To survive, Navahang flips the traditional business model of streaming. “Unlike other services like Spotify where you are getting subscriptions and paying artists,” says Mr Danesh, “we get money from the artists themselves.” Since Iran is not a signatory to assorted copyright treaties, platforms like Navahang can use some Iranian work without paying. Many musicians, including Mr Rasouli, are delighted with the exposure. Those in the diaspora who want Navahang to promote them, for example on the homepage, pay for the privilege. Navahang also produces music for some Persian artists based outside Iran. Mr Danesh reckons 90% of its income comes from these two sources.
为了生存，Navahang颠覆了流媒体的传统商业模式。达内什表示:“与Spotify等其他平台不一样的是，我们的收入来自于艺术家本身，而不是来自用户的订阅与付费。”由于伊朗不是各种版权条约的签署国，所以像Navahang这样的平台可以在不付费的情况下使用一些伊朗的作品。包括拉苏利在内的许多音乐家都对这种发布形式感到高兴。那些想让Navahang宣传音乐的海外人士，比如将他们的歌曲放在主页上，是需要为这种服务付费的。Navahang也为伊朗以外地区的波斯艺术家制作音乐。达内什先生估算90%的收入来自以上这两种渠道。
Navahang is a relatively new entrant on the Persian-music streaming scene. The biggest and best-known service is Radio Javan, set up in Washington, DC in 2004. Its app has been downloaded more than 5m times on Google’s Play Store, many more than Navahang’s. Running a service aimed at Iranians is expensive, confirms Hamed Hashemi, Radio Javan’s founder. Not only are most users in Iran, but the lack of copyright protection cuts both ways. His company has a production arm, too, but it is hard to pursue claims when its music is bootlegged in Iran. Radio Javan alighted on the same strategy as Navahang. “We are a promotional company,” says Mr Hashemi. “We promote music.”
Navahang是波斯音乐流媒体领域相对较新的参与者。该领域规模最大、最知名的服务商是2004年在华盛顿特区成立的爪哇电台。它的应用程序在谷歌应用商店已经被下载超过500万次，远远超过Navahang的下载量。爪哇电台的创始人哈米德?哈希米肯定地表示，在伊朗的的运营成本很高。不仅因为在伊朗它们损失了大多数用户，而且版权保护的缺乏也是一大原因。他的公司也有一个音乐制作部门，但是当制作出的音乐在伊朗遇到盗版问题时却很难追究责任。爪哇电台采用与Navahang电台相同的策略，“我们是一家宣传性公司。”哈希米先生说，“我们推广音乐。”
Think of it as targeted advertising. Persian musicians want to reach Persian-speaking listeners to secure record deals and gig bookings, in Tehran or elsewhere. The likelihood of being discovered or making much money on a mainstream service—Spotify carries over 1m artists and pays a fraction of a cent per stream—is low. For musicians in Iran, it is impossible. Paying for promotion on Navahang or Radio Javan is a way to reach the right audience.
我们可以把它看作是定向广告。波斯音乐家想要接触波斯语听众，来获得唱片合同和演出预订，无论这些听众是在德黑兰还是在其他地方。在主流平台上被发掘、赚大钱的可能性很低——spotify拥有超过100万名艺人，而每次播放所支付的费用极低。对于伊朗的音乐家来说，这是行不通的。于是在Navahang或爪哇电台上付费进行推广成为获得目标受众的一大方式。
But the benefits go wider. Iranian artists have long engaged with overseas music, as Mr Rasouli’s shows. Free Persian streaming services let the curious in the rest of the world discover culture originating in Iran. “As an artist, I like my work being seen and heard,” says Mr Rasouli. The rewards, he adds, are spiritual rather than material.
由此带来了好处远不止这些。正如拉苏利所展现的那样，伊朗艺术家长期以来一直与海外音乐打交道。免费的波斯流媒体服务让世界其他地方的感兴趣的人发现起源于伊朗的文化。拉苏利表示:“作为一名艺术家，我喜欢我的作品被看到和听到。”他还补充说到，这种回报不是物质上的，而是精神上的。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
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