Bappa Mazumder: I don’t see a bright future for the music industry

Bappa Mazumder. Photo: Noor-A-Alam

Celebrated musician Bappa Mazumder, best known for his soothing voice and delicate compositions with bluesy guitar chords, believes the Bangladeshi music industry has been unable to create good content despite the presence of a number of talented musicians. 

Bappa blamed the excess use of technology, lack of investment and the absence of copyright and royalties, for this state of affairs.

"When artists know that there is a software to conceal their limitations, they lack the determination to develop their skills," said Bappa, who has been working in the music industry for the last 30 years.

"This practice can be damaging to the future of the industry."

Speaking about the absence of investment in music, Bappa compared local programmes to the Coke Studio - the international music franchise which features live studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists.

"Coke Studio is made after months of extensive research, with a dedicated team for each segment, and of course a great budget. The organisers even carry out researches on the audience and their responses."

With a tinge of frustration in his voice he added, "Meanwhile, whenever we turn on the television, we see numerous live musical programmes. However, the remuneration offered to the artists at the programmes are ridiculous."

Bappa blamed his generation of musicians for the industry failing to ensure copyright and royalty practices for musicians. "This is very frustrating," he said.

"If senior artists can preserve the copyrights of their songs, change in the system will come spontaneously," he said.

"If we do not change our practices, then, sadly, I do not see a very bright future for the industry," he added.

"If there is a problem, there is a solution too. Being seniors, it falls on us to guide the future generation."

Bappa also feels people who have some understanding of music should be involved in policymaking for the industry.

Born to a family of musicians, this gifted artist says his love for the art of music is only growing.

Speaking of his childhood, he said he wanted to be an architect but ended up being a musician.

"When I was a kid, I had a tape recorder to enjoy music. It was the era of magnetic tapes or cassettes, and shortly after that came the CDs. Now, even CDs have become extinct and we have turned to the virtual media," said Bappa, talking about the evolution of the music industry during his lifetime.

From the very start of his career, Bappa tried to focus on experimentation.

"From lyrics to tunes to compositions – I have always tried different approaches."