Music industry suffering badly

There isn’t a business in the world that has not changed in some material way as a result of Covid-19. The music industry is no exception. Before January 2020, no one in the world could have imagined that the world would face such monstrosity as Covid-19 in the month of February-2020. As a result of it the entire human race will surrender helplessly to an invisible virus and people of all classes will be defeated by a little sneeze or a single dry cough.

Now people have to walk everywhere wearing masks. In the last two and a half years, the world’s economy, politics, science, research, education, literature, society and culture have been severely affected by the pandemic.

Shopping complexes, markets, trade and commerce are almost closed. Political discussions and meetings are not being held regularly. Research activities at various reputable universities have come to a standstill. The closure of almost all educational institutions may create a generation gap in education. In our country, students have been given promotion under a special system called `autopass`. Of course, there was no alternative to do anything else for the students in a poor country like Bangladesh. But, as a result, our students are likely to fall behind in international merit-based competitions in the coming days. Even if one gets a scholarship or a job outside the country, there are different views on whether it can be maintained properly.

Corona’s impact on the cultural sphere is also severe. From open concerts to close-door events, there are no musical events anywhere. There was a time when various types of cultural activities used to be organised by different literary and cultural organizations, but now it has been completely suspended. However, various organizations are trying to promote musical programmes online and through YouTube.

 Corona has had a devastating impact on the cultural scene around the world. As a result, artistes who depend on this industry, are plagued by serious economic problems. Many are changing professions. Many are on the verge of starving. The music industry is facing great financial losses worldwide.

The World Economic Forum has released a grim picture of the revenue earnings of the global music industry. It shows that the music industry generated 24.15 billion USD in revenue in 2014. As such, in 2021, there was the expectation to generate 29.61 billion dollars. But because of Corona, it will not be able to exceed 10 billion dollars. Many time the sponsoring company pays huge sums in advance. But now they are not getting that money back. It is not possible to do a concert again unless things improve for the better and become normal like the pre-covid days.

Little research has been done to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the music industry nationally despite music being something that is intrinsically linked to our lives to such an extent that most people consider it as a way to escape from mental and physical agony. According to Arafat Reza, a concert organizer “the emergence of Covid-19 has made it harder for organizers to not only get the permission to organize musical events in the post-Covid world, but also to secure sponsorships for concerts. This is due to the general fear of spreading and contracting Covid through such events which will stay in the minds of many, at least until everyone is given an effective vaccine -- which of course will take a long period of time. This will only force many more concert organizers who were holding on to the dream of reviving an otherwise dead practice of concerts being organised regularly to throw their dream in the wayside and try their luck elsewhere.”

Reza adds “This will consequently result in band members and solo musicians, particularly those who had taken music as a full-time profession, earning less than before and struggling to support themselves and those who depend on them such as their old parents and children. 

Some may suggest that this loss can be compensated through posting content on various social media platforms and monetizing them. However, this argument can easily be dismissed by looking at the number of people that have subscribed to those who’ve already opened such channels and are posting quality content regularly for the audience. 

If one seeks to find the answer to whether we have let our musicians down collectively as an audience, he/ she won’t have to go any further than opening the YouTube app in his/her respective device and clicking on the channels of those who are already recognized as the big names of the industry. 

This makes the hope of earning enough to be able to support themselves and their families of relatively new musicians a distant dream. Just for example, imagine if a senior, skillful band of musicians such as “Shunno” is only given 156,000 subscribers on their official YouTube channel out of the 29 million viewers, as reported by a leading national newspaper in 2018, where does it place the talented solo musicians and bands of the new generation like “Conclusion,” “Arekta Rock Band,” and others in the same conversation? 

So again, this will inevitably lead to a situation where a lot of the new musicians will be forced to leave music and look for alternative ways to earn a livelihood. 

On the other hand, if the currently active musicians and bands are forced to leave the industry and the future generation is discouraged to enter, it will have a severe effect on the survival of labels and consequently, on the people involved with the companies and their dependents. 

In turn, this would also cause many currently active music directors, video directors, sound engineers, and others alike to lose their jobs, and the ones aspiring to be so to lose their interest in taking on these roles as a full-time commitment. All of this will collectively result in a shortage of quality music being produced in the near future and consequently, more and more listeners and sponsors being detached from an already crippled industry. 

To recover from the loss caused by this undesired hit and to ensure the survival of the industry in this crucial period and beyond, everyone who is involved in it, starting from the musicians, to concert organizers, to the audience, has to come to the rescue at some point. We all need to realize that reviving the music industry in the post-Covid world is indeed an uphill battle that can never be won by the valiant action of a single person or group, but through the collective effort of all concerned. 

The writer is an enlisted lyricist of Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television