Underground Desi Vol 2 ‘. Jack em; beats. Post the link to you’re alblum, Jack that ben and drop a new name on it on torrent. Call it DJ D-isplaced. How you like that?
Benjodh what that fucks up with the use of hater. Orignal mafucker.