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Mumbai, Maharashtra: On the occasion of the launch of Hariharan’s new album 'Jaan Meri', famous singer and composer Salim Merchant shared his admiration with IANS for Hariharan’s enduring artistry to evolving even after decades in the music industry. Salim also discussed the economics of independent music, highlighting how concert culture and digital platforms have empowered composers and singers outside the traditional film system. According to him, this shift has allowed smaller artists to gain recognition and earn sustainably, creating a vibrant ecosystem where artistic freedom and commercial viability can coexist. He also shared his thoughts on singer Arijit Singh’s retirement from playback music and the musical composer A. R. Rahman controversial statement.


#Hariharan #JaanMeri #SalimMerchant #ArijitSingh #ARRahman #MusicIndustry #IndependentMusic #DigitalPlatforms #PlaybackSinger #Composer #Singer #MusicAlbum #MusicLaunch #ArtisticFreedom #CommercialViability #MusicEvolution #MusicControversy #BollywoodMusic #MusicFans #SustainableEarning #MusicEcosystem #MusicAdmiration #IANS

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00:00watch and to listen to the new album of Haribai, so what do you have to say about it?
00:04Every time Haribai does an album, it is not just an album, it's an experience.
00:12Unki awaaz, unki gai ki, ye compositions, ye sama jo ho baante na.
00:20It's a listening pleasure, not just for musicians, but for every common person.
00:28We look forward to his albums. I've been associated with Haribai since Halka Nasha.
00:33I've known him since then. I've been a fan, I've been a friend, and it's been a great experience to
00:44experience his music.
00:47John Mayri has something very different again.
00:53And every time Haribai does an album, he always manages to do something really unique,
01:01something that his listeners are looking forward to, but yet they find something beautiful in it.
01:07The style of music, even though he sticks to his genre, which is ghazal,
01:13but he brings a magical experience for his listeners.
01:17And this album, again, I've been listening to it inside.
01:21I've been watching it, and really brilliant performances.
01:25The video is really nice.
01:27It's good to see Karan in the video, and Kashish, and Haribai, of course.
01:33And this album is another milestone.
01:36We had a long conversation with Hari, sir, about independent music,
01:40which is a much optimal topic in the last few years, especially after COVID, sir.
01:47You also create a lot of independent music, because film may music come up.
01:52How do you see independent music growing or changing in the next few years?
01:59Independent music has already changed.
02:01There used to be only film music before.
02:10There used to be only music mostly made for films.
02:13If you watch it, there's more independent music and film music is less.
02:19And this was the only thing.
02:23It's easy for a musician, a singer, a composer to make a song and to release it.
02:30But it's not like that before, because music is all digitally, it's become easier for the makers to make music.
02:44As a creator, as a musician, as a singer, composer, you have all the freedom to do what you want.
02:56So the expression of art form of music has gone really high up, because of independent music.
03:02And I understand that this will grow even more.
03:05This will grow even more.
03:07This will grow even more.
03:08This will reach even more.
03:09This will reach even more to people.
03:10And this is just the beginning.
03:12It's been a few years.
03:14Because COVID has set a very good benchmark for independent music to rise.
03:19And this is just the beginning.
03:22And how it's not been viable as if it was the investment and the recovery?
03:27What is the whole economics you could tackle in there closely?
03:31It's not that.
03:33I won't say you should.
03:35You know, when you're following Saraswati, you should follow Saraswati.
03:38You should not look at Lakshmi.
03:42You follow Saraswati and Lakshmi will follow.
03:45You should not.
03:46Music is an art form.
03:48I'm so happy it's back.
03:51Because there is really no.
03:54Not many people are thinking about how much it's going to do in terms of money.
03:58For an artist, there are other ways of making money.
04:02There is live concerts.
04:04There is, you know, live performances.
04:07And, you know, corporate kind of anthems or, you know, whatever.
04:12Ways for an artist to earn money.
04:14But when you do an album, when you do any piece of music which is real,
04:21it becomes absolutely artistic.
04:24And that's the best part.
04:26So, you said that follow Saraswati and Lakshmi Ji and Devan Chivarika.
04:32I think that's what your friend and your industry friend Erjee built.
04:37Yeah, I mean, I think, I'm not surprised at all.
04:41We've done it a lot earlier.
04:43I haven't done it many years.
04:44I don't have any film music yet.
04:46And I very much before COVID-19, I went to experience,
04:51I didn't experience, but I felt, I hasn't wanted any other offers.
04:56That's why I was happy.
04:57Sure it's my society.
05:01I felt like in 2018, in 2019, before COVID-19,
05:05that I felt like the film music.
05:07I got to step on the way I went by and I got to step on the independent music.
05:18And fortunately, today, five or six years later, there is a time where I don't know, many people have realized
05:28that the film, music is a lot of great success, but there is no such a film, there is no
05:38such a different type of stories, stories, stories, stories, stories, stories, stories.
05:50But it was quite a shock, because you have reduced it, but then one is at the top of the
05:57story and officially announced it.
06:13It was my last film, 102 Not Out, which was Rishi Kapoor Sahib and Mr. Bachchan, Amit Abachchan. It was
06:21my last film, where I made music.
06:24What do you mean by saying is that this is not just Rishi Kapoor Sahib?
06:32Yes, many people have not given a statement publicly.
06:37I have not given a statement that I have given a statement from the playback.
06:47But music is a very big field.
06:50Playback is a small part of it.
06:53So there is no harm in it.
06:57I am sure there is a lot of music.
07:01Maybe there is a film, but there is a lot of music.
07:07Some people will say that there are a lot of music.
07:13So it will be a little bit more.
07:13What do you think about this is not just that your business is not getting as much work as
07:18in the 1990s.
07:19And because there was two things, there were two important things.
07:22One was because there was a power shift in the industry.
07:25That was one thing.
07:26And he also said, probably due to communalism.
07:28So what do you see?
07:30I don't think that is true, actually.
07:34I mean, with all due respects to what Rahman said,
07:38he may be right in his own way, for his own experience.
07:41I don't think that's true.
07:44I feel that, you know, a composer who's doing the biggest film
07:50in the history of Indian cinema and world cinema,
07:53which is a Hindu epic called Ramayana,
07:57if he's a composer of that,
08:00then I don't think there is any problem with any communal things.
08:03But that's my lookout, my take on it.
08:05He may have his own reasons.
08:09Having said about music and film music,
08:11I think he's done a lot of music.
08:13Even now he's doing a lot of music, film music.
08:17Because in the South, there's still a very big film music culture.
08:22So.
08:27For the last two, three years, we get to hear a lot of concert culture.
08:34Do you think India is ready for that kind of culture at best for us?
08:40Yes, absolutely.
08:41I think people really want to experience live music right now.
08:45In fact, more than film ticket, theater ticket,
08:49they want to go to a live music concert and experience that.
08:55Because, you know,
08:57people there are more entertainment-wise or engagement-wise,
09:05their hearts are more fulfilled when they go to a live concert.
09:10That's what I think.
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