Indian music world gets a game changer

Granted, they will not be humming Bollywood tunes anytime soon, but music producers don't care much about it.

Listen to Story

Advertisement
Indian music world gets a game changer
Film director Shekhar Kapur and music composer A.R. Rahman.

Dharavi-based music band DopeadelicZ.
Dharavi-based music band DopeadelicZ.

You wouldn't think that a Dharavi-based band that raps about corrupt cops and demands legalisation of marijuana would stand a chance commercially, would you? Well, you would be wrong. Thanks to big music groups that are shifting business to the digital sphere, bands like DopeadelicZ (Dharavi Band) are now becoming popular.

Granted, they will not be humming Bollywood tunes anytime soon, but music producers don't care much about it. In fact, DopeadelicZ's willingness to break all the commercial rules of Indian music may make them the new big bad boys of the Indian music world.

advertisement

Devraj Sanyal, the managing director at Universal Music in India, certainly agrees to this. An avid musician himself, Sanyal has set the stage for the digitalisation of Indian music with Universal entering into a partnership with digital media agency Qyuki. The result is nothing short of a revolution. Bands can just log in to their site and send a web link of their music, which will then be evaluated by music composer A.R. Rahman and director Shekhar Kapur. For the ones who are selected, the sky is the limit.

"The music industry is changing," says Sanyal in a telephonic interview. "In the next three and a half years, the majority of the revenue will come from an online brand consumer that partially listens to Bollywood, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, as well as indie-artists. We have shifted our base and today half our music is non-Bollywood tracks. We are ready for this next phase."

The change has come swiftly and dramatically. Shraddha Sharma - who has two million followers on Facebook -is one such embodiment of it. Such numbers, believes Samir Bangara COO and founder of Qyuki, can mean big money. "Brands these days are hungry to find mediums to connect with the youth. They also realise that youngsters are watching less of TV and they have to engage with them online. As a result, branded content and entertainment is becoming a massive medium of monetisation for the future." The other exciting embodiment of this digital phase is the fact that niche local artistes are finding a voice, some of whom are even going on to create new genres in music. Bangara is particularly excited about A capella - a new style of music that he is certain will find its way in India. "A capella symbolizes everything we are trying to do in terms of breaking grounds in music."

And this genre has taken off. Penn Masala, one of the first bands to sing in A capella in Hindi are already big stars on the world stage, having performed at the White House for President Obama and for UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon among other celebrities.

advertisement

So what does this mean? Can and will bands end their 'physical' relationship with their songs? Will CDs, CD jackets with artwork and lyrics become relics of the past? Performers are mixed about what the future holds. Tony Sebastian AKA Psycho, a member of the DopeadelicZ (Dharavi Band), feels the two mediums can coexist. "A physical album is like a profile for the artist. There are many artists who would prefer to do an album for which a CD would still be highly suited. It depends on your marketing strategy."

However, Indo-Canadian artist and Universal's latest find Shweta Subram disagrees. "I feel the connect with a physical album is already lost, if you want to listen to something it's much easier to log in and form a connect online."