Copyright laws in music are both good and bad: Neeraj Shridhar

Singer-composer Neeraj Shridhar, who started his singing career with pop group Bombay Vikings in 1994, believes that a lot has to change in the Indian music industry. “There are copyright laws in place, which is both good and bad,” he points.

Stressing on the need to promote and provide greater opportunities to younger talents, he says, “Record companies ask for a huge sum of money for copyrights which newcomers can’t afford. If they make a cover version, all the money goes to those people who hold the rights of the song.”

Shridhar adds, “If a person has worked hard, they should be given some credits. They need to go to somebody who can produce their songs and that costs a lot of money.”

Looking back at the time when he was working towards making a mark in the music scene, the 53-year-old shares, “We were paid heavily and I would be put in five star hotels when I would come to India from Sweden to shoot my videos. Now there’s no money because record companies have shut the doors for all indie artistes. Though I’m happy that people with great talent are coming out with their own music, they don’t have the means that we had in those days.”

While the Aahun Aahun (Love Aaj Kal; 2099) and Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail; 2012) singer lauds the boom in the digital space that has given a push to newer sounds, he feels that the industry will return to its golden period when diverse voices come into the picture. “Monotonous work is happening which is why most songs sound the same. Every other singing is trying to copy Arijit Singh (singer). I stuck to my style and it worked even though I wasn’t the best. That’s the only way to go places. We need to bring in our individual identities,” he ends.