Two years after its launch in Pakistan, global audio streaming service Spotify claims that 70% of the country's population listened to hip hop songs on their platform last year, indicating a growing use of streaming services by the country's youth. Hip hop music is relatively new in Pakistan and many young artists are trying their hand at it, with popular group "Young Stunners" consistently topping the charts on streaming services. These young artists acknowledge that digital platforms such as YouTube and streaming services play a big role in bringing their work to their fans. One such artist, Taha G, has been making music for the last six years and is now gaining recognition for his work. He believes that the launch of Spotify in Pakistan two years ago is one of the reasons for the growing popularity of his and other artists' work.
"I've been releasing songs since before Spotify. I've seen how much of a difference Spotify has made. On all my streams and listeners.
Spotify is helping young and emerging musicians make a name for themselves through its Radar program. Tahaji is the Radar Artist for this year, while young musician Hasan Rahim was selected as the first Radar Artist last year.
Gen Z finds music business interesting. In the past, Pakistani artists used to bring their music to the market through audio cassettes, CDs, and other means. With globalization, and as internet access increased among the general population, these artists faced a difficult period as people started downloading their work instead of buying it.
In the same vein, a streaming website emerged at one point, but music was free there too, and the musicians didn't benefit financially from it.
Khan FM, Spotify's artist and label partnership manager, speaking to BBC, said that "piracy is a big challenge in Pakistan, which has led many artists to stop making music. Like a painter or any other artist, a musician also wants to release their songs, present them, and make money from them."
They mentioned pop bands like Junoon, Vital Signs, and Strings, saying that "all of them built their careers through live shows. But as they got older, it's apparent that shows decreased, and then artists all over the world started making a living through the music business.
People connected to the music industry say that very few musicians, whether they are from cities or rural areas, are aware of their songs' copyrights. However, now audio streaming platforms like Spotify, Tidal, or iTunes are available, which have revolutionized the music industry in Pakistan as well as around the world.
Saad Sultan, a musician, producer, and songwriter who arranged the music for the Pakistani film "Kamli," says that "now audio streaming platforms have gained considerable popularity in Pakistan. The fundamental reason for this is that there are no established record labels in Pakistan for quite some time."
"So usually, new artists don't know what to do? How to release a song, what its future is, and how to get it to people," he adds.
According to Khan FM, Spotify is also educating musicians to register their songs' rights so that they can easily monetize them on different platforms. Younger generations or mainstream musicians like 'Jeenay De Mujhe' are particularly interested in this direction.
"Spotify talks about the music business, which includes revenue and royalties. The artists of Jeenay De Mujhe are more aware of this matter, and they know who has the rights to their songs or who should have them," says Khan.
Streaming Services: "The future of Pakistani music is bright":
While global music streaming is becoming increasingly popular in Pakistan, the reach of Pakistani music is also expanding on the international level. Artists like Armaan Malik, who won Pakistan's first Grammy award, and young artist Shaye Gill, whose song "Pasoori" has gone viral not only in Pakistan but around the world, are examples of this new trend.
Although streaming services are relatively new to Pakistan's music scene, their popularity is clearly on the rise. Thanks to these streaming services, Pakistani artists have been heard and seen in Times Square and in Marvel movies.
Taha G, a Pakistani artist, says, "There are many artists who become popular through social media, but in my case my streams were very low until Spotify came to Pakistan. Then the difference was significant. Now not only in Pakistan but also in India, Britain, and America, I have followers. My music can be heard all over the world."
In the past, Pakistan was a market where free entertainment was prevalent, whether it was downloading songs or getting free tickets to concerts. But now this trend is fading away. People are listening to music on digital platforms like YouTube or subscribing to audio platforms like Spotify. Artists are benefiting financially directly from these two things.
Overall, it seems that the future of Pakistani music is bright, and the rise of streaming services is a big part of that.
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