| Those were the good old days of albums and CDs: How comedians tackle piracy |
22nd Feb 2014
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Bhotu Shah Ji Fas Gayi Rehra (L); Bhotu Shah Ji Thand Rakho
t is no wonder that like other entertainment industries, piracy has greatly affected comedy. With individual comedy albums gradually disappearing from the markets and shelves of music stores, comedians are finding other ways to keep in touch with fans and followers. Guardian20 spoke to prominent comedians of the Punjabi entertainment industry about how this change has affected them.
Jaswinder Bhalla, well-known for his comedy albums Chhankata and characters like Chhatar Singh and Bhanna, believes the industry has changed a lot but is not on a progressive track. With more than 25 albums in the market, Bhalla's last comedy album was released in the year 2009.
Bhalla avers, "When cassettes reigned supreme in the market, the industry was flourishing. I launched almost one album every year, sometimes two, but with the expansion of Internet piracy increased and the demand of CDs reduced every year. The physical sale almost stopped forcing the producers to discontinue producing new albums. Comedians got a new lease of life with the boom in Punjabi movie industry. Something that appears once a year becomes a craze among the people, and I strongly believe that excess of everything is bad and the same is happing to the industry as well. Today the replication of similarly themed movies has limited the audience because there is nothing new on offer."
Comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann believes the world has shrunk with technology. Mann says, "Today everything is available on the mobile phone with hundreds of softwares. Who would want to buy something for even Rs 10 if he gets the same thing for free? Piracy has reduced the producer's interest and the industry has depreciated, which has affected artists at large. Comedy helps us deal with the excesses of a stressful and routine-bound life. And now when videos are easily accessible through smartphones, the market for CDs has gone down." The comedian released his album last year called Kulfi Garma Garam 2 after a sabbatical of two years.
Producers are willingly investing money in movies now as the return rate is still higher than music or comedy CDs. The artists are now forced to produce their own albums to survive in the entertainment industry.
Veteran comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi feels that the way CDs are fading away from the market is rather alarming. "Technology is meant for the betterment of human society. Today you rarely see a STD/PCO booth. Similarly, what was available in cassettes gradually got transformed to CDs, and then to easily accessible content on the Internet. Entertainment is changing every day. The convenience and availability of things for 'free' is taking over conventional modes and is one of the reasons why artists are devising new ways to sustain themselves. Yes, the competition is tougher but technology does not essentially hinder you from staying in touch with your audience and fans." Ghuggi released his last individual album Ghuggi Yaar Gap Na Maar three years ago.
Though all these comedians have a whole line of live shows on offer, they still feel that not coming up with an individual album amounts to an irreparable loss.
Well-known comic-duo Harvinder Singh and Harvinder Singh, aka Bhotu Shah and Kake Shah released their first album back in 2001. With back to back releases every year, the duo have also been struck with the exploits of piracy in recent times.
"Today producers are not ready to invest in albums that go viral on the Internet, the very next day of its launch. We do get several offers for live shows but albums are always an easier way of connecting with larger audiences," they said. The duo released their last individual album Bhotu Shah Ji Thand Rakho two years ago.
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/those-were-the-good-old-days-of-albums-and-cds-how-comedians-tackle-piracy
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