“Memory cards, USBs and YouTube are the three biggest threats to our business,” says owner of Khyber Music House. DESIGN: AMNA IQBAL
The ban on the video-sharing site, YouTube, is working well for music producers and singers in Peshawar, who say they are finally getting their business back.
“Memory cards, USBs and YouTube are the three biggest threats to our business,” says Fayyaz Ahmad, a Pashto music producer and owner of Khyber Music House, one of the oldest music centres in Peshawar. “Unfortunately, there is no possibility for protecting copyrights so we are compelled to give up producing music,” he added.
Ahmad said the last two albums he released, Darmaan by Haroon Bacha and Tapos by Bakhtyar Khattak, were very successful and people purchased the audio cassettes. He credits this to the ban on YouTube.
“Scores of shops around the city download music from the internet and at times upload several albums into mobile phone memory cards and USBs,” he complained.
There are fewer production houses left which distribute music in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. “They are destined to shut down as these businesses do not adapt themselves to new music production trends,” says Ashfaq Khan, the owner of Mehran Video Centre, while talking to The Express Tribune.
“The authorities should not unblock the site until some mechanism is devised for the protection of Pakistani musicians’ copyrights on such websites,” he added.
According to music producers, the music they create is sent to other parts of the country heavily populated by Pakhtuns, including Balochistan, Karachi, Swat and even neighbouring Kabul. Iram Khan, a Pashto singer said: “The sale of audio cassettes has already dwindled, and when someone uploads music to YouTube then the whole effort of the artist goes to waste. It usually takes a few thousand rupees to make just one song.”
“As it is, there are no concerts or music shows because of the deteriorating law and order and the film industry is in shambles. Piracy is an added problem”
The popular video sharing website was banned by Pakistani authorities following the release of the anti-Islam film titled ‘Innocence of Muslims’ in September 2012.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2013.
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its a pakistani newspaper, so "pakhtoon" is fine.
'Kh' or 'sh', I am happy for our music industry.
may be they can find a solution in mobile selling. every artist can make contacts with mobile phone companies to sell their songs. people can download from these companies at a minimum rate(lower than purchasing new usb or memory card). in USA apple do it.
It's a difference in dialects. Geographically, the land of the Pashtuns or Pakhtuns range from east Afghanistan to west Pakistan. The eastern Pakhtuns (west Pakistan) prefer the harder 'kh' where the western Pakhtuns (east Afghanistan) use a more softer 'sh' in their dialect.
In business terms, 'Pashtun' is a better keyword than 'Pakhtun'.
The word used in modern English is 'Pashtun'. The world does not know the word 'Pakhtun' as well as 'Pashtun'. Google it.