Sanjay's Journal: US Hindi Remixes: A new Genre or Copyright Infringement

September 21, 2004

US Hindi Remixes: A new Genre or Copyright Infringement

Remixes: A New Genre or Copyright Infringement?

The Beginning

“It’s the music, stupid.”

I hate to brag, but I got my first BMW 15 years ago. It was compact, brilliantly colored, and I absolutely adored it. No one could tear me away from my BMW. When I had my BMW, I wasinvincible, in a world that no one else could enter. You could say it was love at first sight. Nothing could tear us until one day tragedy struck. My BMW broke while I was playing it.

Yes, I admit it: I am a Hindi remix fanatic and my BMW was, of course, Bad, Mad, and Wicked by Toronto’s DJ Jiten. Come to think of it, it wasn’t a very good looking tape cover, and oh yeah, it didn’t exist on a CD. It was 60 minutes of music that no one outside of North America knew about and a new sound that many of us ABCDs could relate to. In a way, it was two tapesforcibly crammed into one silly looking plastic box. It (Remixing or BMW??) introduced me to new American music played? over familiar Bollywood and Punjabi dance songs, and it(again, remixing or BMW?) has become a part of me in a way I never imagined Bollywood music ever could.

A New Industry

I doubt that fifteen years ago, Jiten thought he was doing anything revolutionary.Yet, that one release begat a whole new genre. Yes, you read it right, a genre, as in a new music category,something unique to South Asian music.

Remixes are hardly legal, but they are a guilty pleasure for me and countless other South Asians .Two very different copyright holders are being ripped off simultaneouslyand all I can do is anxiously wait for the next “bootleg”. The guilt is even more pronounced lately because a majority of remixes are, quite frankly, not very good. Yet, remix fans (myself especially) continue to buy them blindly, in the vain hope that we will find that one elusive remix that makes us move/reminiscence/wallow in its clarity (why clarity?). Remixes have become a major underground industry with an average of 2000 to 10,000 units being sold (annually?) just in the United States. These numbers do not include the bootlegs of the remixes nor the foreign markets such as Canada, England, and the Middle East.

Current State

There is no doubt that the US market for South Asian dance music is underdeveloped compared to the markets in Canada and the United Kingdom. While these countries release an average of 30 to 50 original albums every month, America’sbest efforts are comprised of fifteen hip-hop different remixes of the latest Bollywood song along with the obligatory bhangra track. At any given moment, there are five to fifteen remix albums out there, almost all identical in their song selection and varied slightly by whatever popular American song is added to the tracks. To paraphrase Bally Sagoo, we are a nation of “Xerox machines” with almost no inclination towards the finer points of music production such as original vocals or beat matching. And this is the nicest thing he could think of to say.

The ratio for original to remix music barely exists since so few original albums are produced in the U.S. There are various reasons for this. Currently, there are no South Asian record labels in the United States, no oneentity with a national distribution infrastructure as well as significant market share.* In addition, by record label, I mean an organization that focuses on original music and artists from the United States. This distinction is necessary since there are several Indian music labels established here, however they only distribute music of their respective companies from India. In fact, the labels are run from India, and seem to have no independent decision making ability. This fact is underscored by the fact that no original music has been released by the companies. And there in lies the irony: in order an original US artist to be signed by these companies, the decision has to come from India. Thus, the artist is judged by Indian music standards rather than US or other genre standards.
* here’s what’s missing: define South Asian record label and then define what market a South Asian record label would fall into.

Another obstacle to the development of… ? is the lack of original music or television programming. Almost allradio and TV programs targeted for South Asians in America (?) focus on Bollywood entertainment. The programs are run by first generation South Asians who have little or no knowledge of current mainstream music. (good point) These program directors have little or no interest in promoting… ? sinceSouth Asian music produced in the US contains elements of Western ? trance, house and/or hip hop. If is not strictly-by-the-book “Bollywood music”, it is not accepted or promoted.

Why Remixes are Popular

Remixes have flourished and become an accepted art form among second generation South Asians* mainly for three reasons. For one, remixes don’t require any rights…(well, technically desis do believe in right - the right to copy That’s for my record company homies). Secondly, anyone with a computer can produce, publish,market their work on the web, burn a few cds , or find a cd duplicator who will “forget” to ask for the clearance paperwork. Third, manyDesi kids do not speak Hindi or listen to Indian music. A Hindi or bhangra remix with hip hop is often the only time that a second generation desi kid will bother to pay attention to the music. This rampant use of hip hop and house samples allows these albums to be played at all South Asian parties. Since there is no other infrastructure, music played at these parties becomes the main influence for music buyers.
• you can hardly say that it is an accepted art form right after stating that program directors pretend it doesn’t exist

It is this ease that has made remixes flourish in the last fifteen years and become a staple in all Indian music stores. Whether it was created as a fluke of the imagination or a serious intent to create a sound, remixing is the official starting point for today’s Djs who want to be introduced to the Desi community. With numerous Dj’s currently on the party circuit, promoting ones self on a remix CD helps build word of mouth while perpetuating this genre.

Mechanics of Distribution

So how does a remix cd get around the US and Canada while an original album can, at best, hope for several hundred copies to be sold in its native city? Most small cd replicators do no make below a 1000 cds and a majority of them will only accept 2000 cd orders. How does an up and coming remixer move those units? Although the answer is simple, it is not an easy plan to execute.

There are nine major markets in North America: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Texas, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. Theoretically, one should sell 100 to 200 units per city in order to move a 1000 or a 2000 cd unit order accordingly.I emphasize theoretically because there are always several factors at work when a new remix is put out. The number one reason (reason for what?) is copyright infringement. While record companies have been slow to prosecute Djs for remixes, there is growing anecdotal evidence that RIAA (Recording Industry ??) is considering pursuing legal recourse. This fear alone dissuades most stores from carrying the product. (The sad part in all this is that remixes are NOT the problem. The larger issue is piracy i.e. counterfeiting of original product. Record companies would be better served to purse those violations than remixes, yet that does seem to be the case. – nice sentiment, but that sound like a whole other paper on its own, not a statement that belongs under this heading)

The second reason is subjective. Actually, let me change that a bit: HIGHLY subjective. Musical tastes differ in each of the coasts. While the East Coast and Toronto favor more reggae and hip hop flavored tracks, the West Coast is more into trance and house mixes. Vancouver and San Francisco favor bhangra remixes over Hindi remixes andthe bhangra has to have more “dhol” than hip hop/house. The list goes on and on, but these are the major differences.

Conclusion

While there are several original artists coming out, they are not going to see the same success and exposure as a remix album until there is a proper

Posted by zibasunj at September 21, 2004 11:40 PM

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