For an artiste like Adnan Sami, who has witnessed the music industry’s transition from cassettes and CDs to digital playlists and viral streaming hits, the evolution has been dramatic. The singer believes technology and streaming platforms have completely transformed how music is created, distributed and consumed — making the industry more democratic, but also far more competitive. Reflecting on the shift, Sami says the old system relied heavily on record labels and physical sales.

“Earlier, everything used to be hard sales — cassettes, CDs and all of that. Today, that’s no longer the case. The whole format has shifted to streaming,” he says.

Sami points out that earlier, only a handful of music companies controlled access to the industry because they alone had the infrastructure to manufacture and distribute music physically. “Because there used to be physical sales, only record labels and companies were able to release music. Artistes were completely reliant on them to get their music out there,” he explains.

Today, however, he feels the gates have opened for everyone. “All you have to do is upload your song and it becomes accessible to the public. Earlier, friends abroad would tell me, ‘Arre, gaana hamare yahan pahuncha hi nahi hai.’ That was the reality during the cassette days. Now, the moment a song releases, it is available everywhere instantly,” he says.

While streaming has made music more accessible, Sami believes it has also made survival tougher for artistes because of the sheer volume of content online. “Because technology has become so accessible now, everybody who wants to give it a shot can do so. That has advantages, but also disadvantages because now you literally have millions of releases every single day. You need to work really hard to keep your head above water,” he adds.

Talking about his new single, Lipstick, Sami says, “I’ve always found lipstick to be one of the most interesting cosmetics. Girls, when they want to quickly leave home, will just put on lipstick and run. My eight-year-old daughter wears it and grandmothers wear it too. There’s something psychologically empowering about it — once you wear it, it gives you the confidence that you are ready to face the world.”