Music Industry on Digital Platform: A Study on Five Major Music Labels of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study investigates the state of Bangladeshi music industry in terms of its operations on digital platforms such as social media, audio streaming platforms, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Five significant Bangladeshi music labels were analyzed. This study focuses on how they operate on digital platforms, generate revenue, and how they deal with copyright issues. In order to understand their business practices on digital platforms, a qualitative research approach was adopted. In-depth interviews and document analysis were used to analyze the situation. The activities of five music labels on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are examined in this research. The study reveals that music labels in Bangladesh have fully embraced the digital apparatus in all aspects. The selected music labels are now fully operational on social media channels, particularly on YouTube. This social networking site is their sole source of income. Other platforms aren't currently profitable for them. Physical musical product production and sales have been completely halted because there is no business in Bangladesh that offers physical items such as record discs, audio cassettes, CDs, or DVDs. It is also found that in the mid1990s, Bangladeshi music labels were threatened by piracy of their products. However, there is no risk of piracy while doing business on digital platforms.