Rahman Effect

With the winning of two Oscars, A.R. Rahman's music becomes a more saleable proposition - a look at how the market is reacting...

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The overall sales have gone up by 10% and Slumdog sales have doubled after the Oscars

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BEING individually successful is one side of Rahman's Oscar achievement; the other side is the impact and the string of beneficial repercussions he has created in the industry. Though Rahman's music has always been much sought-after by audiences of all agegroups, post Oscars, the info-hungry public are suddenly curious to own and listen to more of his compositions. Capitalizing on the trend, top companies such as Saregama, T-Series, Pyramid India and Sony BMG are creating new song collections for the music-loving audience and consequently, the music marketing scenario here is getting a new lease of life. Philip George, Head of Music, South India & Asia Pacific, Saregama says, "Through the Oscars, Rahman has earned an iconic status. He has consistently remained in the movie music sphere and his music has substantially grown through the years."

"Anything with Rahman or Ilayaraja carries a saleable proposition. It is not new for us. We have been coming up with a number of Rahman compilations from time to time," says Raja, Product Manager, Sony BMG. Apparently, the label Sony BMG has been associated with Rahman since his Vande Mataram days and is looking at bringing out a collection of some of his hits titled ‘Virudhu Nayakanukku Isai Maalai’ that has an assortment of songs from Kadhal Virus, Guru, Ayutha Ezhuthu; a few more riveting Sony-exclusives are in the pipeline. Even Moser Baer which is chiefly into the home videos segment is coming up with a re-release of a set of feature films that were Rahman musicals. The list includes classics such as Rhythm, Paarthaale Paravasam, etc. "It is more of a tribute to Rahman," says Saravanan, Assistant product Manager, Moser Baer India Ltd.

Philip George is not ready to divulge SareGama’s plans yet. "Given his current busy schedules, it is impossible to sign him up for a fresh album. However, the new release could be a remix or a compilation. Since ardent Rahman fans would prefer the originals, we are planning something big. At the moment, we have come up with the relevant publicizing materials such as posters and blow-ups. More is yet to come."

However, Ghanshyam Hemdev of Pyramid Audio chooses to differ in his view in terms of Oscar-induced sales projections. "Rahman winning the Oscars will surely create a fresh interest in his works but it will be a temporary phase of attention because his music was and is already popular. Hindi buffs will suddenly start listening to Rahman’s Tamil/Telugu numbers. However, the market for hard copies (cassettes/CDs) has fallen by 90% and though new compilations and packaging will hit the market, it will not be enough to revive the market enthusiasm due to small volumes of demand on hard copies. But Rahman’s Tamil albums have commanded the best volumes in sales and will continue to do so." Pyramid Audio has the audio rights of 23 of the 40 films that Rahman has worked for so far.

On the other hand, for T-Series that owns the talked-about Slumdog Millionairre music rights, the effect has been immense. "The overall sales have gone up by 10% and Slumdog sales have doubled after the Oscars," says Arokyaraj, Marketing Executive, T-Series, Chennai. "Also, T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar met Rahman soon after the Oscars. So we are looking forward to some real hit-makers," adds he.

On the other hand, this is also the vital moment when these companies look forward to boost the digital sales, the more vibrant side of the music business.

"Downloadable music is the fad today. There are kiosks available from where anyone can buy select songs paying a fixed amount per song and load it in any gadget. We will promote it through the different FM stations booking exclusive slots in them," says Philip George. People can also download them from hamaracd.com, Saregama’s own website that has a wide collection of songs. "As opposed to Bollywood music that enjoys a global reach, regional albums need ample publicity. Even in the case of our most recent hit ’Taxi Taxi’ which still tops the mobile tunes lot, though the movie did not have a popular star-cast, it picked up because of the aggressive marketing we did," says Raja.

How else is the music scene going to be influenced by Rahman’s history-making event? "Now, Rahman is equivalent to 24- carat gold," remarks Ghanshyam. Indeed. Trying to make the most out of the seasonal interest, music companies are not just going to be basking in their own now precious collections and corresponding rights. Prominent labels are also getting into an arrangement exchanging the best between themselves.