Look, the band's gone online

(From left) Bunty, Kunal Biswas, Chayan Chakraborty, Timir Biswas and Apurba Das of Fakira rehearse for their digital gig

All its cards are not on the table yet. But the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) has twisted the arm of independent musicians who, after the pandemic, are already on their knees. The organisation will charge '20,000 as royalties for non-sponsored streaming performances and '60,000 for those with funding, according to an announcement it has made. That's tough, given the times, and especially so for an act gearing up for its debut digital gig, like folk-rock band Fakira is. They mainly play Lalongeeti and Baul songs, both of which are indigenous forms of music from rural Bengal. It's important to note that when addressing royalties.

Edited excerpts from an interview with Avirup Das aka Bunty, Fakira's drummer.

How different is it to prep for your first online concert?
The behind-the-scenes activities have been pretty much the same, including rehearsals and all. But the major difference lies in the interaction with the live audience. That's what we are about to face and have to deal with. Right from the beginning, all our performances have had people before us. But this time, it will be just a camera. The words 'digital' and 'concert' don't go together. But in the present scenario, this is the only way we can perform. This is the 'new normal'.

What are your thoughts on IPRS' charges?
We are quite confused about a few things. IPRS states that we have to pay a certain amount for every song that we perform, but the question is, who shall we pay it to? None of the songs that we will perform have copyrights attached since these were written and composed long, long ago. So, on what grounds should we pay the society?

What can we expect from the new album?
Our second album, Hare Krishna, has eight songs. All are folk songs and the main lyrical meaning behind them, just like it is with any other folk song, is the philosophy and different aspects of human life, which are narrated as stories that connect to the essence of the roots of our lives.

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