MUMBAI: Though live music is in the development stage, it still needs a lot of support from the stakeholders of the industry and the audience. The number of people who really enjoy being there at live concerts is a very small number. In fact most Indian people don’t really think beyond Bollywood.
Who is responsible for such a situation? Will the live industry in India come up on its own or does it need a backing? Is there enough sponsorship and endorsement money going around to allow an artiste to survive simply on performances and gigs? What is needed to complete the circle of live?
All the panelists of Nokia Music Connects’ day two session â€?Going Live’ had a lot to say about the live music scene in India
Oranjuice Entertainment’s Owen Roncon, Bacardi marketing GM Arvind Krishnan and singer, musician, composer Ashutosh Pathak from Blue Frog and Only Much Louder (OML) founder Vijay Nair came together to discuss the topic of live music with Indiantelevision Group founder Anil Wanvari.
While Roncon felt that live music is vibrant in India, Phatak gave his own perspective, India is just a baby when it comes to live music in the country. But we are a baby which is ready to grow…. So true!
Phatak further said, It’s time when bands need to seriously concentrate on creating a super memorable experience such that the audience is compelled to attend their next show. Bands should be able to pull the audience. This helps bands as well as the venues to gain more popularity. And most importantly, one must not blame the other for a bad show….
Roncon added to this by saying, Artistes, exhibitors as well as the consumers are stakeholders in the live music business. We should stop considering the sponsor as an outsider and get him more involved in the project. This will create a set-up where everyone works together to put up the best show. This also helps in knowing what exactly the audience wants….
Nair had some good news. He happily said, The kind of international bands coming to India has changed. They are trying to present something for the local people and also stuff that people have never seen. Apart from promotion of drinks and cigarettes, many FMCG companies are promoting their products through live performances at various colleges and universities by targeting the youth, which is a good trend….
Krishnan spoke about how consumers have become smarter and how they want an event to be perfect. Today the consumers have become smarter than ever before and hence you cannot fool them by presenting the same thing in a different way. Promoters and sponsors to evolve new strategies to become popular and these are designed according to what the band wants to deliver. A little more investment and the connect with the audience works best,… he revealed.
Phatak also said that live music can turn into a long term business only when it is not considered as a money-making business, live music needs a lot of creative power and out of the box thinking. If the band involves the sponsor, the sponsor will also be interested in listening to the music and it will also start valuing the show….
Overall, the panelists were happy too see that the live music format has remained constant over the years and the bands are maturing gradually with time