Patari’s music moneyball

#Pataris #music #moneyball

Patari, a music startup and Pakistan’s largest streaming site, over the past year, has launched its brilliant original projects and platforms such as Patari Tabeer, Patari Fanoos (created in partnership with Zohaib Kazi) and Patari Aslis Volume I. Known for And II

In 2018, for example, Pattari continued to release on Islas Vol. 2 platform, which according to CEO Ahmar Naqvi, is “a platform for independent, upcoming musicians to release their original tracks without any creative dictation”. The startup also launched the successful Baje and Ballet series this year, where vlogger Irfan Junejo met five musicians and athletes from five cities in Pakistan.

Patari is also home to some of the most delicious music made in Pakistan, from big names like Junoon, Strings to independent artists from across the country.

In this interview with Instep, Patari CEO Ahmar Naqvi discusses the payment issue, upcoming projects and how independent artists can make money through streaming with the startup.

Instep: How many sets has Patari paid so far? How many artists have been created so far?

Ahmar Naqvi (AN): Patari has made several payments of over several million rupees. Payment received by all artists on the platform, though artists earning more than Rs. 3000 will actually be sent a check. About 70 artists, aggregators and labels have been sent their payments, excluding artists who have deferred payments, those whose shares are too small to send checks and those who have yet to pay. The announcement has to be answered. We still have outstanding payments for the year 2017, which we are committed to clear within this financial year.

The biggest problem for Patari is one that pervades our media space in general, which is the long delay in payments. Having personally worked in electronic and print media, I know how much time media houses and advertisers often spend on payments. This is an industry-wide problem, and not limited to one or two actors. This means that for us, we not only have to work to monetize the content but also wait for the payment cycle to continue. In addition, there is the issue of taxes etc., and many artists’ tax issues are not resolved, causing further delays.

Instep: There are perceptions and allegations by some that Patari has not paid the artistes. What would you say to that?

AN: In reality, this is not true. Our payments are based on a formula that is communicated to all artists. Our ability to make payments is determined by how well we are able to monetize content, and based on that we have made several Payments have been made, as evidenced by newspaper reports and financial records. However, I think there is this perception, which is created by the long payment cycle. It was something we had to learn on our own as we started.

What sets Patari apart from many other services is that we also create content. We have worked with many independent artists across genres and styles in our original productions. In each, not only are artists overpaid for their work, but we also stand by our principle of complete creative autonomy. We have launched and promoted the work of many independent artists, and will continue to showcase them on our platform.

Instep: How do you think Patari can combat this growing perception (of non-payment) in the artist community?

AN: We are doing everything possible to increase the frequency and size of payments. Key to this approach is our paid premium subscription offering, currently in beta launch. This will take time to grow, but allows us to generate additional revenue and higher royalties for artists.

Instep: How can independent artists make money streaming on Spotify when they’re just starting out?

AN: We are very proud that Patari serves as a platform for musicians across Pakistan, and we have repeatedly introduced new names alongside established ones. We have actively explored the many subcultures and genres that populate our diverse soundscapes.

Our Tabeer project was designed to solve this problem, by giving a platform to voices that would never make it into the mainstream. The success of artists like Abid Brohi and Lyari Underground is an example of what is possible.

The Aslis platform was created to help young musicians discover new original music instead of playing covers of corporate brands. It serves as the only place where new musicians can be themselves, and the rollout of about a dozen new/underground artists so far is testament to that.

In addition, we also create customized promotional strategies for all types of artists, irrespective of their current commercial appeal as we have deep confidence in the quality of their work.

After all, our industry is still very volatile, and it will take time to change. What Pattari is trying to do is help new artists develop narratives, ideas, and promotion to set themselves apart from the noise.

Instep: How soon is Patari launching a subscription service that will allow users to pay for streaming tracks?

AN: The paid service has already been launched for users outside Pakistan through a beta rollout and people have already started signing up. We will launch campaigns to accelerate subscription take-up. This is an exciting development as fans can directly support artists by subscribing.

Instep: Tell us about Abid Brohi’s new single ‘Kaam Do’?

AN: This is a really big moment for us, because Abid Brohi is in many ways the star that launched us as a service into the public consciousness. I think this song has such a natural charisma and appeal that Abid has, and I really hope it resonates with the audience. The song is about the futility of education without access to jobs, and I think it’s a wonderful argument for a young person to raise during an election year. Of course, because this is Abid Brohi, the song is insanely infectious and moving and I have high hopes for its impact.