What’s in a gig?

Jayraj Ganatra better known as Dhanji knows the backbone of live independent shows Being one of the pioneers for showcasing Gujarati rap at the forefront he takes his time answering questions Laidback and unhurried the rapper often pauses midconversation seemingly turning an idea over before putting it into wordsHaving spent eight months touring before releasing his first album he has seen firsthand how live performances can create connections that streaming numbers cannot always measure ldquoThe people who heard me live ended up staying with me For me that was the best way to discover and build a fanbase communityrdquo he saysDhanji cannot deny the power of digital influence As someone who does not enjoy live performances as an audience as much ldquoYou have to understand that the more the live shows the more people will connect to artistes Ideally you have to put a picture from your live performance on the same night because once people like you they directly look you up on Instagram And if you donrsquot have enough of an online presence that is a problemrdquoSaqlen KhanSaqlen Hasan Khan cofounder of Thaltej Publishing Company says the growing appetite for live music is rooted in human connection Audiences want to experience an artistersquos energy in person meet fellow listeners and become part of a community that exists beyond their Instagram followingHowever Khan believes access remains a significant hurdle for emerging musicians ldquoThere are a lot of artistes struggling because the lack of infrastructure we haverdquo he says ldquoMost promoters are understandably cautious right now since nobody can be sure tickets will sell We simply donrsquot have enough venues even in cities like Mumbai or Delhi and opening more doors would really help artists get a real chancerdquoFor Punebased musician Gulshan Jethwani who has spent 15 years performing professionally the word lsquoexposurersquo has become a convenient excuse for not paying artistes what they deserve Having built his career entirely around music he believes the problem is particularly acute at food festivals cafes bars and clubs where organisers often offer visibility in place of remuneration ldquoPeople donrsquot want to pay at allrdquo he says pointing to the difficulty of convincing audiences and organisers that music is a profession with bills to pay ldquoBut a person getting into music also has to pay bills rightrdquoGulshan JethwaniJethwani draws a distinction between performing at actual music events where exposure can translate into genuine audiencebuilding opportunities and commercial events that promise visibility without necessarily delivering any The latter he argues also undercuts musicians who depend on performance fees to surviveldquoBecause of other people who are doing this as a hobby the serious ones face issuesrdquo he says He believes the culture of unpaid performances has consequences beyond an individual artistersquos earnings ldquoIrsquove seen a lot of amazing talented musicians leave music because they could not survive doing itrdquoDhanji believes Indiarsquos independent live music circuit still has considerable catching up to do particularly for hiphop Festivals operate with limited resources and financial uncertainty while the country lacks the infrastructure venues and funding that could have developed had live music become a stronger cultural fixture decades ago ldquoIf we had rock bands in the 1970s as a cultural pattern we would not have been lagging behind This system began quite late in comparison to the rest of the world The influx from the creator consumer end has begun nowrdquo he saysEven though he agrees that live music scene is not doing enough for rappers or independent artistes he acknowledges the reality of what takes place behind the stage ldquoThey are also working with fewer resources which is the case about most things in India Yahi apna struggle story hairdquo he chuckles ldquoOn most days I know I can hardly complain since we have come quite far in terms of the live independent music scene But I know that things are not as efficient yetrdquoHis advice to emerging artistes is quite direct ldquoDonrsquot get overconfident with one or two viral hitsrdquo he cautions ldquoKeep your books tight your paperwork tight Your entire system should be airtight For an independent artiste itrsquos like if a kid is walking on the road and gets hit by a car If you donrsquot pay attention you could walk in on oncoming trafficrdquo