The making of an artiste

There isnrsquot enough focus on artiste development in our country There is more of a focus on songs and catalogues as opposed to the longevity of artistes and how they and their brand evolvesrdquo says Zain Calcuttawala cofounder of The ORBIT AcademyAs Indiarsquos concert calendar fills up with festivals and independent gigs more emerging musicians are finding opportunities to get their music heard Social media streaming platforms and live performances have widened the avenues for discovery But getting listeners to discover their music is one thing giving them a reason to stay and building a career around that is another ballgameThat is the gap The ORBIT Academy hopes to address Cofounded by vocal coach Jennifer DrsquoSouza music producer and educator Siddharth Talwar and artiste manager and producer Zain Calcuttawala the upcoming artiste development programme aims to help musicians build identities and careers that extend beyond a single release or a fleeting moment of online popularity Its first batch is expected to begin towards the end of November with partnerships with Future School of Performing Arts in Goa and Lost Stories Academy in MumbaiVedaThe idea emerged from observing a growing similarity in the sounds emerging from Indiarsquos independent music scene ldquoA lot of the artistes right now are kind of sounding very similar Nobody is really sticking out The academy is not so much about the business of a brand but about building the brand that already exists inherently within each artisterdquo says Talwar pointing to the occasional breakout artiste mdash like Hanumankind mdash who manages to stand apart through a distinct sound and identity He believes the talent already exists but many musicians lack the direction to realise their potentialldquoFor a country with 14 billion people I think we refuse to believe that our tastes can be reduced to maybe just four different genres or stylesrdquo he says adding that there is considerably more musical diversity waiting to be discoveredThe programme will offer participants a releaseready song a threeyear career roadmap and a branding bible The latter will help artistes define everything from their sonic and visual identities to their stage presence audience perception values and artistic goals Rather than prescribing follower counts or rigid commercial targets the founders want musicians to identify what they want to achieve and build towards itHanumankind an artiste from Kerala managed to stand apart through a distinct sound and identity PicInstagramhanumankindldquoThe song acts like a relaunch of their artistic brand How they see themselves on stage and how the audience sees them on stage This is where the threeyearcareer plan comes in Itrsquos about how they carry it forward Yoursquove got your branding guide We want to ensure that they keep their momentum going keep the artistry that they have learnt about themselves going and utilise that once you are out of the academyrdquoVeda Palekar 23 an aspiring singersongwriter decided to enrol in The ORBIT Academy to move beyond writing songs and actually find her footing in the music industry Having trained in vocals under Jennifer DrsquoSouza and experimented with English and Hindi songwriting Veda is yet to record or release her music professionally With no family connections in the entertainment industry figuring out how to put herself out there has been a challengeldquoI was personally confused about how to put myself out there I had been trying to post on Instagram but the algorithm is such that if it works it works otherwise yoursquore constantly reroutingrdquo she says Having paid R15 lakh for the sixmonth programme she hopes the academy will offer more than musical training ldquoThere is so much reflection that goes into visualising your identity in a sea of so many people I want to understand who I am sonically and build towards a brandrdquo she says adding that the guidance could help her realise her potential better than attempting to navigate the industry aloneAnmol Kukreja founder of SkillBox points to Anuv Jain and Hanumankind whose early performances were hosted on the platform as examples of what grassroots support can eventually build ldquoIf you donrsquot support grassroots artistes then you donrsquot have a scenerdquo he says SkillBoxrsquos recent rebrand reflects its ambition to become a 360degree live entertainment ecosystem moving beyond ticketing into artiste management brand partnerships and venue investments Its management division Levelhouse already works with artistes including Parvaaz Raman Blackstratblues and JBabe The next addition is technologyled discovery with its AI agent Zenith designed to help audiences find gigs based on their location and musical preferences ldquoEarlier you had to scroll through a list Now if you prompt Zenith for all the grassroots gigs happening in your area it will give you the right kind of recommendationsrdquo Kukreja explainsHowever making good music is only one part of building a sustainable career Understanding the business building industry connections and finding the right support system are equally important says Tanish Thakker founder of Goabased Amplify Music Incubator AMI Established to address the lack of infrastructure and professional support for independent musicians AMI runs a sixweek incubation programme for artistes who already have a body of work such as an EP or album and are looking to take their careers to the next level The programme combines online sessions mentorship from industry professionals training across music business creativity entrepreneurship and artist wellbeing followed by a residency and showcase in GoaldquoThe whole aim of the programme is to enable artists who have a body of work are feeling stuck and want to develop longterm sustainable careers in the music industryrdquo says Thakker ldquoAs an artist you have to function as a business and as a creative You are an artist first but the business side is also importantrdquoTanish ThakkerHe identifies three essentials for career growth mdash honing onersquos craft understanding how the music industry functions and mostly networking AMI also connects participants with professional opportunities and encourages collaborations within its alumni community ldquoSometimes the best thing that can happen for them is to be connected to their peers because they are collaborating with each other and supporting and promoting each otherrdquo he saysIf a musician wants to be completely independent Soham Pawar is the perfect example of making it solo Building an audience often means taking charge of every aspect of their careers Performing under the stage name som the Internet may have introduced listeners to his music but the real test has always been whether they turn up to hear him perform He discovered Hindi rap in school and later found his way into electronic music psychedelic rock and eventually singing His Instagram journey which documented him making music and performing live helped bring attention to his 2025 hyperpop album and mixtape Lover on RentWithin his first month of performing live he found himself opening for Lifafa and Seedhe Maut His subsequent independent gigs also helped him understand whether his online following translated into genuine listenersSiddharth TalwarldquoSometimes artistes blow up their numbers go up their song goes viral but still people donrsquot show up to their shows I definitely started blowing up through my music content on Instagram You have to have a unique identity to stand out from the crowdrdquo he says His trick was to show people what his artiste persona was on the screen before he had the opportunity to perform on the stage ldquoMusic is a performing art So I made a conscious choice in my content as well People can see me perform on their feeds Everything I do online is live I sing live I connect with followers that wayrdquoWhile acknowledging that emerging musicians may not always receive the same treatment as established names he believes the music should ultimately speak for itself ldquoAgar aapke art mein dum hai aapko aisi dikkat nahi hogirdquo he says urging young artistes to keep creating and trusting their craftThe BMS reportBookMyShow Live has released its latest report OOO Offline Outdoors Out Loud which takes a closer look at Indiarsquos growing concert culture The report brings together insights from nearly 1700 concert and festivalgoers across 75 cities It found that 72 per cent discovered a new artiste at a BookMyShow Live event