Palash Sen: The whole system today has made music like a condom

Palash Sen is not happy with what music has been reduced to today, which according to him, is “like a condom”. He explains and says it is all because of the commercialization of it.

“You go buy it, use it and throw it. I think the whole system has made music like a condom,” says the 56-year-old.

He adds that it is not about the merit anymore. “If you can buy a radio spot, Facebook ads, radio ads, media space, you can be way ahead of somebody who actually had a better song. That is something of great worry. Why do you think India has only Bollywood music? It is because Bollywood has the maximum money, they have the money to push it and buy things, Eventually, it is not good music but the only music you get. It is actually a very big worry,” rues the Maeri singer and a member of the band Euphoria.

Sen feels Bollywood has “run out of ideas” and is hence only coming up with recreations and rehashes of old classics. “Even the songs being made, they all sound the same. Koi farak hi nahi hai! It is all about the number of views, 500 million and what not. How these 500 and 800 millions views are happening, we all know, it is all about money. Recently, one artist, I won’t name them, spent 25 lakhs on the first day of the song. It is a sad state of affairs,” he reveals.

Talent thus is not getting enough chances to trump money power, according to the singer. He says, “Somebody else, who might have a better song which should reach the people, will never reach them, and some crap will. Advertising space has been bought. The problem is, I might be sounding like a prude or a very traditional guy… but I eventually feel things like music, writing books, is art, is sacrosanct.”