Indie music gets its online portal
With its myriad forms and expressions, the Indian music scene is as varied as it can get. To give it a structure and a form is a difficult task, as each genre of music has its unspoken framework within which it functions. As with everything else, each genre too has its set of niche audience that becomes its patron. Consider the independent music culture in India — the genre is still limited to a few big bands that have continued to dominate the rock scene for almost two decades now. But now, change is on the anvil, as we see a lot of young bands coming up and making their presence felt.
Now, to make music inclusive of all elements, Husain Bandukwala of Demonic Resurrection, has created a web portal Indiagigalert.com, which aims to be the one-stop portal for all information about the Indian independent music scene. It will host a gig calendar for fans to tell them all about the gigs in their cities and also support a DIY resources section where all the needs for an event organiser are available. Husain believes that this is the next big thing, for it brings together the entire community on one platform. “There’s so much happening all across the country that to compile it all together under one umbrella is a challenge. The portal allows independent bands/musicians to promote their music with a garage section. There is also a highly efficient India music news section which host all the news from different blogs, so fans can get all their news in this one stop shop.
Husain says that IGA is a result of months of research and thinking and seeking opinions from musicians as well as organisers. “I always wanted to form an organisation to assist musicians, and what better way than the Internet to launch, inform and connect? The long-term goal has also been to give intrinsic sustainability and independence to bands, musicians and fans from Facebook. IGA aims to be that one source of information and point of connect for fans and bands,” he says.
The independent music genre in India has a very niche audience. The fraternity is quite small and you may end up meeting the same people time and again. So how much professionalism exists in such a familiar setup? “I think there are two kinds of platforms of professionalism existing in India. The very popular bands are supported with the best professionals and the amateur ones with people trying to do things,” explains Husain.
One of the biggest challenges as a musician, Husain says, is to find the right person to do your job. “While some festivals have the money and manpower to organise gigs, they just lack the knowledge or the fundamentals of doing live acts. Bridging the gap between the organisers and performers is essential,” Husain says.
Vinay Venkatesh of Bhayanak Maut says that it is just about giving it a definite structure and compiling the information together. “I can’t say for sure if it will work or not since our audience is so niche and small. Fans end up visiting their favourite band websites and collating information. But let’s hope it brings some positive results,” he adds.
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