TEHRAN -- The House of Music will support underground Iranian music bands whose works are defendable, spiritual and of a high standard, Managing Director Hamidreza Nurbakhsh said.

The house will undertake the necessary procedure for obtaining publication licenses for the bands’ productions from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, he explained during a second seminar on Iranian underground bands held at the Mehr News Agency last week.
“According to the representatives of many underground bands, who attended both seminars, none of the groups like to remain underground forever and they all want to experience the pleasure of performing onstage, Nurbakhsh noted.
“The best moments for music groups are when they have direct contact with their audiences. They enjoy meeting their fans face to face and like to reflect this personal relationship in their performances.”
Underground bands are deprived of this pleasure and are unable to get feedback from their listeners, he explained.
Nurbakhsh said that the House of Music is ready to take part in any ventures supporting underground music groups.
The bands have to get licenses for their performances and recordings from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Due to the inflexibility of the restrictions on musical activities, many underground bands featuring pop and rock music have mushroomed in Iran over the past five years.
The bands’ recordings are sold both openly and secretly in retail outlets.
Their productions usually exceed the redline drawn by cultural officials with the result that their music becomes more attractive to young people