Scattered and strewn — is how most of us would define the efforts of Indian bands as they try to spread word about their gigs and upcoming engagements. Twitter, Facebook and the Internet has by and large given them a platform to stay in touch with fans and promote themselves, but the efforts have been disconcerted to say the least. Relief for them approaches in the form of a recently launched portal, Indiagigalert.com, that is a one-stop for all information about the Indian independent music scene as it has gig calendars and artiste information and details.
There is a need for a definitive programming and scheduling index for artistes, says Meghna Mishra, DU passout and music lover, “Apart from the few bands that are using FB to good effect, fans barely have any idea about the upcoming gigs of artistes and bands.”
Musicians say that since there is no defined music scene in India and each region has its own way of conducting concerts, users and fans having access to all band schedules and data on a single platform is a good idea. “What will really make such a setup click is the accessibility and user-friendly interface for users and fans,” says, K Mohan, frontman of Messiah band, and adds, “They not only have to ensure that bands update the gig scene on the portal but also keep users engaged just to ensure that they participate in information dissemination.”
The brain behind it, Hussain Bandukwala says that having been a part of the band Demonic Resurrection for close to nine years and facing these problems first hand spurred him. “There’s a lot of defragmentation around and myriad sources of news and one has to remain cued onto all these sources all the time to stay abreast with the goings on in the music circuit.” And by bringing these sources together they’ve “created a one-stop point for musicians and fans to connect and check who’s playing where.”