Music is the backbone of the Indian film industry. According to trade pundits, 70% of the film industry’s revenue is due to good music. Good music not only builds pre-release publicity but, in most cases, it has played a pivotal role in the mega-success of a film. Since the early ’30s, music has been a vital aspect of the film business. Earlier, the craze for music was such that in the early ’30s, films had as many as 25 to 30 songs! The film Indrasabha (1932) holds the world record for the most songs. It had 72 songs!
Readers would be stunned to know that music director Naushad was paid more than the stars in the ’40s and the 50s’ because the music of his film was the benchmark of the film’s success. Filmmaker A.R. Kardar had produced the film Rattan (1944) for Rs75,000, but the film’s music, scored by Naushad, was so outstanding that the music company earned Rs 3 lakhs in royalties from the sales of gramophone records in the first year! To date, the music of Rattan is timeless. Remember the songs – AkkhiyanMilkshakee Jiya Bharmake Chale Nahin Jaana… ……O Janewale Balamwa… Milke Bichhad Gayii Akkhiyan…. Some of Naushad’s musical blockbuster films are Rattan (1944), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Andaz (1949), Aan (1952), Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Ganga Jamuna(1961),, Ram Aur Shyam (1967), etc.
Music’s Landscape In the Nineteenth Century
In the ’60s and ’70s, film music was a rage. Music ruled the roost, and film music companies like HMV and Polydor minted money. Remember films like Dosti, Sangam, Bobby, Julie, Laila Majnu, Kati Patang, Aradhana, etc.? Even today, music rules in Bollywood. The success of Rockstar (2011), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), and Aashiqui 2 (2013) are pointers.
The business of music was simple. A music company buys the rights to film music and pays a bulk amount to the producer. Later, the music company mints money on the sale of records/cassettes. Since the country has an enormous population of music buffs, the music companies made a huge business from the sale of records. However, in the late ’70s, with the technology innovation, the gramophone records were replaced by audio cassettes, and thus entered the threat of audio ‘piracy’ in film music.
Gulshan Kumar – The Key Player
A man named Gulshan Kumar, who set up T-Series, a manufacturing plant for audio cassettes, gave music companies a tough time. He did the illegal business of selling pirated audio cassettes. While legal music companies sold their music cassettes for between Rs 60/- and Rs 100/-, T-Series sold its cassettes in the market at a dirt-cheap rate of mere Rs 20/- to Rs 30/-.
The highlight of T-Series cassettes was that, unlike cheap pirated cassettes, T-Series cassettes were superior in quality. Plus, in the case of a defective T-Series cassette, it was instantly replaced by retailers. Thus the demand picked up to dizzying heights, and T-Series cassettes ruled the country.
According to reports, T-Series sold 20 million cassettes of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and this started a bitter rivalry between music companies and T-Series! The music companies were furious as they paid exorbitant amounts to film producers for music rights, and the canny Gulshan Kumar sabotaged the music and flooded the market with his pirated cassettes within a few hours of their release.
Finally, Gulshan Kumar was cornered! Legal cases were filed against him, but he coolly escaped all allegations, saying, “Piracy? Ji, hamare business mein to yeh sab chalta hai.” (Piracy? In our business, all this is acceptable.”
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