A song usually takes birth as a tune from the composer’s hands, but it gets the real form after the tune is stuffed with proper words that have a depth of meaning, rightful intuition and rhyming as well. So, both music composers and lyric writers get credit for the creation of a song while singers are often treated as the medium that takes the song into people.
Back in the day, radio stations like Akasavani and Vividhabharathi used to give huge credits to composers, writers and singers used to get full credits for a song. Before airing a song, the host used to call out their names and announce it. The advent of FM radio stations and with the radio itself becoming a source of entertainment rather news, the whole dynamic changed.
Our usual RJs speak about films, do comedy, tell jokes, share philosophy, comment on current affairs, and play a hit song. But they don’t mention the name of composer and singer, forget about the lyricist.
Other day, sharing a video of how Vividhabharathi station’s RJ utters the name of composer and lyricist before a song, lyric writer Bhaskarabatla commented that he will feel happy if Telugu FM stations also give credits in that manner.
Joining the chorus is Ramajogayya Sastry, who articulated, “There is no wrong in giving credits”, and demanded the likes of Radio Mirchi, Red FM, Big FM and Radio City to credit lyricists before playing a song.
Some noted RJs, however, claimed that they are actually calling out the lyric writer’s name while playing a song, but actually that is quite far from reality. Big FM agrees, “There is a sort of technical issue when it comes to furnishing credits. We will surely come out with a plan to make sure lyricst’s name is called out”.
So, why do FM stations don’t call out names of composers, singers and lyric writers?
All the FM stations want more air space, means more free-time in a day to deliver ads. To do that, they crush the time by charging RJs to speak up at a rapid pace without any spaces and pauses. And if they start giving credits to almost all the 100-150 songs they play in a day, they need 10 seconds more of air time for each, which takes up almost 30 minutes in a day. That is a huge thing for them, as playing ads in those 30 minutes will bring hefty revenues. That’s the logic.
