But the manager takes all the brickbats in his stride. "Pangas are a part of the game, yaar. It's fun," he shrugs it off. However for publications Sherry is a delight to work with. Press releases with pictures are delivered on time every time Junoon performs in or outside the country and nearly every reputed publications are posted with every move of the band through phone calls and emails.

And if that isn't enough Sherry even jots down articles for various publications on Junoon's activities in and outside the country. Not to forget the pack of goodies that follow every time a Junoon related news is produced in a publication. Sherry's tactful dealing and resilience with the print media is responsible, in more ways than one, for making Junoon stay afloat as a commercial success almost 14 years after it was born. In a detailed chit-chat with Instep the aggressive marketer defends his product Junoon

What potential did you see in Junoon to leave your job at Wall Street and join them here?
When I joined it in 1998, Junoon for me was really a labour of passion and love. I have always believed in my brother. Brian has been my friend too as his sister was my best friend. I hit it off with Ali instantly the day I met him. They are all my brothers. Even when I wasn't working with them I would follow them to their shows and concerts, with a camera in my hand. It was always fun to me even before I joined the band physically. Though I never thought of it as a moneymaking or commercial venture, it was natural for me to be a part of the team. I get a real kick out of every little that I do for the band. And I think it's an enviable position to be in - to make a living out of something that you enjoy doing.

You are said to have made Junoon too commercial.
Well the best answer to that is if I had done so we would have been billionaires by now. And we are not billionaires yet. It is a misconception because music does not make a lot of money in this country anyway. It is most difficult to make a living out of arts in Pakistan. Since music is not considered an industry here, artists are deprived of the benefits and incentives associated with being a part of any industry. Even the richest people in the entertainment industry here are not well off by Pakistani standards.

The charge of commercialisation can only be applied in a situation where people are cashing in on the industry in a big way. In an impoverished country like Pakistan, entertainment can never be subjected to this charge. We have been one of the most successful commercial artists in Pakistan and there are times when we find it difficult to make both ends meet, literally. You don't have a continuous solid income in entertainment industry and that's true for America too.The reason why artists in Pakistan look for sponsorships and money from corporate entities is because there is no concept of royalties in the country. There is no protection for your art and international copyright acts do not apply on us. Even in a movie one sees a hundred different brand incursions. So what option are we left with if our sponsors threaten us that they would walk out if they are not given a certain amount of branding in our video? This is not to say that we haven't tried hard enough (to maintain a balanced relationship with the sponsors).

We tried our best. For a long time we insisted on keeping the sponsor's logo off the CD cover of Junoon. But there came a time when we had to succumb to that demand too. But whatever deals we have had with Coke have been very tastefully executed. There is more of an understanding as time progresses. But I don't accept the charge that we are commercial. At the end of the day we have to make a living too. And the media should understand this. By the way I love the way your page rips apart commercialisation and at the same time you have an advertisement at the end of every other article. So even you are following the same terrain.

Instep: Being Salman's brother, how do you balance the equation with the rest of the members? Don't tell me there is no tension between you and the band members.
There is always tension when four men are together. We have been together for almost 20 years now. There have been a lot of tensions, but we fight like brothers and we love each other like brothers as well. Even in normal houses brothers don't get along well with each other. Ali and Brian have always supported the vision that Salman has. Over the time Ali has become an amazing artistic engine following beautifully in Salman's footsteps. He has done an amazing job in 'Garaj Baras' and the soundtrack of Paap.

How comfortable is Junoon with Ali going solo?
Four years ago, we were off on a whirlwind tour to Japan and America. After a very hectic tour we sat down and did some self-questioning. It was decided that we would pursue our respective interests too because the band had grown ten years by that time. It would have become stifling if each one of us would have restricted ourselves to just Junoon. Even in a marriage situation you need to take a break sometimes.

We have been very comfortable with Ali going solo. Salman even plays guitar on some of his tracks. I think the reason behind this anxiety of Ali going solo is because of the example of Vital Signs after Junaid went solo. VS pretty much stopped functioning once Junaid went solo. However, we are going strong. Ali's solo is something that is going to raise Junoon's branding. Ali's 'Garaj Baras' for Pooja helped Junoon immensely in India since Bollywood is such a strong medium. After 'Sayonee' 'Garaj Baras' is the biggest hit of Junoon has had in India.

But why does one find Salman to be in the spotlight?
Ali is way more in the limelight. He has this rebellious streak in him. So he manages to capture headlines with his statements. Brian doesn't enjoy being in the limelight. He takes it as a part of his job. I don't think there are any issues regarding this. They complement each other this way.

You people are also accused of selling yourself out to the Indian market? Why do singer/bands just lose it when they go to India?
Junoon has never tried to project itself anything else in India, but Pakistani. We even took Saqib Malik to direct our 'Ghoom Tana' video because he is a Pakistani. We love India and feel a deep bond for India because of our history. We are more similar to India than any other country. The future of Pakistan lies in maintaining a comfortable and healthy relationship with our neighbours. I don't blame bands who get overwhelmed when they first go to India. There is an immense amount of goodwill that people on both sides of border have for each other.

If we allow that to come into play I think not only economics but all other areas in the two countries will do well. Nation worshipping is always negative. If Europe can have a set up where they don't need a visa to travel from England to France, two countries which had been at draggers drawn for years, ours is just a 50 year old phadda. I hope we can do that in our own little way in South Asia since people are suffering. I would still say we have to be careful because their industry is very well developed in some areas. But I think Shaukat Aziz is smart enough to figure that out.

Junoon is said to have played too long the sufi rock card.
Salman was performing a lot with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (before 1998 Zee Cine Awards). Salman wanted to bring NFK's kind of spirituality into Junoon's music. 'Saeen' was his first attempt at bringing qawwali and rock together. And it was one of our biggest hits of Junoon so far.

