JLF 2024: Live Events Boost Independent Music's Audience

In its 17th iteration, the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2024 unveiled a distinctive fusion of literary and musical encounters through the debut of the Jaipur Music Stage (JMS) during the inaugural three evenings from1 to 3 February, 2024. Nestled in the cultural core of India but adorned with influences spanning the globe, the Jaipur Music Stage showcased a diverse array of performers representing genres such as world music, ghazals, jazz, rock, and the blues. This innovative addition to the festival promised a harmonious convergence of artistic expressions, enriching the cultural tapestry of the event and providing attendees with a captivating blend of literature and musical exploration.

In the dynamic realm of India's live music events, the landscape has undergone a transformative shift, transcending conventional entertainment to offer immersive experiences. The heartbeat of this evolution lies in the synergy between fascinating performances and heightened customer engagement. Live music events have become more than mere spectacles; they are curated to immerse attendees in a tapestry of emotions, fostering a sense of community.

In an exclusive interaction, Everything Experiential spoke to India’s ever-evolving band, When Chai Met Toast; acclaimed singer, songwriter, and poet Alif (Mohammad Muneem) and popular singer Salman Elahi on how live music events have evolved over the years, on participating at JLF and more.

The Scenario For Live Music Events

Talking about the evolution of live music events over the years, When Chai Met Toast points out, “Over the years, we've definitely seen considerable growth in the number of live music events taking place - be it artist-led tours, music and food festivals, or colleges/ pubs programming artists. A large listener base has also evolved for independent music, which almost stands on par with Bollywood music now. As a band, we love performing live and have always put together our own tours.”

Alif believes that live events have turned into experiences. “When Covid hit it was assumed live industry might not re-surface. But did it and that is because events and music concerts or comedy shows have become experiences. Which in turn becomes memories that people make.”

Elahi also understands that the live music scene in India has improved drastically; thousands of venues and festivals have emerged in the last decade.

Participation at JLF

Taking part in the JLF undoubtedly has its pros – it helps in gaining band visibility, gathering brand sponsors, getting a larger chunk of the target audience etc. “Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Series Jaipur Literature Festival has been on our list of 'festivals we want to perform at' for the longest time. We've heard great things about the festival from artists who have performed there and previous attendees. At this point, we were less bothered about garnering visibility. What we aimed to do was to play a fabulous show, and the rest followed, we felt.”

Alif was grateful to be able to share their work with audience of JLF. “An artist always value’s audience that receives its work with warmth and love.”

Elahi, too, thought it to be a great opportunity to perform for an audience of India’s finest writers, thinkers and creative minds at Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Series Jaipur Literature Festival. “My music attempts to do something different - to make one feel deeper emotions by giving the audience a taste of old school Urdu ghazal poetry in singer-songwriter style. I look forward to performing for more literary fests like this where the audience has a taste for finer nuances in life.”

Offering Their USPs

Focusing on the kind of experiences bands particularly stress on in terms of a unique offering, When Chai Met Toast brings out, “Our mix of instruments, singalongs, relatable multi-lingual lyrics, and heart-warming themes probably set us apart. We try to curate our live show as a full experience. It's always a fun set full of energy.”

Alif would like to believe that they are not genre specific. “Like one feels multiple emotions in a day or week or month or year and life. the way you feel emotions is always different.”

Elahi’s style of music is deeply rooted in Urdu ghazals, nazms and lyricism. “That is the journey my listeners will take during my performance.”

Business Models & Profitability

A natural question to ask is, how does the business model turn out to be feasible? What about profitability?

“Business models never turn out to be feasible until you give your all in for the same. Making it a secondary job or part-time doesn’t help in that case. Like any other model, profitability comes after a few years, and knowing the fact that you are solving a problem for the scene – for example building your sound has everything to do with it,” specifies When Chai Met Toast.

Alif contemplates that any song or content or art that transcends and transports its audience into a particular state is the first step. “The next steps are more logistical like marketing reach etc. profitable has many permutations and combinations. One has to make logical decisions.”

“Honestly as a musician, we all begin our journeys with a passion to create beautiful music, so business models and profitability is the last thing on my minds when we begin. However, if your art appeals to the audience and if your art moves people, the monetary value slowly starts coming in. I will maintain that all true artists - make art despite capitalism and not due to it,” stresses Elahi.

New Bands Amping Up The Music Experiential Circuit

When questioned about new bands amping up the music experiential circuit, be it from the new bands launching, getting brands on board as sponsors etc., When Chai Met Toast specifies, “We hear less of new bands in the industry - keep hearing a lot of singer/songwriters & rappers/hip-hoppers bringing out new material. Looking at everything from a business standpoint could adversely affect the musicianship/craftsman in you. It’s mind over madness.”

Alif elucidates, “For any art to survive and sustain, businesses need to support it. And in turn, art is a documentation of time and era. For example, we say those days bell bottoms were in fashion or that Kishor Kumar ka zamana. Or Roman buildings ka zamana. Art has an impact on culture and to sustain in business need to support it.”

Trends Disrupting Live Music Events

When Chai Met Toast understands that with growth, sponsors are willing and keen to be part of the independent music industry per se. This helps musicians/artists in general to plan tours/ bigger productions etc.

Alif jokes, “I would like to stay positive that nothing could disrupt the live music scene unless we hit another pandemic like Covid!”

“I’m hoping businesses and companies sponsor upcoming artists who resonate with their brand values. Artists like me are excited to be a part of new age media like OTT shows and OTT targeted movies which reach the wider audience,” Elahi expresses.