‘Paagal’ has made YouTube ‘Paagal’

Indian Rapper Badshah, has set a new record within 24 hours of posting his music video, ‘Paagal’ under the label Sony Music on YouTube. He broke the record by getting 75 million views in a day, eclipsing the mark set by Korean boy band BTS in April.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzxxWpKgq5e/

.@Its_Badshah becomes first Indian artist to create world record with his latest track '#Paagal' https://t.co/v0H7h0jpgt via @eTimes @SonyMusicNorth

— Sony Music India (@sonymusicindia) July 13, 2019

However, YouTube has declined to credit and acknowledge the Sony Music artist for the feature. After introducing a new way to premiere videos last year, the Google-owned site has trumpeted the setting of every new record, from Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank You Next’ to Blackpink’s ‘Kill This Love’ and BTS’s ‘Boy With Luv’. It recognised Taylor Swift’s ‘ME!’, which set a record for most viewed female solo debut, but not Badshah’s record for most views in less than 24 hours.

Whispers are going on that ‘Pagal’ has got this record under their name through fake views. But, Badshah and his representatives purchased ads from Google and YouTube that embedded the video or directed fans to the song’s video.

#Badshah reveals that a #Google tool helped him break a world record with his new number, #Paagalhttps://t.co/0RwScMCzxu

— India.com (@indiacom) July 28, 2019

This incident made people realise this is a common practice followed, buying millions of views. When a new single is released, major record labels buy ads on YouTube that is placed in between their music video. If viewers watch the ad for more than a few seconds, it’s counted as a view, boosting the overall total. This practice has created doubts about the real popularity of the videos, revealing the murky ways artists and labels use for promotions.

The incident has led to scrutiny of what many in the music industry say is a common practice—buying tens of millions of views. #Badshah #Paagal @YouTube#SonyMusichttps://t.co/l7ZMJQQ9ij

— ET Panache (@ETPanache) August 1, 2019

Meanwhile, Badshah suggested that the exclusion was a double standard by YouTube. YouTube was happy to break records set by the global superstars, but when an Indian rapper, unknown in the West employed the same strategy to reach the top, he was not recognised.

Badshah suggested the exclusion was a double standard at YouTube#badshah #Paagalhttps://t.co/gamy5rdP8J

— Mint (@livemint) July 31, 2019

Badshah is a popular rapper who has released dozens of singles over the past few years, including many hits from Bollywood movies and was ranked by Forbes as one of the 100 wealthiest Indian celebrities.

Now, check out the song ‘Paagal’ which is creating the buzz: