The market for CDs, DVDs and audio cassettes playing Naats, Durood Sharif, Qawalis, Quranic verses and Islamic Ringtones, has skyrocketed in major cities across the country, especially in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Sales of these CDs, DVDs and cassettes, featuring famous Naatkhawans have shot up in Ramadan, as music outlets have started playing their latest CDs and cassettes to attract customers.
Kashaf Rashid, from Islamabad, said that she had purchased two new DVDs of fresh Naats, to play during Sehar and Iftar.
“I have downloaded Naats and Quranic verses onto my mobile phone because I don’t want to listen to songs during Ramadan,” said Muhammad Ali, “As a Muslim, this month is important to me and I don’t want to listen to songs out of respect for its sanctity.”
M Hashim, owner of a music outlet, said that the demand for such CDs, DVDs and audio cassettes had increased during the last 11 days. “Our sale is expected to continue to rise in the coming days of Ramadan,” he said.
“It is natural for people to ignore music in this month and to buy religious lectures, naats and other products,” said Rehman Malik, another shopkeeper.
A lot of customers could be seen purchasing new Islamic CDs, DVDs and cassettes at music outlets, and shopkeepers are busy attracting more customers by playing these CDs in marketplaces.
QasimAli said, while buying these CDs at a shop, that he preferred buying CDs of famous Naatkhawans, but complained that vendors overcharge, taking advantage of the demand hike.
Several CD vendors in Liberty Market, Lahore and in Rawalpindi said that customers prefer to purchase CDs featuring prominent scholars, clerics and preachers and famous reciters of the Quran, in this month.
They said that these cassettes and CDs are prepared in time for Ramadan, with names of scholars, titles and excerpts of the content stamped across the covers. That helps attracting the right kind of audience.
As demand increases, street vendors and hawkers switch to selling such CDs and cassettes as they believe this is a much more lucrative business.
They distribute these Islamic cassettes and CDs featuring Quran, sermons and Anashid before mosques and on street intersections and crowded markets.
In an attempt to cash in on this growing market, mobile telecommunication service providers have joined the competition, providing a wide range of Islamic tones, supplications, Anashid and SMS messages.
Cashing in on spirituality
