Pakistan, on the whole, does not have a library of music or to put it in a broader context, a library of sound. Ours is basically an oral culture where writing is given less importance than the spoken word; thus the recording of sound or what has been said has much greater bulk. But even where music is concerned, the archives, if any, or qualified to be called so, are in the possession of a few dedicated private collectors.
From the moment of the past evolves the present and, hence, the importance of archives and libraries. The basic repository of our music had been the radio and the various gramophone companies that were established with the invention of recording sound and then its marketing.
The recording companies were in the private sector and all those gradually shut down with changing technologies resulting in lowering economic prospects but they did not really bother to collect or make an archive. The one that still lasted till the few decades ago was EMI, which changed hands and then disappeared from the radar screen of music production. One does not know what happened to it.
Many sprung up in the private sector with the recording technologies becoming more accessible and one Rehmat Recording Company did much to take music to the listeners in the cheaper cassette format. The rise of the recorded qawwali can be tracked down to this effort as the company recorded and sold Mubarak Fateh Ali and then Nusrat Fateh Ali till he became very popular and an international celebrity. But, unfortunately, now it has also been shut down, hoping against hope that its archives have survived.
Radio was the powerhouse that was supposed to be the platform for broadcasting music. It was also mandated to save everything that was broadcast. Similarly, television too was supposed to preserve all its recordings once that became technologically possible. It cannot be said with any degree of confidence that both these institutions have performed their task according to the laid down script.
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The partitioning of the subcontinent was not only limited to land but assets and intangible assets also. It is said that the question of division of assets in terms of music boiled down to the Muslim and Non Muslim vocalists, instrumentalists and the recordings of only the latter were saved or attempts were made at saving it. But when Bare Ghulam Ali Khan decided to leave for India his recordings were either removed or were destroyed or the private collectors, always in search of an opportunity, whisked these away as junk or bought it at a ridiculously low price.
The recordings at the radio and television are usually found in the market where these have either been palmed away by the concerned personnel, or copies made and the original then sold to the highest bidder. Some other state institutions have also been accused of selling their recordings to those operating commercially who then sell it off by making copies in plenty.
But there is some silver lining to this cloud of doom and gloom. Somehow the new technologies have come to the rescue of those who consider archives to be of value. It is rare that a body or an organisation has taken upon itself the task of making the archives available or accessible but the step has been taken by private individuals who have made portals of music and films in particular.
The best thing about these portals is that these are accessible. Only with the click of the mouse one can be exposed to a treasure trove of music in all forms -- the classics, the early recordings, to private recordings to ones that are contemporary. And this may be very good news for the listeners and viewers but not that good a news for the artistes. The system of royalties and payments to the artistes through the recording companies and bodies has or had always been a vexed one, swinging more or less in favour of the companies than the artistes, but with these portals it tends to become even more opaque.
One is surprised at the volume of music numbers available out there in the cloud. Many of the recordings that one had only heard about or heard some connoisseurs talk about, or supposed to be lost of history can be found after some search.
Of course, the absolute authenticity of the number, its artiste and the year have been subject to debate, for authenticity cannot be attributed to it as in a collection of a proper library, but still to most experts this new-found wealth helps to only arouse curiosity to know and research about the number of the artiste.
This uploading is primarily due to the effort of the few individuals who are keen to share their collection with others even if it is for vanity, but it is far better than not being willing to share it with others. Before the web, net, and portals, the collectors were proverbially miserly about sharing their collection. They only boasted about it and kept it close to their chest, not satiating the thirst of music lovers.
With galloping technological advancement, it is a Herculean task to transfer music or sound from the existing format to the latest that has appeared on the scene. This is an endless process of transfer as newer technologies keep invading the market and to stop at any one point could be a lag difficult to make up. There may be loss of quality in the transfer but it is a choice between losing some to losing all.
It may be mentioned that a proper collection with some -- a state body or even a private organisation -- is an announcement that the library or the resource is a national treasure there for the fortification and shoring up of the national consciousness and sensibility, while that of an individual only signals good taste, personal interest, and the desire to be aware of the past and the present.
This is not to say the latter effort is being belittled, only that the private individuals are forced to assume a larger role that should actually be the preserve of the national institutions.