Music and the Virus: How the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the Indian Indie Scene.
Photo: Nidhi Lodaya
No gigs, no jobs, and no income. Music journalist and photographer Nidhi Lodaya checks in with several of India’s indie artists and supporting professionals about the industry fighting for survival in the time of corona.
One spreads fear, the other offers relief. And in different ways, we live in a world united in familiarity by both: the COVID-19 pandemic, and our pure joy and love for music.
The independent music scene in India has existed for decades, and, while still lagging behind other places in the world, it has grown steadily in recent years. This has been particularly true in the growth seen through online streaming and live concerts in the country. The live scene may not have the strength to match international events, but it is still huge here—despite Indian culture being dominated by Bollywood music.
And with the rise of live events, music is also a profession not just confined to the musicians. Of course, they are the heartbeat and product of a concert, but the musicians themselves need so many others to make the show go on, including sound engineers, light designers, photographers, event managers, artist managers, production and technical staff, and of course, someone to manage the venue. The careers of all these professionals hinges on the success and the possibilities of these live shows. And if there are no shows—there are no jobs.
Since mid-March, bands and musicians in India started cancelling their shows and tours because of the looming COVID-19 pandemic. The formula between the coronavirus, cancelled gigs, and the Indian indie music industry is simple: No gigs=No jobs=No income.
During our time of self-quarantine, music continues to remain a good companion to all, providing hope, inspiration, and happiness to many during these dark and difficult times. The lockdown and the impact of this virus have been borne by everyone, and they are all affected. With all gigs cancelled, freelancers now can only play the waiting game.
The national lockdown has led many people to consume content on social media instead. Now, what can musicians and other professionals in the creative field do to continue making an impression for their audience? To continue to sustain themselves?
Unlike light designers, sound engineers, photographers, event managers, and others, musicians have the option of uploading their videos on social media, conducting social media live sessions where they can play from their respective places and their audience can join and engage with them. Artists like Parekh and Singh, Ankur Tewari, Warren Mendonsa and many others have actively used social media to their benefit during this quarantine period by holding regular social media live sessions. “Social media during the time of this quarantine helps to retain and develop contact with listeners,” says guitarist Warren Mendonsa—otherwise known as blackstratblues.
Singer/song-writer Ankur Tewari added: “Social media has always been a tricky scene, but we have used it for our benefit in the past—and we shall use it to our benefit right now as well.”
Streaming apps have been the top option for music lovers since the outbreak of the pandemic, and thus, musicians are now making more and more of their music available on multiple platforms, ensuring that their work can be consumed across borders. “My reach through social media is not just restricted to India but other countries as well,” says Rohit Lalwani, the frontman of Lal and the People. “The whole world has access to it.”
“But things aren’t the best in other parts of the world, and people aren’t excited and they are suffering. So, it feels kind of disrespectful and unethical to put out any new music or a new album right now.”
While many are hesitating from launching an album at this time, there are several who are realising that the best direction is to become more interactive and engaging with their audiences. Soumitra Vichare, the bassist of Corner Café Chronicles, says: “I look at social media like a sharp tool. It has given me an opportunity to get intimate with my audience, by knowing what they are going through, what they like, what they are doing, what they like to listen and all. It’s fun to see people reciprocate.”
Music photographer Mohit Sharma is also using social media apps to his advantage now by going live, being more engaging with the audience, conducting polls, imparting knowledge, and more. “As a photographer, you can think of uploading and posting a new photo series,” says Sharma. “There are so many series which can be done and that’s what I’ve been doing!”
Online interaction and live gigs are indeed fun, but they don’t help one pay their bills at the end of the month. Mendonsa advises on how musicians should think of sustaining through these difficult times. “Artists need to look at other means to monetise their talent, such as giving lessons or creating value for their supporters on Patreon,”
The band Albatross perform at the Control ALT Delete music festival in Mumbai. Photo: Nidhi Lodaya.
Mendonsa, Lal, and many other artists also mention that they now have to rely on their savings.
Tewari urges artists to reinvent the way they have been making money. “A lot of writing assignments, assignments from home over the internet can be done and I also do a lot of music supervision,’’ he says. “But right now, it’s probably a good time to go back to the drawing board, figure things out, create something new, and work on new ideas and what other things you can do.”
Many in music and beyond are picking up something new to learn or learning something they’ve always wanted to. “I’ve always wanted to do visuals but I never got the time,” says Rosario Lobo, a freelance light designer. “Now, I’m home all day and planning to learn it.”
