Wednesday 10 April 2013

Are we doing justice?

The event and entertainment industry has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years and I have been privileged to be a part of that change. There has perhaps never been a better time for the music industry in India. The advent of cable television and more importantly the access to the internet has exposed the average Indian to different genres of Music. The average listener today can listen to their favourite artists at the press of a button. Indian classical artists have in fact been performing the world over for the last 50 years or so but the new boom has helped independent Indian artists find themselves a new platform; also giving them a chance to perform with their idols on the same stage and some have even had international tours. Some have waited more than 20 years to reap the benefits while some have reached that stage in 2 to 3 years. From traditional players to non-traditional players, everybody worth their salt, now has a stake in the events industry. Is it a good or a bad thing? Well, time will tell but whichever way I look at it, this is how it needs to be? If you think you have it, then go for it!

Everyday, music festivals are mushrooming all over the country and across various genres. From a sunburn, Rock in India or a One tree Music festival until about 6 years ago, we have now reached a stage where there are music festivals every other month and that too in places that we did not even imagine until it happened. Who would have thought that a music festival in places like Pune, or Coorg or Kasaul will have premium Indian and International artists performing? And most of these festivals are promoted by new age players with passion driving them more than monetary benefits.

Perhaps the biggest gainer in terms of genre has been the EDM scene? The last 3 months have seen the top artists in the World perform in India to sold out shows. A lot of people have worked tirelessly over the last few years and have raised the platform year after year to make India a must visit destination for these artists. While one cannot take it away from the promoters and the event managers and everybody else concerned, one must not forget that none of this would have happened without the support and the enthusiasm of the paying public.

I remember going for an Aerosmith concert about 7 years back; I was in college and did not have money to go for the concert. A cousin of mine who was going for the concert gave me money for 2 premium tickets for my brother and I, each costing around Rs. 1800/-. We did not want to leave another cousin out, so we bought 3 normal tickets for the same price. The point I am making is that spending mentality has changed today, College kids are willing to spend around Rs, 2500/- for a show just to watch their favorite artist perform.

However, in between all this mayhem of getting artists down and putting up production spectacles, have we forgotten the real Hero, the paying public? I really think, we as event managers have forgotten the paying public! I understand that there are huge costs involved in putting up these shows and no matter how much passion drives somebody, nobody likes to empty their bank accounts at the cost of putting up a show. And with the recession, sponsors are not really willing to bear the mammoth costs. So, it really boils down to getting out the money that has been invested. And the one who has to bear the brunt is the paying public. And the best part about is that the audience today understands this and is willing to spend money on a good experience and this brings us to the moot question, is the experience only about seeing an artist perform with great production, sound and lights or is there something more to it!.

A recent incident has left a sour taste in my mouth and being on the other side of the fence in that particular incident has made me realise that for all the effort that we put into an event as event managers, we forget to
think of the paying public. We have this thing in us that since we have been through a lot to put a project together, the audience better understand our predicament and adjust to all that we throw at them. I would say even that is alright for as long as you communicate the same with the public. In this day and age of social networking, it is very important that there is constant interaction with the audience.

As event managers/ promoters, we need to realise that we are moving to a stage where we are going to be increasingly dependent on the audience to be able to bring good artists down. Hence, the audience having a good experience is of paramount importance.

We are not far off from a day where an event will be wholly funded by the audience. Imagine a situation where the interested audiences pay the actual ticket price in installments right from the conceptualisation stage of the event itself, very similar to buying a flat where one gets to pay the actual amount in installments at the completion of every level of construction. But that will only happen as long as we create a conducive environment where the audiences start to believe in a brand/ promoter.........