Live in the moment

Last weekend when New Delhibased fivepiece poprock band Faridkot went live the joy of fans in Mumbai who signed up was unmatched Not only did they deepdive into the magic of mystical notes of Sufi rock but at a ticket price of Rs 1300 also binged on FampB kits delivered to their doorsteps during the gig that was streamed liveKebabs hung curd dips fried onions jowar puffs cookies a sepoy tonic a cocktail mixer and a reusable cup What more could one possibly ask for This unique live experience was made possible thanks to the collaboration of citybased live recording property Madness JAMS and Gurugrambased networking and ticketing platform SkillBoxFood kits for the gigAs packed venues and bustling stadiums continue to remain a farfetched dream founder of SkillBox Anmol Kukreja chats with us to decode how innovation can help the live music industry bounce backThe entertainment industry is one of the hardest hit during this pandemic and probably will be one of the last sectors to recover too And so it was important for us to navigate the challenges and help independent artistes monetise during this timeLive Act by LifafaThe answer led Kukreja to launch Livebox by SkillBox which he claims to be Indias first native live streaming platform for musicians The launch of LiveBox resulted in three times the growth in the number of active artist contributors on SkillBox which has now reached 60000When asked what makes this live streaming experience different Kukreja illustrates In a live stream the quality of video and audio can be real dealbreakers And if youve watched live gigs online youd realise how existing platforms have mono channels for audio and lowquality video This isnt the best way for musicians to let their audience experience their music This demandsupply gap helped us build our own live streaming server that ensures the highest audio and video quality Artistes can livestream videos in 1080 pixels HD quality and get stereo output with an audio bitrate of 320 kbps Not only are musicians happy with the quality but even customers who buy the virtual concert tickets get their moneys worthAnmol KukrejaThe response to the delivery of FampB kits has been a success he adds We want to give users an experience as close to the live concerts they attend And attending concerts isnt just about the music its about the addon facilities like food merchandise and engagement with fellow fans Kukreja has plans to incorporate many such experiences in the futureWhats hidden in the box for upcoming live gigs then One of the formats they are experimenting with will bring fan clubs for different locations together to engage during live gigs and another tech upgrade for the platform may even integrate a virtual dance hall which will allow viewers to use their webcams during the gig and send live feeds of them grooving to their musicLog on to skillboxescomKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news