{"id":34,"date":"2020-11-27T12:01:06","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T12:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/18.222.171.158\/blogs\/?p=34"},"modified":"2020-11-30T12:13:18","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T12:13:18","slug":"the-rise-of-indie-music-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.songfest.in\/index.php\/2020\/11\/27\/the-rise-of-indie-music-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rise of Indie Music in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Heard that song, which hit a 500M+<\/strong> mark and became viral<\/strong> but wasn\u2019t a part of any movie? Or heard of the millennial sensation Prateek Kuhad<\/strong>, who took his music on the world stage with a humble beginning out of his room?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of you must have heard the term \u2018indie music\u2019<\/strong> or \u2018independent music<\/strong>,\u2019 but do you know what it actually is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it music that isn\u2019t created for Bollywood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it music created by independent artistes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a sense, it is both. Indie music in India can be roughly categorised into two informal categories when talking about its reception. One is \u2013 in its real sense \u2013 music produced independently from commercial record labels. The other is \u2013 a simple approach \u2013 if the song isn\u2019t Bollywood, it is indie<\/em>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second approach stems from the frustration of the listeners listening to music that has fallen into a stereotype \u2013 ranging from commercial remakes to rap songs about parties to ballads about heartbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may ask, what\u2019s a good song?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the best genre for music?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Indie music better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these questions will never have an objective answer as Music is subjective to each individual. Our experiences in life shape our views for everything \u2013 especially our perception. Dave Grohl<\/a> (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), put it really well \u2013 \u201cThat\u2019s one of the great things about music. You sing a song to 85,000 people, and they\u2019ll sing it back for 85,000 different reasons.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music has a lot to it, not just the right vocals and instruments that most consumers understand. It isn\u2019t just the words and emotions attached to the songs either that most philosophers argue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is it then? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes a song connect with the audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the audience follow an artiste?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Magic Ingredient of Indie Music Popularity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rise of independent music can be summed up in one word \u2013 Relatability.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relatability is an essential factor when it comes to any form of art. Music is no exception. When commercialisation of anything comes into the picture, somehow relatability gets affected in the long run because it is very easy to lose sight of the core message when money and success metrics are involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is what happened with Bollywood in the late 90s. Plagiarism and remakes ran rampant during the time in the Bollywood music industry. In the mid to late 2000s, indie music along with other forms of art got an opportunity to make its voice heard via the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gave way to the rise in popularity of solo artistes as well as indie pop singers who were signed under record labels. Artistes and bands like Euphoria, Lucky Ali, Shaan, Colonial Cousins, Bombay Vikings, Shubha Mudgal, etc. released their albums with songs that weren\u2019t used for movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also allowed them to go on tours much more. Being able to release albums without being associated with Bollywood films opened up a revenue stream for singers apart from live concerts. Being able to stand as an independent entity brought in more opportunities for artistes in being sponsored by brands and being a part of marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online Distribution Channels Working Magic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year. If you\u2019re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there\u2019s a track or two in here that does the trick. pic.twitter.com\/mQ2VssyDwt<\/a><\/p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 30, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>