Digitalisation didn’t help democratise access to music, feels Sona
Amid the controversy about artistes buying fake views on videos. singer Sona Mohapatra asserts that this is not just limited to rapper Badshah, who was summoned by Mumbai Police in connection with a case relating to buying fake followers on social media. “People paying money to gain fame and be perceived as successful is commonplace, says the singer, while adding that it is “dishonest and a marketing fraud”. The 44-year-old shares that it puts everyone under pressure.
“Moreover, the money which can be used to pay composers and writers for their creativity, is being used for inflating digital figures to get millions of views and a hit,” she continues, “It has proven to be the death knell of creativity of the entertainment industry.”
Mohapatra says film production houses and music labels are in on this scam as well. “The digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are overwhelmed by the amount of checks and balances required to clean this mess up. The digitalisation of music was meant to herald democratisation of access to music, instead it has become the opposite. Those with deep pockets have monopolised the digital space,” she says, and adds, “It is for the people of India to stop evaluating success basis these numbers and for corporate India to set up a common body that audits such databases regularly before paying these artistes.”
It is for people to stop evaluating success on the basis of number of views. SONA MOHAPATRA, SINGER