music Digital service of Spotify Pakistani legend singers of post 50s and Artists is launching a new program called ‘Spotify Icon Pakistan’ to bring together the work of
Spotify’s Label and Partnership Manager for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Khan FM, told Independent Urdu in an exclusive interview that Spotify Icon Program Pakistan aims to promote and catalog local music icons through on-platform and offline promotion. Focused on advancing consumption.
Khan FM said that ‘Spotify Icon’ is a name that is new not only in Pakistan but also in the world of Spotify. Most of Spotify’s programs focus on new songs and artists, but for the first time we are bringing this program that focuses on legendary artists.’
Khan FM added: ‘These are artists who played a major role in the music industry from the 50s to the 90s, so this program is dedicated to them and a tribute to them.’
Khan F while mentioning the names of various singers said that ‘ICON program will highlight the music of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Madam Noor Jahan, Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan, Shazia Manzoor, Neera Noor and many other such singers. Events in his life in which his music had a major impact. We are going to tell these stories next.
For example, look at Ghulam Ali. He is a singer who is closely related to Ghazal. Their streaming numbers grew by 82% year-on-year. Similarly, Mehdi Hasan’s streams grew by 144% every year. We know from this data that these listeners still exist today, but they are growing, and it’s not just the listeners of any one generation, but the older generations as well as today’s Generation Z. ‘
He said: ‘A lot of icon singers are with us right now and producing their own music. Among them, he mentioned Abida Parveen’s song ‘Tu Jhoom’ which is being listened to a lot.
“Similarly, among today’s singers, Asim Azhar recently released his album which uses samples of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.”
Continuing, he said that when singers like Talal Qureshi make music, they use samples of very old songs. ‘So we see in the work of the new generation of singers that they are influenced by the old singers.’
He said, ‘The old singers were people who didn’t have Spotify and internet in their time. We noticed that Generation Z values and listens to these singers. But we want to expose them on a bigger scale and that’s why the icon program is being launched.’
Challenges
On the question of what challenges will be faced in promoting artists? Khan FM said that we should consider opportunities more than challenges.
“In the history of Pakistan, tributes are given to various singers like sometimes Nazia Hasan or sometimes Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but we want to launch such a program, which lasts for many years and when people want to listen, 50 to 90.” Who were the singers of the 1990s so they could easily head to the icon playlist.’
Regarding the challenge, he added: ‘The only thing I would say to people is that if you want to listen to Pakistan’s music history, you must listen to ICON’s playlist and it’s important because we have nothing else like it. No place where these singers are highlighted together.’
In response to another question, he said that ‘Ikon’s playlist will not only focus on one singer, but the names of singers from the past will also be included in it and the plan is to include as many singers as possible from these decades. Their work should be brought forward and their songs will also be included in the playlist.’
What is the number of paid music listeners in Pakistan compared to other countries?
In response to this question, Khan FM said that ‘if we compare with the rest of the countries, I cannot say whether they are more or less, but this number is increasing.
“I think everyone listens to songs on platforms like Spotify, but what’s important about the Icon program is that there is an increase in the number of people listening to old or legacy music, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve through this program.” are looking to establish and this program will give everyone an opportunity to listen to the music of these artists.’
Khan FM said that the program will be launched on September 21 in Karachi and the launch event has been named ‘House of Icon’.
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“I don’t think that any such music program will be organized in Pakistan because in this launch we are also organizing an exhibition or you can call it a music museum, where the music history of the entire Pakistan can be seen. Which singers were in which decade? What songs did they sing? What were his hits? It will all be included.’
He said that ambassadors will also be appointed for the icon while the program will focus on one legendary artist. His story will be told through a one-minute film.
He said that in the coming time, the families and relatives of these legendary singers will also be included. “When we tell Mehdi Hasan’s story, we want his family to be involved and to know what kind of music he is making and not just his family, but those who play instruments with him. Include everyone who used to play. But it can’t be one sided but his family members also have to cooperate with us and I hope that the time will come when all this will be possible.’
According to data provided by Spotify management to Independent Urdu:
Famous Pakistani artistes of the 60s, 70s and 80s are witnessing a remarkable resurgence in popularity.
Mehdi Hasan leads the pack with a sequential annual growth of 144.5%.
Similarly, Ghulam Ali has also seen an impressive 82.4% year-on-year growth.
Following is the growth of some popular artists in monthly active audience (global) year-over-year from 2023-2024, according to data from Spotify.
Mehdi Hasan 142 percent
Ghulam Ali 85 percent
Sajjad Ali, Mustafa Zahid, Hadiqa Kayani and Noori 75 percent
Noor Jehan 65%
Shazia Manzoor 45 percent
Abrar-ul-Haq 38 percent
Abida Parveen 34 percent
According to Spotify data, these singers are attracting the younger generation, which can be gauged from the fact that people aged 24 to 34 are fans of Noor Jahan, Ghulam Ali and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. , while 50 percent of Noor Jahan’s listeners are 18-27-year-olds.
#Spotify #Icon #Tribute #Pakistani #Legendary #Singers
2024-09-22 17:47:29
