Thread by @haryanvipodcast

A thread on "The Downfall of Bollywood Music".

Reasons:

1) Death of Song writing
2) Technological Advancement
3) Change in Audience's Taste
4) Rise of Regional Content
5) Rise of Alternative Music
6) Commercial factors

#bollywood #music #songs

Do you remember 02 good songs to come out of Bombay based Hindi Music Industry in the last 5-10 years?

Something that you have gone back to and listened on loop!

Very hard to find some. Lets look at this decline where Bollywood songs no longer have a shelf life.

I am not going to give a brief here on Bollywood music, but it can be roughly categorized as following:

1950s/1960s: Semi Classical
1970s: Era of Pancham and R&R
1980s: Complete Crass Content
1990s: Neo Classical Revival
2000s: Remixes and fusion
2010s: Hooks & Taglines

Note: These eras and categorizations overlap and may be partial.

1980s was also a sort of decline in music quality but 2010s seems irreversible.

Lets explain the above listed reasons one by one.

Bollywood songs were never in "Hindi". Rather were written in Hindustani or Urdu. That why their popularity across the border.

With the death of " Poets" come the 2000s, "songwriting" became a dead art.

Now such people are writing songs "जिन्हें क़ाफ़िये जोड़ने तक नहीं आते।

Good Lyrics were the secret reason behind the resonance of bollywood songs and the ideas they implied.

Present day lyricsts barely have read any literature or are engaging with contemporary societal issues.

Reason 2:

With technological advancements it has become easier to create music. Autotune, digital sounds, and everything else.

But conversely it has made music production a mechanical exercise rather than an art.

Most songs sound the same due to this.

Reason 3:

The Audience no longer like Bollywood movies laden with Playback songs with lip syncing by actors on screen.

Tastes have changed.

Playback singing is dead.

Rap and hip hop tend to tell their "stories" better & have more resonance.

Old style romance is dead.

Reason 4:

Rise of Haryanvi, Bhojpuri and Rajasthani Music Industries have created serious issues for Bollywood.

The Hindi heartland consumes more local content than "national".

Equipments, technology and access to resources has helped the regional to emerge.

Unlike these, Punjabi Industry has flourished since the 1990s.

However, the gravity of Bollywood's declined can be fathomed by the fact that nearly every single Bollywood movie has a mandatory "Punjabi Remake" song in it.

Toned down for Hindi audience, with its soul missing.

Reason 5:

The story of last 5 years have been a story of rise of Hip Hop/Rap & Synthwave.

And that too across music industries.

The beefs, rap battles and oomph entices the youth much more.

Rise of AP Dhillon is a case in point.

Here it must be pointed out that while Hooks and Taglines come naturally to rap in its syntax and structure, traditional bollywood singles appear convulted due to it.

However we live in the age of Tik Tok and Insta Reels.

Hooks are more imp than the songs itself.

Reason 6:

While traditional music labels are still sticking to bollywood, the smarter ones already made the move to tap the "local market".

Eg: Production quality of a Haryanvi Music Video has increased 100 folds in the last few years.

Where they lack in skill, money helps.

The variety in the subject matter of Haryanvi/Punjabi songs is quite large.

Bollywood music like its films has become a rep of a class, which doesnt have anything to do with either "India" or "Bharat".

India is making its own songs now. In their own local dialects and isnt afraid to sing or perform on them.

Like in politics, their is never a vacuum in music as well.

Somebody is always there to sing the next melody.

The End.