Music in the time of extremism

“In a country where both the state and terrorists use songs to counter each other’s narratives, a music portal is always a good idea,” laughs former journalist Ahmer Naqvi, who is now the chief content officer of patari.pk , Pakistan’s popular online music platform. Patari was originally conceived as a portal for dramas. But it changed to a music portal under the direction of Faisal Sherjan, one of the founders. Today, even as the Pakistani music industry is plagued by copyrights violations and piracy, Patari is making profit. “Our success was to feature musicians and singers who otherwise could not make it to the mainstream. We are like what Netflix is to the U.S.,” says Khalid Bajwa, CEO.

Pakistan’s music industry was doing relatively well till the late 2000s. But when a slowdown hit the economy, several record companies landed in trouble. Terrorist attacks as well as growing extremism made sure no concerts and music shows are held. The Pakistani Taliban particularly target singers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Television music shows were also very popular in Pakistan. Music 89 , the first show in a decade, was broadcast by state-run Pakistan Television in 1989, after the death of military dictator Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who opposed such programmes. Ever since, music shows became a regular popular feature of Pakistan’s TV culture, till Islamists started opposing it in recent years.

With two million views a month, 2,50,000 subscribers and 1,50,000 app downloads, Patari aims to put life into the otherwise lifeless art and culture scene of Pakistan

At present, Coke Studio is the only mainstream music show to feature on TV. It has been a roaring success. But Patari believes Coke Studio was showing either Sufi music or fusion. “There was always a lot of music being made underground or in rural places. We give them a platform,” Mr. Bajwa, the CEO, said.

Patari’s office is in the Lahore cantonment area, in a building which houses several startups. On the second floor, many young boys and girls are working on their computers with headphones attached. Mahwish Bhatti, director-marketing of Patari, told The Hindu that young Pakistanis prefer music rather than reading articles and books. “The attention span of youngsters is not more than a minute. So for them, music always holds the attraction,” she insists. Maho, as she is affectionately called by her colleagues and friends, says she was surprised by the response they got when Pattari played a song to honour slain Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti. Bhatti, a Christian, was killed by extremists in March 2011 in Islamabad. The song, Sab ko Salam, by Ali Aftab Saeed was an instant hit.

Rediscovering talent

Patari has launched many new singers from the remotest parts of the country under project Tabeer. A rap song from Sibbi Balochistan by little-known Abid Barohi to Players of Lyari in Karachi, it has found hidden talent. Abid Barohi’s Sibbi song immediately made him popular and he will be featured in the upcoming Coke Studio. While project Tabeer was to find hidden talent, Fanoos focuses on rediscovering the artists who faded from the mainstream glare. Riaz Ali Qadri, a Sufi singer from Lahore whose 2002 song Supreme ISHQ took the country by storm, was featured by Patari last month. He is getting offers again for songs now.

Patari’s latest venture is to promote literature. With podcasts and e-books becoming popular, the response is also encouraging. Writer Saba Imtiaz, whose novel Karachi You’re Killing Me was made into a film Noor by Bollywood, recently featured on the website to talk about fiction in Pakistan. With two million views a month, 2,50,000 subscribers and 1,50,000 app downloads, Patari aims to put life into the otherwise lifeless art and culture scene of Pakistan. It’s a tall ask.