We often spend a great deal of time wondering about the future of original music but the truth is that while records from mainstream heavyweights have diminished, the music scene in Pakistan is thriving, thanks to a combination of new-age artists who continue to charm us with their visceral releases. If you scour the Internet with an open mind, you will find plenty of artists from Pakistan who will instantly make room in your heart.
Viral sensation: The Justin Bibis delivered a fabulous one-track performance
TECHBEAT
Google gives artists and content creators in Pakistan a chance to earn money with YouTube Partner Programme.
Karachi :We often spend a great deal of time wondering about the future of original music but the truth is that while records from mainstream heavyweights have diminished, the music scene in Pakistan is thriving, thanks to a combination of new-age artists who continue to charm us with their visceral releases. If you scour the Internet with an open mind, you will find plenty of artists from Pakistan who will instantly make room in your heart.
Living in the digital age means exposure to all sorts of artists from across multiple disciplines who have taken the liberty that technology allows to ‘create’. Some make us laugh, some create dialogue and push for debate; others can horrify or amuse or enlighten.
All this is just a way of saying that with Google’s recent announcement of ‘YouTube Partner Programme’ many of these artists and content creators from Pakistan will finally have a chance to earn money.
The announcement of this initiative was made at spanking launch event in Karachi that featured a terrific list of performers as well as reps from Google who spoke about the convergence of technology and creative collaboration.
“We are delighted to launch this new offline experience on YouTube with some of the top Pakistani players in entertainment. By making these popular videos available for temporary offline viewing, our partners will help fans connect more easily with their favorite content, while also helping bring more viewers to their videos. We hope to keep finding better ways to make video content more affordable and accessible in Pakistan,” said Tania Aidrus, Head of Business Development, Next Billion Users team at Google Asia Pacific.
Though the event featured several notable representatives from Google who spoke about the power of YouTube in a Pakistani context, it was the spectacular display of performances by a handful of artists that truly reminded us why this initiative is so important. So many of them have made a name for themselves by using the Internet, by bypassing traditional media and by keeping up the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) spirit.
Nescafe Basement all-girl band’s rendition of John Newman’s ‘Love Me Again’ was exquisite.
Hosted by Saad Haroon, the hero of comedy lovers, who kept the jokes rolling till the end of the night and sang his own version of Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ called ‘Salaam’ and even engaged with the amused audience, the event was interspersed with short sessions by Google reps who explained the future of tech, made some crisp presentations as well as made room for performances from electric artists who represent the new-age of talent and have the most to gain from this monetization offer.
The night passed in breezy fashion as comedian Danish Ali, introduced by Saad Haroon, made his presence felt by cracking one joke after another in quick succession. Ali, whose content can also be found on YouTube, had the audience riveted due to his impressive performance that had everybody laughing out loud, from the Google reps to even the most jaded members of the press. In fact, the event featured a combination of names who have used YouTube to great effect and continue to impress one and all with their creations.
Comedy kings Saad Haroon and Danish Ali brought the funny, front and center.
One such name was that of Ali Gul Pir, who creates satirical music that is often a reflection of us as a society. Flanked by a guitarist and a darbuka player, Gul took to the stage during this YouTube shindig, spoke passionately about the beginning of his early days before he sang his claim-to-fame number, ‘Waderai Ka Beta’ as well as ‘Taroo Maroo’, a song about ‘staring’.
Outside of the comedy kids, the event featured a brilliant performance by the Nescafe Basement all-girl band who delivered a crisp rendition of John Newman’s ‘Love Me Again’ while the one-song performance by the Justin Bibis reminded us just how much talent is out there and how YouTube has made it possible for such acts to not only exist but find an audience.
The finale performance of the evening featuring Noori’s Ali Hamza alongside an all-star line-up made up of Rakae Jamil, Saad Sultan, Kami Paul and Haroon Shahid served as the perfect closer to a game-changing evening, a fact that was not lost to anyone present.
Noori’s Ali Hamza used this auspicious occasion to talk about BIY Music, which is the group’s initiative to encourage original music and facilitate the music-making process for artists, both old and new and belted out three tracks including ‘Aik Alif’ and the Coke Studio 9 anthem, ‘Baliye’ on which Rachel Viccaji, sitting in the audience, also joined in.
In the end, this initiative should serve as encouraging reminder to all creative collaborators that even without the support of traditional media, which is focused on the narrative of war and terror and abysmal morning shows, there is a way to survive. How many embrace this game-changing offer, time will tell. A shift, however, is well on its way.
