Music composer Amaal Malik made a big revelation on low royalty in Bollywood music industry, politics of credit and low earnings from South Industry. He told how despite having hit songs, composers do not get their due.
Music composer Amaal Malik has spoken openly on the truth hidden behind the glamor of the Bollywood music industry. Generally, the audience only listens to superhit songs and assumes that the artists who create them also get equal success and money. But Amaal says that the reality is quite different from this. He revealed that in the Hindi film industry, composers are neither paid commensurate with their work nor are they always given proper credit. Not only this, he was also thrown out of many films for raising his rights. His statement is now sparking a new debate on the ongoing discrimination within the industry, the royalty system and the rights of artists.
Rights of music composer in Hindi music industry
According to Amaal Malik, music composers in Bollywood are often forced to give up the rights of their songs. He said that sometimes songs generate huge profits for music labels, but the composer gets only limited payment. He also said that after becoming a composer, it took him 16 years to buy a car for himself. While talking to Pinkvilla, Amaal gave the example of the song ‘Suraj Dooba Hai’ from the film ‘Roy’ and said, “This song earned Rs 60-70 crore, but I did not get anything except the publishing rights. Which is negligible. Not even close to Rs 1 crore.”
5 times the money in South compared to Bollywood
Amaal further compared Bollywood and South Indian cinema and said, “There are composers in the South who keep the rights with themselves and earn Rs 10-15 crore. In Hindi cinema, composers get Rs 2-3 crore and they give up everything.” Amaal believes that financial strength gives the artist the power to think independently and take better decisions.
Amaal Malik’s revelation on credit politics
Amaal also spoke openly about the politics regarding credit in the industry. He told that there was a time when even the names of composers were not visible. He himself fought to get his name officially known. She claims that she was thrown out of many projects because she raised her voice for rights and identity. According to him, it is not easy to speak against the system, but it is even more difficult to remain silent.