‘Crazy Kiya Re’: Explaining the consumption and popularity of Hindi film songs

Abstract

Hindi film songs are now ubiquitous worldwide. Their cultural impact and musical nuances have been well researched. However, their marketing ramifications have not been explored. We adopt an exploratory approach to find out the reasons behind the consumption and popularity of Hindi music. Existing literature on music theorizes that music arouses emotion which creates affinity among the listeners, and this affinity gets diffused among the larger audience through sociological processes like collective effervescence and emotional contagion. Simultaneously music is marketed both as an experience and as a service and is packaged to serve consumer needs. Focus group interviews were conducted across two different geographies among the cohort which is the principal consumer of Hindi film songs. We find that emotional arousal remains the primary reason for the pervasiveness of Hindi songs in Indian psyche. From the marketing perspective, packaging of music and ‘sound design’ ensure that it spreads among the masses.