MUMBAI: The Internet and self-awareness with experimentation of music has helped indie rock and pop- the long suffering orphaned genre of the music industry- to come on its own, NH7 co-founder and editor of Indecision Arjun S Ravi said.
The first NH7 Weekender in 2010 attracted 7-8,000 attendees and this year 25,000 music lovers will flock at Pune’s Amanora Park Town to watch 60 bands over three-days (2-4 November).
“ Less than two decades ago, the country’s pop rock scene was limited to Top 40 international hits and the properties of MTV that offered a handful of homegrown acts. If you wanted a band like Sonic Youth, it was only possible to get their album through an uncle who was living abroad,” Ravi said.
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Even a city like Mumbai only had two clubs- Razzberry Rhinoceros and Jazz By The Bay (now Pizza By The Bay)- where independent music could be played. This left little avenues for indie bands apart from college rock competitions that barely gave them time to showcase their talent.
That was the time when music aficionados could only hope to watch ‘budget’ versions of Metallica and Nirvana which left both audiences and the artists (themselves) unsatisfied.
“What changed the dynamics was the Internet; it opened the doors of rock. Young people now had access to new music of every genre.”
With this, young musicians realized the importance of originality and exploration of different categories of music- from mainstream pop to niche ones like Death and Down metal.
“From a numerical point of view, there has been a significant increase in the number of bands and acts, and they are willing to experiment,” Ravi said.
While the pop rock acts may not be household names, yet many are making their presence felt in the international circuit. Acts like Raghu Dixit Project is one of the biggest acts internationally and bands like Parikrama perform regularly at international fests.
“The good thing about indie rock scene today is that the acts are making original tracks and experimenting. Music has become individualistic and is not confined to a genre. Take Mumbai, there are acts which are playing funk to electro-rock,” Ravi pointed out.
Sales of music, at least on the digital front has also strengthened with NH 7 label seeing healthy sales from its roster of 60-70 artists that include big names. On the upcoming NH 7 Weekender Rai said: “We wanted the vibe of the NH7 fest to be agnostic without any big headlining act. The experience is not restricted to music. Our last Delhi fest had a wide array of food and merchandise along with a wide range of alcohol drinks thanks to Barcardi.”
Another factor that is cementing indie rock’s growth is the broadening of its demographic base. Rock music is no longer restricted to the English-speaking urbanites but has percolated to the suburbs and Tier II-III cities.
“There is a significant grassroot growth in non-urban areas. Take Navi Mumbai- there are lots of artists now in Vashi, Kharghar which play genres of music. There are also bands from cities like Pune, Calcutta, Chandigarh and Nasik amongst others. The north-east is of course an unexplored but phenomenal region for rock,” he concluded.
