From Records to Streaming:The Journey of the Indian Melody
Oral Tradition and Indian Music Over the Years
It is quite remarkable to note that for millennia, unlike any place else, music in India has survived and thrived through the oral tradition. It was oral transmission that imprinted itself on the eager learners/connoisseurs of the time who carried it down the generations for it to impress and percolate into the remotest corners of the world.
This oral transmission of unforgettable musical strains over centuries, remarkably enough, has given the embarrassingly rich Indian music the widest Canvas. As expected, music, from every part of India over time has come together and enthralled fans with its luminescence.
The Arrival of Film Music and Its Early Influence
Till film music took over the country in its huge sweep the contribution of the oral tradition of transferring music was the single most influential factor that helped music survive over millennia. Various other factors have over the years dictated this permanence of film and other forms of independent music unrelated to films.
Audience preferences, business techniques, market trends can be considered as some of the other parameters that helped music industry players plot their future path.
1931: The Beginning of Film Songs and a Surprising Reality
1931 was the beginning of film songs in Indian cinema along with films. It would be easy to assume that these songs were released independently along with or after the film release in some form like the Gramophone record or the available format of the time. But, surprisingly enough, that was not the case. Film songs till then were an integral part of the film and not an independent medium of entertainment. It was only after the year 1950 with the introduction of the Magnetic tape that film songs were released in the form of Gramophone records. In fact, film songs had to be re-recorded for the Gramophone version. That the fabled Recording Company and Film Company association can now be viewed as an afterthought may come as a surprise to music patrons across India.
How Songs Travelled Before Records
Songs before the advent of records travelled purely by word of mouth and through ardent moviegoers, who in their own way, interpreted the song and transmitted it to those around them.
1932 to the Late 1940s: The First Film Song Records
It was 1932 when the first film songs records were made with only a limited number of songs from the film making it to the gramophone record. By the time the entire soundtrack of the film found its way to the records it was almost the end of the 1940’s.
The Evolution of the Gramophone Record
The progression of the Gramophone record began with the 78 RPM’s where each side of the record had one song. The 45 RPM Record, also labelled Extended Play Records, saw the light of day only by the late 1950s. These had two songs on each side of the record. Each track of the time was sold as a single individual item.
Release Strategies: From Post-Release to Pre-Release Marketing
78 RPM records were released after the theatrical release of the movie and only after getting a clear picture of the box-office collection the movie garnered. By the 1940’s a few days before the release of the film was the time when the records were released in the market.
This, later, by the 1960s was further preponed to six to eight weeks before the theatrical release of the film. The strategy paid dividends as it helped promoting the film. It is interesting to note here that though the music was made available to the public the LPS of the movie were released after the theatrical release of the film when it was clear that the film music had the potential to rake in the big bucks.
The 1970s: A Turning Point Still Out of Reach
While packaging an entire film soundtrack was still a distant dream- it remained one till 1970. Sales quadrupled but still did not reach the optimum figure due to lack of distribution avenues, promotional strategies and manufacturing centers.
What Changed Everything? A Tease for Part Two
What then was the game-changer for the music industry in the truest sense? We will let you into that and much more in the 2nd part of this piece.
Vibhav Narasimha Rao.