Gone are the days when music production required gigantic infrastructure and equipment; today we carry the world–in this case, mic recorders and the opportunity to showcase talent–in our pockets. From open platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud to real life gigs every other weekend at some of the most frequented cafes in the city; showcasing your musical talent is becoming much easier with the growing number of platforms and public spaces available. And how! The Indian independent music industry now stands proudly on its own two feet and is responsible for introducing us to some of the most talented voices out there.
But let’s not forget that it is, after all, a two-way street. There would be no indie music scene if it wasn’t for the people who regularly show up at standalone gigs and take a moment, every now and then, to recommend the up-and-coming, less-commercial artists to their friends. In recent years, this symbiotic relationship between the artists and their audiences has grown in ways one couldn’t have imagined. The latter is no longer a passive consumer of the entire movement, but also an active propeller of the same. And the advent of crowdfunding has had a lot to do with it.
Ventures like Wishberry have been on the forefront of cultivating a crowdfunding environment for almost a decade now and they’ve done well so far. Last year, independent musician Tejas Menon decided to crowdfund Rs. 4,00,000 for his 10 song album ‘Make It Happen’ and, lo and behold, he managed to raise Rs. 3,00,000 on the first day itself!
Other artists like Dhruv Visvanath and Mame Khan and the Manganiyars have also received immense financial support from their fans. This further proves the fact that people actually do want to come out and support the art they love. In fact, they’ve probably always wanted to but it’s only now that they actually can.
Wishberry’s latest crowdfunding project, in collaboration with Rolling Stone India, is one of their most ambitious ones so far. This project, called ‘Watch out’, is an opportunity for six emerging artists to crowdfund Rs. 3,50,000 each for their music videos. The artists include jazz singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, acoustic harmony group The Manta Sindhu Ensemble, Mumbai indie folk quintet Aankh Micholi, country artist Ratnang Singh, New Delhi electronica producer Komorebi Music and Malayali R&B artist Gowry Lekshmi.
The idea is simple. Each artist gets 45 days, starting June 4 (the last date to contribute is July 19) to collect the required amount. They can reach out to their friends, family and the general public via social media. Going by Wishberry’s ‘All or nothing’ policy, if any of the artists fall short of their target by even a rupee, they lose out on the music video and the money is safely returned to whoever it came from. “It’s both exciting and stressful. Exciting because it’s really nice to see people come out and support your art and scary because there’s a deadline involved,” says Gowri Lekshmi, as it’s her first time crowdfunding.
There is no limit (upper or lower) to the amount of money a person can contribute or the number of artists they wish to fund. You can donate as little as Rs. 10 or as much as Rs. 1,00,00––the decision is all yours. Perks include getting a shoutout on the artist’s Facebook page, exclusive merchandise, a chance to be credited as an Associate Producer of the video, or even a coffee date with the artist!
The artists range across various genres so as to ensure a variety in the kind of music that’s produced in the independent space. Moreover, the idea is to help these emerging musicians step out of the gig-culture and reach a wider audience. If all goes well, these music videos are expected to be released in November 2018. All the music videos, the scripts for which are already in place, will be shot and edited by the award-winning media house Camera and Shorts.
“I suppose it’s like being a part of a bigger indie movement that is definitely taking place right now. All these things obviously add up to form the bigger picture. It also makes us artists feel confident about our choice of career!” says Tarana Marwah, who goes by her stage moniker Komorebi.
In the last decade or so, Indian indie music has evolved like never before––in terms of both quality as well as quantity. Moreover, it’s empowered everyone involved. Artists are no longer bound by contracts that may or may not limit their creative freedom and the audience, for once, actually has a say in the kind of music it wants to hear. We’re no longer at the mercy of the Bollywood music industry or the American one. We get to pick and choose the kind of content we wish to consume and that has always been the end goal, hasn’t it?
You can contribute to this contributing project through Wishberry’s official website.
If you liked this article we suggest you read: