Pre-release review of online music will hurt biz

IN A STUDY, 82% OF THE MUSICIANS SURVEYED SAID ANY NEW COMPLIANCE NORMS WILL LIMIT CREATIVITY

- 

The Ranveer Allahbadia incident where the YouTube influencer was briefly barred by the Supreme Court from hosting his podcast after police complaints and public outrage over his unpalatable comments, the content industry is worried about government censorship all over again. Although the Supreme Court has allowed Allahbadia to resume his podcast and ensure decency, it has asked the government to regulate social media content but cautioned against censorship.

With Allahbadia's remarks deemed obscene, it's hard to say if the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, currently on the backburner, will be brought back by the government keen on greater scrutiny of all content.

When first mooted in 2023, the draft bill was red-flagged for micro-managing content across media platforms including digital and for the criminal penalties it proposed. It had suggested pre-certification of content by a content evaluation committee with the power to override the established internal content monitoring processes. There were murmurs of a stricter second draft in 2024 which wasn't put up for consultation.

Media experts said anxieties around the proposed bill persist. In the shadow of fear, a new report on the music industry released Wednesday by public policy think tank The Dialogue, said that any preview of music before being published online will adversely impact growth in the fledgling music industry.