What does Bengaluru psychedelic band Parvaaz, Ahmedabad instrumental rock band Aswekeepsearching, American clarinettist Shankar Tucker, Mumbai folk-fusion artiste Vasudha Sharma, North East all-girl post-punk band The Vinyl Records and Rajasthani Manganiyar folk singer Mame Khan have in common?
Apart from the fact that they are all musicians, these artistes have all taken the crowdfunding path to bring out their albums (many of them debut ventures) in the last two years.
From sending their sponsors the album before its official release and having the band play an exclusive gig to offering incentives like free merchandise and front row perks, musicians are ensuring the crowdfunding network is helping them put their music out. With artistes putting the power to fund music in the hands of the people, is crowdfunding the next step in artiste-fan collaboration? Bengaluru’s musicians share their opinion.
Khalid Ahamed, vocalist and guitarist of Parvaaz that successfully raised money through online portal www.wishberry.in for their debut album Baran last year, says it was a fantastic experience. “The concept was relatively new to us when we started and we really had no clue if it will really work. But, by the time the campaign was over, we had covered almost all the expenses for the album.” He points out that this encourages bands a lot. “Especially young bands and artistes who are unable to fund themselves, it is a great move. This gets the crowd and fans directly involved in your work. I think crowdfunding is one of the best ventures for independent artistes. This is a good time for bands without labels to get the crowd behind them. It boosts their morale and shows that their music is really appreciated and people are willing to put in money for good music. Especially in Bangalore, it is easy to get fan support.”
Guitarist Tony Das from contemporary music band Peepal Tree, points out the downside of these campaigns. “I’ve never done any crowdfunding ventures. But I think it is sad that it has come to that. Not that it is degrading. It is just sad that one can’t put in the resources into something and expect the returns because no one is buying music anymore. It is not the happiest thing to think of. At the same time, it gets the job done. Bands can put up a much better quality product than something they could have funded themselves.”
Tony adds: “There’s always the added advantage of connecting with people – those who enjoy your music already or those who don’t know your music so well but heard a little bit and liked it.
This gives you an opportunity to expand your audience. Everyone likes to be involved so when people feel this kind of ownership with their favourite band’s music, it can be special.”
Musicians have been working without labels for a while, especially independent artistes, Tony elaborates. “But because the idea of crowdfunding has spread so widely, now you can put out a product that has a potential for better quality. You can afford a better studio instead of recording at home and a good engineer for mixing instead of trying to do it yourself.”
Salman Syed, festival promoter of Bangalore Open Air which is easily the biggest metal festival in India and had its third edition crowdfunded last year, gives the reality check. “It wasn’t up to our expectations. We managed to raise only 10 per cent of the funds and still managed to make the festival a hit albeit in a smaller way.”
He adds that crowdfunding doesn’t really work yet in India. “Unless you are a known band and have already released great albums, I don’t see people believing in you and funding you. It’s still a relatively new concept and needs more time. People should mature to the whole concept and realise that making music costs money.”
SOCIAL MEDIA ANGLE
Khalid Ahamed
It is very essential. People need to know that the band is taking up such a venture. And social media plays a big role in not just promoting your campaign but also in advertising the album launch gigs, merchandise and sharing reviews.
Tony Das
It is the source for everything. If it weren’t for Twitter and Facebook, it is tough to get your music across to people who don’t know you. With a band website, no one is going to randomly type in the name and check your music out on the site. On these social media platforms, word spreads with likes and shares. You get a better reach as well.
Salman Syed
It may not work. Probably to an extent people will become aware. But the crowdfunding concept in India is still niche. People still want stuff for free. They don’t realise that everything costs money.
POPULAR PLATFORMS
www.wishberry.in
www.artistshare.com
www.fundmypitch.com
www.indiegogo.com
www.pledgemusic.com
www.artisteconnect.com
www.sellaband.com
