We got to hear that the internet is going to emerge as a major retailing medium with the powershift taking place in favour of e-music-tailers. These new online merchants could well send the existing brick and mortar retail stories crashing down like a pack of cards in the future.

Now how that will happen in India is a mystery because PC penetration is low, internet surfers are just a million and a half, the music companies have themselves not begun to exploit the Web as a distribution tool. Add to that, even traditional music distribution, which is possibly structured like nowhere else in the world, itself has to evolve.

But it works somehow. The cropping up of snob-value and up-market retail outlets such as Planet M, The Groove, Music World is asign of the urgent desire to modernise the distribution chain. However, more such efforts have to come in the second and third rung towns in the shape of smaller replicas of the snazzy metro outlets so that music listening and buying can become an experience there too.

The opposite view was aired too that brick and mortar music stores will continue to rule with cyber shops becoming additional vending outlets. In fact, so sure is one global music retailer that it has committed that it will enter the Indian market in the near future.

A major issue that was glossed over with flashy numbers in a film status report was music piracy in India and the battle to overcome it. While supercop Julio Ribeiro's effort in setting up infrastructure to combat piracy is to be lauded (and he was presented an award for it), 40 per cent piracy (it probably is closer to 60 per cent) is much too high. The industry has to now take the battle to the next level wherein small retail outlets have to be tamed, and the consumer isroped in to nail pirates.

Even the discussion groups at the forum were too short, with music artistes and company heads hardly getting a chance to voice their grievances thanks to the host Derek O'Brien making light of their woes and not giving them a chance to talk.

What could have been a serious forum, which could have resulted in some consensus on certain issues, instead ended up as plain banter. Merriment is fine but issues need to be addressed, discussed and not glossed over.

MTV management, agreed your motto is Enjoy, but you are also seeking to help in the music industry's progress and development through events such as MTV & Planet M Music Forum. The organised music industry doesn't have any other similar kind of get together (excepting in Hong Kong, Singapore or Cannes) wherein some amount of brainstorming can take place which involves not just senior executives music company, but a cross section of those affiliated to the music trade.

Hence, next year please stick to the agenda.

Mediaplanner's mind

On the idiot-box, television companies have been battling for eyeballs. But another battle has been taking place subtly: That of a share of the media planner's mind. Otherwise, what explains Sony Entertainment Television's mailer to media planners last week wherein it tomtommed its success with the movie `Border'. (That Sony and its agency Sista Saatchi & Saatchi got a caning from Mid-Day for ripping off its masthead and look is a separate issue.)

STAR Plus has been doing it consistently. It regularly sends out glitzy brochures and giveaways to planners highlighting its new shows, its elections and sports advertising and programming packages. Zee TV -- while it keeps media heads informed -- has not been as marketing savvy or proactive as the rest. Ditto with DD. One will have to wait and watch, whether the two market leaders will also get into the media planner wooing game. If they do, the warfare for the media mind is likely to intensify. And there will be no punchesspared.

(The writer is developing an internet portal http://www.indiantelevision.com. Feel free to e-mail with your comments to television@vsnl.com or television@hotmail.com)