The Coke Studio team proudly introduces the expansion of the live music platform to encompass and introduce a series of exclusive ‘behind –the- scenes’ web blogs in 2010, due to popular demand. Through these blogs Coke Studio looks to share with its fans the passion, creativity and sheer joy behind these sessions thereby endeavouring to bridge the gap between the studio and its fans. Indeed while Rohail Hyatt and his team gear up for a third season of electrifying collaborations and improvised fusion music to air later this year, Coke Studio’s ongoing web blogs bring you right on to the studio floor and into the red room for a sneak peak into where the magic first started. {Read More…}

By

Madeeha Syed

Just when you thought it was all over, the music industry is abuzz with plans of album launches, collaborations, soundtracks, creative projects, the potential for solo projects by the likes of Rohail Hyatt and Co. In 2010, the music industry is slated to make a comeback with a vengeance

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan working on not one, but two albums!

The albums are slated for a late 2010 release but chances are that it could take till 2011 for his work to come out. One of the albums titled Koi Umeed will have four qawwalis, one of which – the title track – is a whopping 30 minutes long! It will contain poetry and bandish from Mirza Ghalib’s selected works. The selection of poetry and composition has been done by Mian Yousuf Salahuddin and those close to Rahat expect that this album will land him a place with the great maestros. {Read More…}

Best Music Album
Qismat Apnay Haath Mein by Shehzad Roy

Best Music Video Director
Ahsan Rahim for ‘Laga Reh’ by Shehzad Roy

Best Music Director
Rohail Hyatt and Faisal Rafi for Charkha by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Song of the Year
‘Khwabon Key Rishtey’ by Najam Sheraz

As Overload and Mekaal Hasan Band release their records without the backing of a record label and pull it off without a glitch, Instep takes a look at the burgeoning music scene, record label battles and how the Internet just might be the way out

By Maheen Sabeeh

Throwing out the blame

Internet. The inescapable term that has become an intrinsic part of our lives. We tweet through our phones; share pictures and at times send pointed (albeit indirect) messages to people on Facebook… and that is just one small example. According to the CIA Fact Book, Pakistan had an estimated 17.5 million internet users in the year 2009. So if music sales are going down at stores, which they very much are, we can guess that fans are downloading and sharing albums online instead. {Read More…}

We all know about the legend Rohail Hyatt for the services he has provided to the music industry of Pakistan since the times of Vital Signs. The Vital Signs which gave us one of the best patriotic songs of the world, Dil Dil Pakistan (ranked 3rd in BBC Top ten list) and Rohail Hyatt which gave us Coke Studio, another reason to be proud of Pakistan. The son, Danial Hyatt continues what Rohail had started. We had seen Danial Hyatt doing the animations and visuals for Coke Studio but this is the first time the music by Danial is coming out and that too for Pakistan. Slackistan is a film by Hammad Khan & Shandana Ayub to  revive the image of Pakistan. The film will be featuring tracks by Mole, Kominas, Adil Omar and Uzair Jaswal. OST of the movie is going to be “Pink Moving Objects” by Mole, a band by Danial Hyatt, Faizan Riedinger, Amman Mushtaq and Habib. The track is amazing and goes to one of my all time favorite tracks. I am trying to get the track for you folks really soon.

We recently published an article on how fire records is trying to claim rights on coke studio content. We concluded the article saying, hypothetically, Fire Records is the composition rights owner of some of the content, but is it playing fair in ethical terms? We asked these questions to you in the form of a survey, which has been concluded today. To remove biases and to spread the word, we took support of other portals to present the survey to their audience, so better results may be compiled. I thank Alam and Danish for being kind enough to help me out with this.

Logically, Fire Records has all the composition rights. It’s beneficial for their business to claim rights on each and every content that they have “bought”. So, if we think Fire Records isn’t making efforts for music but being greedy, we need to realize it’s running for business and not for betterment of music. I don’t blame Fire Records for claiming rights on the content they have “paid for”. Musicians are at fault here for selling their composition rights. I am sure musicians do respect Mr. Rohail Hyatt and would care to listen to his words about it. They are allowing the record labels to act “only” as business firms and not the firms for the betterment of music. In the end, it’s the audience that gets hurt when they even have trouble downloading the “free content” just because musicians had sold the composition way before. {Read More…}

Earlier this month, a certain bulletin caught my attention. ‘Zeb and Haniya, Pakistan’s first female duo, visit India.’ The Times of India was one of the first to feature them in their daily… after which every tabloid I turned to had them covered. Their names, place of birth, education background… and the inevitable questions about their plans in Bollywood (!) had indeed taken our media by storm. {Read More…}

On 9th of September, Mr. Fahd Khan, Associate Manager, Geo TV on a telephonic conversation claimed rights on some of the content that is being distributed freely on this site. Complying with them, I asked them to e-mail me the details along with the link, so, I may review and take actions. The email consisted of the links to “Rona Chor Diya by Zeb and Haniya (Cokestudio version)”. I responded back with details that they are trying to claim rights on Cokestudio content. I was replied back by Mr. Fahd that the content is protected under law and Fire Records are the right owners. Being unsure, I requested Mr. Fahd to look again in to the matter if removal is mandatory. I was responded back today, that yes, it has to be taken off. Complying with the record label, I took off the content and tried to look in to the matter myself. On looking in to it, I realized “Frequency Media” are the right owners of the content. I was confused and curious about the continuous warnings from the Fire Records. Why would Fire Records claim rights on the content which is property of “Frequency Media”? {Read More…}

The torchbearer of a gharana that has been producing music for 600 years, the hope of a nation still in mourning for Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and a brilliant vocalist: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan talks to Instep about keeping Nusrat’s legacy alive, his next album and what the future holds for Pakistani music

Described as an “absolute gem and an amazing guy” by Charkha co-producer Rohail Hyatt and a “maestro” by friends who have seen him perform live, one expects an air of grandeur to surround him. {Read More…}

Atif Aslam has been given a new lease on stardom with his spiritual song for Ramadan. He talks to Instep about the new song and falling over at concerts.

Instep: One minute it’s Coke Studio and the next you’re in a Ramadan advertisement with Dawud Wharnsby. From rock to religious anthems, how do you balance the two very different genres without shaking up a doodh soda?

Atif Aslam: I am a Muslim and I feel I don’t have to wear the shalwar kameez or fold my trousers high to prove that. This is as much part of me as my pop star image. For me religion is primarily about peace and having compassion for other people. {Read More…}