AIM 2016: Engagement, entertainment, effervescence

The debut session of Artist Industry Meet-up (AIM) got off to a spectacular start as the artist fraternity came together on 2nd June to talk concepts, collaborations, complications and more, over heady drinks and headier conversations. Fueled by the energetic vibe of Bandstand, a new watering hole at Aurobindo Market, Hauz Khas Village, the event indulged artists, performers, producers, event planners, thinkers, doers all under one roof. AIM was presented by ArtistsFAQs in association with BW APPLAUSE and Everything Experiential.


Addressing the full house of young and creative energy Mr Anurag Batra, Chairman Businessworld and Exchange4media, launched the event with a welcome address. Drawing attention to the gap in the entertainment industry where artists are unable to engage with event planners purely due to the lack of defined channels he commented, “It pains me to see all this talent and such few avenues for it to surface and see the light of day. I congratulate ArtistFAQs for this initiative and Businessworld is excited to be associated with it; I assure you great things lie in wait as possibilities are immense. Our endeavor through BW APPLAUSE and Everything Experiential is to ensure that talent is brought forward to the industry and the collaborative structure can be better aligned.”


Presenting the key address, Mr Rajeev Jain, Founder Rashi Entertainment and VP, EEMA, said, “The most important thing every artist must possess is patience, because sooner or later, if your talent is genuinely worthy, you will be recognized. The other thing I notice that holds artists back in this industry is their attitude. You land a few good gigs and it’s very easy for your ego to get the better of you; remaining humble is extremely important. The most accomplished personalities I have come across in my career are epitomes of humility, be it Mr Amitabh Bachan or Arijit Singh. As an artist you cannot afford to let success get to your head. Also I see a lot of artists trying to replicate the style of big hit makers, but art should be unique and that is when it is most appreciated. Irrespective of what is popular artists should aim at developing their own distinctive style. We at EEMA are always on the lookout for fresh talent and look forward to engaging with your community more closely”.


Post the introductions a panel discussion ensued between Malvika Nanda, Founder, The Big Beat; Sarthak Sardana a.k.a. Sartek, DJ Producer; Dhruv Jagasia, Director, Big Bad Wolf; Ashvin Mani Sharma a.k.a. Calm Chor, DJ Producer, Record Label Head; Amit Gupta, Director, STORY. It discussion was moderated by Yamini Singh, Executive Editor, BW APPLAUSE and Everything Experiential and Vivek Benipal, Founder, ArtistsFAQs.

The evening concluded with a reverberating performance by Sounds United Project featuring Dubtron (Electronics), Hafeez Ahmed Alvi (Tabla) and Azeem Ahmed Alvi (Sitar). Ali Haider was the Emcee at the event.