A unique music gig in the city will allow the audience to reward performers directly, in real time, through a handy digital platform
Aanchal Bordoloi. PIC COURTESY/ @nikhil.b.mohan
When Spanish pop sensation Enrique Iglesias dropped by Mumbai last month, one fan made a rich revelation amid all the buzz. A ticket for Iglesias’s 2004 concert was priced at Rs 600. In 2025, the number jumped to Rs 7000. That’s a nearly 390 per cent rise, adjusted for inflation. It’s an open secret that there’s more money flowing into live events than ever before, but how much of it trickles down to the artiste’s pockets? “In a world where money passes through so many hands, barely a small fraction of it reaches the artiste. If it’s an indie artiste, their paychecks are slimmer,” says Komal Thakur, co-founder of Paylist.music.
Bengaluru band Derek & the Cats will perform an instrumental piece at the experimental gig. PIC COURTESY/DEREK MATHIAS
The brainchild of Thakur, Rahul Hotchandani, and Bimal Unnikrishnan, a new pro-artiste venture called PayList.music is making an ambitious promise: The audience decides whom and how much they wish to pay, with no middlemen involved. The audience purchases a Rs 2199 ticket, and receives an e-wallet loaded with R1500 (the amount left after deduction of taxes and handling fees). Over the course of 90 minutes, seven talented acts take stage with exclusive unreleased music. With the tap of a button on their phones, the audience can transfer rewards to the musicians as they perform.
Rapper 8 GB RAM. PIC COURTESY/@8GBRAM24
If it sounds like a reality TV show, that’s because the trio has more than three decades of experience working in the television industry between them. “It’s not solely about the money. When a musician performs on stage, and gets direct, quantifiable feedback from the audience, it builds a sense of community. You can be sure that every single person was actually listening with intent,” says Unnikrishnan. Derek Mathias of Bengaluru-based band, Derek & The Cats, who will perform an instrumental set, is game for the challenge, calling it an inventive way to test new music.
MS Krsna. PIC COURTESY/ @MSKRSNAmusic
Artistes 8GB RAM, MS Krsna, Aanchal Bordoloi, Ravikesh Vatsa, Girgit, and the Mr. Kev & Yel.low duo, will join the line-up at the pilot event in Lower Parel. Co-founder Hotchandani reveals that the performances will be live-streamed and recorded for transparency. This live recording will be available to stream online. “Two years down the line, the artiste is free to re-record, re-release, or make new versions of the song. That’s because they retain rights over the composition and the music. All royalties are split 50-50 when the music is distributed,” he adds.
(From left) Rahul Hotchandani, Komal Thakur; Bimal Unnikrishnan
All in all, the concept shows promise. Starting with Mumbai, the platform hopes to host monthly shows across India. Curation, we believe, will be a make-or-break for the trio. A skewed line-up could tip the scales in favour of a local favourite, or a slightly more popular band. If the trio manages to crack that code, we’ll gladly borrow Iglesias’s poetic wisdom and say, “Baby, I like it!”
ON November 5; 8.30 pm
At antiSocial, Lower Parel.
LOG ON TO district.in E
ENTRY Rs 2199
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