Musicians of the Titanic
COMMENTATORS are often accused of using the English-language print pages to speak to a select few; at times only to each other. They retort by pointing out the atmosphere of…
A music ecosystem
Most musicians in Pakistan are suffering due to a lack of a sustainable ecosystem for musicians. The painful death of Asad Abbas, renowned folk singer, shows the murky reality our…
How to help the music industry
The first-ever music policy to address piracy, copyright and other issues has been prepared by Minister for Information Maryam Aurangzeb. The government plans to submit the policy to the cabinet…
Understanding the music
The article below was written three years ago in response to the various versions of the anthem posted on social media by anyone who could sing, play an instrument, or…
ARTICLES Manchester draws solace from musical heritage
"There is a light that never goes out." As the sun set on a vigil for victims of the Manchester bombing, a lone voice drew on the city's deep well…
Ansar Ali and the music of our times
We are told that as the Titanic sank, amidst the clamour that ruptured the placid night sky, two sounds stood out. First, the ringing of the watchtower bell – alerting…
Music to the profiteers
In Pakistan, when it comes to music, you take what you can get. And more often than not, what you get is the backwashed brain-child of some beverage company’s marketing…
An elegy to music
“If music be the food of love, play on,/Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,/The appetite may sicken, and so die.” – Twelfth Night Act 1, Scene 1, 1–3 Shakespeare…
Luxury jails and musical chairs
Prince Mohammad bin Salman was in the news when he converted the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh into a luxury prison. The well-heeled members of the Saudi royal family were incarcerated…
Musical industries and performing rights society
Musicians, authors, composers and songwriters have a general fear that their work will be used by others without their permission or knowledge, and that they will not be compensated for…
