MUMBAI: The melodramatic violins, trickling sounds of santoor, rapid tabla runs and crisp guitar plucking that has given Hindi cinema its unique sound and character, and immortalized its screen heroes and divas may soon be a relic of the past as computers and digitalization has delivered a crushing blow to cinema’s live recording musicians, who till a decade ago provided the soundtrack in bollywood.
Once an integral part of the film industry, the proud and much in demand musicians used for films today are living on a prayer as they struggle to stay afloat as more background score and music are produced through computerized tools and software.
Many have left their profession out of desperation. With dwindling members, and lack of work, its parent association the 61-year-old Cine Musicians Association (CMA) too is in the doldrums- unable to help its members.
“The inception of computerized technology has left the film’s industry’s recording musicians high and dry up. In the last decade, there has been a 90 percent drop in work. Many of our members have changed over to real estate business even driving auto rickshaws in order to make ends meet and run their houses,” CMA general secretary Inderpal Singh told Radioandmusic.com.
Thirty years ago, a cine recording musician’s rate was Rs 160 per 4-hour session, with 5-10 percent increment annually. Today, the rate is Rs 3,000 per session but there is no work. A music director, today, can compose and arrange his music in his computer. He only needs to hire live musicians when there is a ‘specific’ need for ‘live’ music. To add to the musicians woes, music directors usually offer bulk or package deal for up to six songs at a go. The payment may seem higher, but much less that what cine musicians would earn if sessions had been spread out.
What sets cine musicians apart from their peers like the live and hotel musicians is the requirement for extra discipline and precision while playing. “You need special talent and skills to be a recording musician unlike a live or hotel musician. While a live performer can play freely, a recording musician has to deliver exactly what the music director wants and also play with hundreds of other musicians- that takes a lot of precision,” Singh pointed out.
The setback is serious. CMA has seen its membership drop and old members dying. Its strength has gone down from 1,000 five years ago to 850 in 2013. The first six months of 2013 saw 19 members dying with only six new members joining. Annually 20-30 members die.
“We take Rs 10,000 one-time membership fee and a percentage from their session fees. But today, we only survive on the membership fee saved in a fixed deposit. We have a very low budget- we can only contribute Rs 10,000-15,000 to meet the hospitalization expenses of members and can’t assist our members’ in any other way like their children’s education.”
In the current scenario, cine musicians are in real danger of dying as old members die out and no new members are joining. Parents don’t want their children to take up the profession anymore.
With a future so bleak, the CMA is looking for options to get out of the slump. It is contemplating organizing a concert with support of Bollywood stars and other film organizations, and seeking assistance from the government.
Singh said, “We plan to meet the chief minister and brief him on our plight, but getting government support is a cumbersome process. We don’t do have anywhere to turn and no one cares to help us. What is important for producers and music directors to realize the worth of live music again.”