Is protest music dead?

Mick Jagger writes an anti-Bush song and makes headlines. But not so long ago, pop music WAS all about protest. Delhi Times on who killed the Woodstockers' 'why'...

You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite/You call yourself a patriot, well I think you're full of shit. How come you're so wrong, my sweet neo con?

-- These are lines from the song Sweet Neo Con penned by Mick Jagger for his latest album A Bigger Bang. Though the song doesn't mention Bush or Iraq, it refers to military contractor Halliburton who has been awarded meaty commercial contracts in Iraq, making it amply clear who the main target of the song is. Jagger himself says "it is direct."

Blogosphere is abuzz with Jagger's bang. One blog attributes an uncharitable motive to the protest song: "Clearly a somewhat desperate move to remain relevant, it's atleast a year too late." Another blogger comments: "Earlier, it was fear of Richard Nixon and the FCC. Today, it is fear of the Neo Cons. The more things change the more they stay the same." But one thing is certain: 'protest' music is almost extinct. Whose fault is that?

According to Bhagwati Prasad, a student researching Hindi music: "Music companies are reluctant to back protest music as they already have enough albums that sell well and deliver profits. Protest music is uncharted area, with unwanted repercussions." Music companies, however, blame the market. "We have to see whether a project has commercial viability. Yes, sometimes, we release songs to support a cause," says Mukesh Desai, CEO of a music label.

"Who says there is no market for protest songs?" asks Bhagwati. "Music companies are afraid of investing in projects that might attract the ire of the establishment. There are many Leftist songs that support the Dalit movement, the Narmada Bachao Andolan, minority rights etc, but they remain underground or unnoticed. It's incorrect to say there are no takers for protest music. In fact, Indian Ocean's album Kandisa, which has compositions dealing with social and political messages, is a hit." Agrees ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas: "The buck stops at music companies."

Udhas feels that the entire music scene is India has declined, let alone protest music. "We need to protest against the assembly line production of remixes. There aren't any original songwriters interested in advancing social/political messages. Gutter music has gutted out music with a social conscience," he says.