Many more professionals in the periphery of the music industry mentioned the importance of now refining their skillset. Photographer Aadarsh Parmar emphasizes how this is a very good time to learn a new ability, finish something you always wanted to learn, or pick up a long-forgotten skill and work on polishing it. “As a photographer, you can try and get into different genres and fields as well besides music and concert photography,’’ says Parmar.
Piyush Roy, a live sound engineer says, “In such times, where there are no gigs happening, a sound engineer can look for work in other fields such as in broadcast media, at a news channel as sound engineers are required there as well.”
Irrespective of the situation, an artist should keep doing what they do and keep evolving, mastering and learning their craft. Photographer Sahil Shikalgar took a more optimistic approach. “For a photographer the market may be bad, but your work and your skills are good—and shall remain good.”
It’s time, then, to indulge in more personal projects, try out new techniques that perhaps we never had the time for before, or try to focus on how to improve the content, its art, or its presentation for the future
But, one wonders, how long could this last? How long could a creative artist sustain themselves through social media, without any source of income in the foreseeable future? There are great levels of uncertainty right now in the music industry with the coronavirus.
“Social media is content-driven,’’ says Yeashu Yuvraj, a music educator, and photographer. “The consumers of your content on social media may not be experts in the field like you, and hence content often needs to be dumbed down for them—but the shelf life of your content on social media is high, hence the online industry is increasing, especially now.”
But, one wonders, how long could this last? How long could a creative artist sustain themselves through social media, without any source of income in the foreseeable future? There are great levels of uncertainty right now in the music industry with the coronavirus. Usually, June onwards in India is the ‘offseason’ for the music industry when no major bands go on tour and no festivals and gigs are conducted on a large scale. This means that the industry won’t return in full-fledged till probably September or October, adding a long slump for musicians and others.
The focus will have to shift on the post-quarantine scene. “The revival of the whole scene is going to be a challenge,” says Shikalgar. “Post COVID-19, many people will be excited to come out and attend, but in order to carefully revive the scene, a visionary person is required.”
The revival will be unique and different, where we could witness a comparatively newer space. Many veterans may leave the field, and many new faces could pop up. Shikalgar directly co-relates the indie music scene to the economy. “For a festival or a gig to be a success, people need to buy tickets and attend, but if the economy is going through a slowdown, the purchasing power of the people reduces and they thus don’t spend money on live music concerts and shows. Thus, for the revival to be successful post COVID-19, the economy should pick up as well, or else it would be very difficult for musicians and other creative people to survive in this field.”
It is also a well-known fact within the industry that the payments for gigs are low, and often, erratic in their delivery. Hence, it is imperative for the industry to look after each other as a community—musicians, photographers, everyone. Yuvraj spoke about the need for the industry to come together and form a union, set rules, and abide by them. Currently, not everyone in the industry is treated the same way.
Artists should respect each other. There should be set guidelines with proper structure to enhance the new people entering this field. Musicians should value the talent and art of photographers, sound engineers, writers, light designers, and all of them, in turn, should respect the musicians as well. Equal opportunity, good and timely payments for your hard-work and talents, and no exploitation: this is how the indie scene can attract more people, and hopefully, be on par with Bollywood one day.
Being a part of this field as a music journalist and photographer, I found myself empathising with so many individuals I interviewed because I had to face my share of cancelled gigs as well, including the cancelling of album tours by bands like Parvaaz and Thermal and a Quarter, as well as the cancellation of a recent gig in Mumbai by blackstratblues. For someone relatively new in this field, the situation has had a profound impact, as I can witness great uncertainties before even properly establishing my career.
I’m still a student, and I fear that this situation may gravely affect my future plans in pursuing the profession of music photography. With less live music events, I have been instead dedicating my time to writing, as well as learning more skills about photography and editing which will grow to be helpful in the future.
Financial issues continue to be a major hindrance for many artists. One urgent solution that the industry needs is to ensure that no one—be it a musician, a photographer, a sound engineer, or anyone else—works for free, that they are paid something for their time and labour. This way, people will be recognised for their talent, will be happier, and the industry will grow and find new talent.
What the indie scene also needs is more candour from the artists so they can address these problems to their live audiences—even through social media—during this quarantine period. It is imperative for the audience to understand all the complexities of the scene so they may appreciate the true picture put forth before them.
This small step, fortunately, can begin at home. Thus, while we spend time online, let’s share more truths about our industry, so we can together help the Indian independent scene grow big time!
***
Nidhi Lodaya is a final year journalism student, with interests lying in everything artistic. She currently works as a freelance writer and photographer, mainly in music, and has regularly contributed to the The Indian Music Diaries. You can find her on Instagram at: @nidhi_lodaya.
