Electoral Jingles Forge Multi-Million Taka Industry

The use of campaign songs in Bangladesh’s electoral landscape is far from a novelty. Yet, ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the production and dissemination of these songs across the capital and rural areas have escalated into a market worth tens of millions of taka—a development unprecedented in scale.

From the narrow lanes of Dhaka to village markets and fields, the air is saturated with electoral tunes. Curiously, most of these songs borrow the melodies of popular Bengali hits such as Dustu Kokil, Buk Chin Chin Kore, Noya Daman, Rupban-e Nache Komor Dulaiya, and Ammajan. The original compositions remain largely intact, with only the candidates’ names and campaign slogans substituted.

In Dhaka’s Mogbazar, Bijoynagar, and Uttara, over a hundred studios are engaged in recording campaign songs. At Uttara’s Rayhan Recording Studio, owner Rayhan Mia explains, “We can produce a campaign song using any popular tune according to the candidate’s preference.”

Similarly, Chāndpur’s Raj Ad Media operates three shifts around the clock, producing songs. Studio head Rabbi Raj states, “For a single candidate, we typically produce 10–12 songs. Only the candidate’s name, symbol, and constituency change; everything else remains largely identical.”

Campaign Song Production Data (Dhaka & Chāndpur)

Production relies heavily on minimally trained musicians, with artificial intelligence playing a role for the first time in this election cycle. Each song takes approximately five minutes to record, while distributing a copy from studio to candidate costs between 2,000–3,000 taka. Collectively, Rayhan Recording Studio and Raj Ad Media have produced roughly 2,700 songs this campaign season, generating a market valued in crores.

Legal concerns accompany this booming industry. Under Bangladesh’s Copyright Act, 2023, reproducing original tunes without permission is illegal. The Bangladesh Lyricists, Composers and Performers Society (BLCPS) and former registrar Jafar Raja Chowdhury warn that offenders may face up to four years’ imprisonment or fines of five lakh taka. Despite this, compliance remains inconsistent across studios.

Music experts observe that campaign songs have long been used to sway voter sentiment. However, technological advancements and AI usage have magnified their scale dramatically over the past five to seven years. Consequently, electoral jingles have evolved into a diverse and highly lucrative creative market, now worth crores of taka.