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It's a package deal

Why don't we have the option of buying record singles in India?

ONE-HIT WONDER J Lo can't maintain the same tempo in an entire album as she does in a single PHOTO: REUTERS

You listen to the new track from J Lo on the radio, watch the video on the music channels and rush to the nearest music store on the day of the release. You see the album filling up an entire row in the store, but alas, the CD is priced at a whopping Rs. 399. Should you purchase the album or try and rip the songs from a friend who has taken the risk of buying it? After all, you have just heard one track and don't even know if the rest of the 11 tracks are anything close to the song you have heard. You felt the previous album was a waste of money. What do you do?

If you were anywhere outside this country, you would have had the option of choosing between the album (that you saw on the racks) and buying a priced-down version, called the single, which has just the one song you heard. You buy the single and hear it in a couple of remix versions as well that are featured on the CD. You wait for the second single to be released from the same artiste, and if you don't like it, give it a miss, and wait for the third video to be released.

The album

At a surface level, there seems to be a unanimous `why not?' to the question of whether singles were a better idea than full-length albums. Aravind, a BPO employee and hardcore modern rock fan, had this to say: "I end up spending a fortune on modern rock artistes. I read about a track in Rock Street Journal and buy the album as soon as it hits the stands. But the problem is, I like one too many a rock artiste and I end up flooding my collection with a lot of junk albums and tracks. Unless it's a Linkin' Park album where I know all the tracks are going to be super-hits, I would love to have an option to pick and choose my songs." Euphoria, the country's premier Hindi rock back released India's first single a few years back, but the response was so lukewarm that the band went back to their full-album strategy. There are a lot of issues ranging from production costs to image of the music-makers, which does not allow singles to be viable in India. Is there an alternative option?

Value for money?

Radio consultant Binoy Joseph seems to be saying an enthusiastic yes. "There are different ways to look at the issue. If I were a CD manufacturer, it would cost me the same when I burn one track or 12 tracks on to one CD. I might as well release a full-length album for the same price."

He adds: "We must understand that India is one of the cheapest places to buy music. Try buying a single track in Sri Lanka or Singapore, and you will end up shelling out 75 per cent of the money you spend on an entire album here. We feel Rs. 399 is an asking price for a CD. Globally, it is one of the cheapest you can ever find." Is there any other option at all? Binoy says: "Definitely yes. I-Tunes is doing just that. Giving listeners the option to pick and choose their music.

If you have an iPod, you can pay per track and get the track on your player. It still costs about $1.99 per song, which may not be viable for us here.

But it's only a matter of time before prices are slashed and it becomes more affordable." It certainly seems there is light in the future for choosing and buying the music that you want.

And with India being one of the largest music industries in the world, it shouldn't take too long.

A. VISHNU

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