Apratim Chattaraj | Talkback Tuesday 14
A management student talks about digital media
Hi, and welcome to #TalkbackTuesday, which is where I feature people and interview them. It is always inspirational to look into the life of another person, and realize it is just as complex and confusing and large as your own.
This week’s interview was with an old friend - I spoke to Mr. Apratim Chattaraj. See his interview below.
1. For the readers, who are you, what do you do, and what is your current side project?
My name is Apratim Chattaraj. I am currently doing an MBA program in Sales and Marketing. Current side project is trying to analyse how the internet has played a role in influencing the revenue streams of the entertainment industry.
2. Could you elaborate on this analysis? Why do you think there's been a reversal in revenue? what do you think the long term impact is going to be?
More than there being a role reversal in revenue, what has changed drastically is the fact that the income stream has changed.
Before the advent of the internet, most of the revenue in the music industry came from the sale of physical distribution devices. But the internet changed all that. And by 2015, digital streams overtook the physical distribution. Apart from the obvious adjustments that artists had to make, the major fallout was that major recording labels suddenly lost their mojo.
3. Do you believe in a future where record labels will lose their power (given that the internet is such a vast and powerful network)? Being a marketing student, to what heights would you like to see the business and technology of self-broadcasting/ mass communication go?
Whether or not recording labels will lose their power completely is a prediction that I cannot make as there is insufficient data at present. But what is certain is that unless they adapt and adapt fast, their future looks in serious jeopardy.
I would like to see a future where all the information in the world is available to everyone.
I think the power of the internet is only being discovered now. And the scope is limitless. I would like to see a future where all the information in the world is available to everyone. And though I recognize the inherent danger in letting that happen, I have always believed ignorance is the greatest roadblock to progress.
Also it is common to observe nowadays the propensity of a large number of people to get duped by false news. More secure and statistically verified information being made available should go a long way in ensuring that doesn't happen.
4. Do you find it concerning that with all the information available, people have less and less time to keep themselves informed and fall prey to clickbait? Do you agree with the notion that people don't bother reading articles before disseminating them? If yes, how do you think this problem can be fixed?
I think one of the most insightful pictures I ever came across on Facebook spoke about the fact that our ancestors would be really surprised to find that we carry in our pockets a device capable of accessing most of the information in the world that is available and instead we use it to click selfies.
People don't have less time to keep themselves informed but rather less desire to.
I do not think it is because people have less time to keep themselves informed but rather less desire to. Keeping oneself open to new information also includes accepting potentially damaging information. And when I talk about damaging information, I mean its data you'd rather not have because it will challenge you to think differently, to perhaps let go of ideas or concepts you thought were clad in iron.
Somewhat. And I think the reasons are as I stated above. I have found very few people who are willing to grow and to accept new information. It is far easier for them to accept what they want to and hence they only share or believe articles they want to.
The only solution to this problem is to teach every child not only the socially accepted forms of information but also how to think, how to question what they are taught and to always keep an open mind.
5. Finally, do you have anything to plug? It could be something you're selling, or it could be an idea or music or advice that you love, or anything in between.
I have this insane idea which I'd like to pull off someday. I want to make an algorithm that will produce music which will always be commercially successful. It sounds impossible but it isn't really so. All it needs in a huge amount of research coupled with crazy programming skills.
Thank you for reading! If you'd like for someone to be interviewed, comment below and I'll get in touch. See the previous episode below.
Future Vaibhav here! Find more stories in the Everyday People Master List.