MUMBAI: India’s fledgling independent pop which lasted a decade or so from 1990 –2000 was killed by many factors not just Bollywood, Bombay Vikings founder Neeraj Shridhar said.
Speaking with Radioandmusic.com (RnM) Shridhar highlighted that various causes within and without Indi-pop industry led to its demise. Failure to reinvent itself, lack of originality, lack of industry support and juggernaut of Bollywood music all played a part in killing off Indi-pop.
“It’s not true that Bollywood’s dominance is total – people still want variety. It’s not a case of sales being down; but more a case of there being no music. Audience needed fresh music which Indi-pop could not come up with, while Bollywood had stars like Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) to help popularize the tracks. Our music- as Bombay Vikings- did well because it was well promoted,” he said.
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Blaming record labels for not supporting independent artists is also not fair because they (the labels) neither have the resources nor budget to promote indie artists like Bollywood banners and the artists are also not coming up with the material.
“Music labels just don’t have the budget to support and promote independent artists- Bollywood banners have bigger budgets just to promote a song. Also Indi-pop started sounding more and more like Bollywood songs leading to the later taking over,” he said.
Moreover, making independent albums still had its place in the music industry for singers as a means to get recognized by the film industry- an aspiration for most singers. He also feels that reality shows do not provide the needed platform for artists to make their mark.
After years of touring as Bombay Vikings- from Trinidad to the country’s northeast, Shridhar is increasingly taking Bollywood projects as a music director while still supporting indie artists in lieu of touring.
“I think it’s time to explore more and move into music direction. Singing has its creative limitations and I love creating. I am getting lots of offers and like to be a part of the team that makes hit songs.”
Being an NRI (non-resident Indian from Sweden) when starting his career did not help him much, “Everything depends on results. It doesn’t matter where you come from, the rules are the same. Being an NRI had its disadvantages too as you had to learn and know the local dynamics and market forces,” he said.