So who coined this term?
We didn't. Zee Cine Awards people did. When they called Junoon over for their show, they labelled the band 'International sufi rock band' (in order to downplay the Pakistani aspect of Junoon's origin). They came up with the terminology to avoid controversy. Sufism, in India, is considered to be the side of Islam that doesn't hate them. This was Zee's way of justifying bringing us there. Their media picked the terminology and it instantly became a hit. Though I totally hate categorising. First and foremost Junoon is a rock band and I call it the first rock band of Pakistan. I would call them a Pakistani rock band.

Why has Junoon's music not attained the same mass popularity as Abrar's or Jawad's music has?
See, there was no one on the rock music scene back in 1990. Today 90 percent of the music shown on TV channels is rock. The market for rock music has expanded by leaps and bounds and these music channels are obviously reacting to that demand. Bhangra is popular because almost two thirds of our population is Punjabi. But in the urban parts of Pakistan rock music rocks. We plan to do shows in every nook and corner of the country; and these shows will be televised. So you can see and decide for yourself who is more popular. I am a Punjabi as well so I would stay quiet (laughs).

But many argue that a truck wala likes and can relate to Jawad's and Abrar's music more than Junoon's.
I don't think so. Come to think of it, who has been around for the last 14 years?

But Junoon has been around because they have a good international profile too.
No, international profile happened after I joined Junoon, i.e. some eight years back. Prior to that Junoon didn't have much following even in the Pakistan. They were not touring every year until 1997 or so. But I can assure you that we have been doing well in UK, which is a heavily Punjabi market, way before Abrar got popular in the there. Besides even Junoon has bhangra rock with 'Pappu Yaar' or 'Chal Kudye'. I think we open ourselves to a much wider array of audience than any other band or singer. If you go to any other part of this the country you are likely to come across fans of Junoon. I don't think you could say the same about bhangra.

Are you advising other bands or singers too?
I give advice to everybody in dosti yaari (friendship). I am working with Haroon though, as a consultant, to get his music released in India.

Every week there is one picture or the other in the media of Junoon with the likes of Indian actress Mahima Chaudhry or President Pervez Musharraf. Aren't you way too star struck?
I don't have to defend myself on this. I am guilty as charged.

How important is it for Junoon to be seen with the Musharrafs and Mahimas of the world?
It's very important. In fact it's critical. I think in any business your reputation is the most important asset. There is a lot of goodwill that one can generate from their names. Such a projection helps raise the corporate profile of Junoon, something that a lot of other artists may not have.

We are in this profession just by our name and our corporate reputation. It helps us charge the most money for our shows and allows us to walk into places where nobody technically should know us but they already know us. We are just moving to our Glass Towers office and they have already trusted us with money; which shouldn't have been the case given the notorious impoverished state of show biz people in Pakistan. We have an excellent corporate reputation, which opens a lot of doors for us.

Where do you think other bands lack when it comes to management?
No credit to myself but Junoon also has the first mover advantage. We have been around for a longer period of time. My American education has played a great role in getting Junoon where it is today. Growing up in America and being brought up on that TV screen in New York I have a fair idea of the use of the media for different purpose, which I think, is critical. It is important to understand media so that you can get your message more widely and effectively as possible. I don't think most of the other bands have any clue what I am talking about. Hopefully through this interview they may understand that just by having a band manager who is looking after their interest, and keeping an eye on them as an outsider, or carrying out bargaining for them for concerts is important. I think for a long time many of the bands' only concern was why share their income with a manager. Even today I get calls from so many places to locate a certain artist simply because they cannot find him, so I end up doing that too. That is one reason why they all don't hate me (laughs).

Since Junoon is constantly touring abroad what primary difference do you find between concert management here and abroad?
It's a world of a difference. There is no music management in the country. Event management is a joke here. Since music is still not perceived as an industry we don't have world class managers with the exception of one or two. Even in India show biz is one of their major industries which is why they are so professional.

There are talks that you plan to get Junoon listed on stock exchange.
If you look at Junaid Jamshed, he, with his 17 outlets around the country, has done phenomenal job of creating a brand out of music. That's what we want to do as well. I am thinking about launching a Junoon store which would house Junoon caps and T-shirts. Listing on stock exchange is a part of the project to generate liquidity to allow us to set this all up. Junoon Inc. is a company that we have set in NY. It is a limited liability company. Jun Inc will be the holding company and we would do what they call an IPO, Initial Public Offering. We have a big desire to launch ourselves in America. Basically we intend to use Junoon's brand name to develop the business into a record label.

What next for Junoon?
'Ghoom Tana', shot in Patiala with Shubha Mudgal's vocals may be the beginning of our next album, which may even have Bono of U2 with us.

And what about Ali's album?
That's Ali's album, which has some collaboration here and there; but it's his primarily.

Why hasn't he been able to come up his album yet?
Because we have kept him so busy. We have been touring right, left and centre. Just recently we were in America for one and a half months.

It is said that Ali is uncomfortable with bringing out the album because that may hammer the last nail in Junoon's coffin.
If he wasn't comfortable with the band why would he still be tagging along with us. We can't keep Ali in the band zabardasti (forcefully). Junoon is an entity and all three members are a part of it as well as separate entities in their own rights. We all our pursuing our respective interests, including myself. Junoon is not our God.

Finally, how would you define your relationship with the print media?
The print media has been extremely supportive of Junoon. When (in Nawaz Sharif's tenure) the official media refused to air our videos, if it had not been for the print media, this band would have died. I would like to thank them all through this interview. Yes there have been pangas but that's all a part of the game. It's fun. That's what 'Papu Yaar' was all about.