Author
EE News Desk
Dr.-V.-C.-Vivekanandan-seen-addressing-the-gathering-and-also-seen-in-the-pic-are-Ashok-Ram-Kumar-T.-Prashanth-Reddy-and-Rakhi-Kankaria#sthash.lrIK89gk.dpuf T. Prashanth Reddy, LL.M (Stanford Law School), Practicing Lawyer in IP at New Delhi Seen addressing the gathering - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/indian-copyright-societies-and-the-challenges-of-intellectual-property/#sthash.lrIK89gk.dpuf _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telangana Chamber of Events Industry (TCEI), a not-for-profit organization formed by the representatives of various stakeholders in the Event and Entertainment industry recently organized a seminar on Challenges of Intellectual Property- Laws in Events and Entertainment Industry. Dr. V. C. Vivekanandan, MHRD IP-Chair Professor, NALSAR University of Law was the Chief Guest. T. Prashanth Reddy, practicing Lawyer in Intellectual Property in New Delhi delivered the Key Note Address. Ashok Ramkumar, a practicing Advocate and Prof Dr. Padma, faculty of AP Police Academy participated in the Seminar. Speaking about negotiating with Indian Copyright Societies T. Prashanth Reddy said Singers, Lyricists, Composers are protected under IP. The four rights that exist on a single music track are Composer Rights, Lyricists Rights, Music Label Rights and Singer/Performers Rights, he informed. Speaking on the occasion T. Prashanth Reddy said PPL (Phonographic Peformance Ltd) and Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd (IPRS) are no more existing as Copyright Societies. PPL according to their returns to the registrar of companies stated that its application stands withdrawn. So legally they can not collect royalties. Prashanth Reddy explained what Intellectual Property (IP) means. “Intellectual Property includes music, literature, and other artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Under intellectual property laws, owners of intellectual property are granted certain exclusive rights. Some common types of intellectual property rights (IPR) are copyright, patents, and industrial design rights; and the rights that protect trademarks and, in some jurisdiction, trade secrets. Intellectual property rights are themselves a form of property, called intangible property. Modern usage of the term intellectual property goes back at least as far as 1867 he said. Intellectual Property is a necessity and is protected by law, he said. Copyright Societies are like Stock Exchanges. Copyright collectives are associations that administer the rights of copyright owners. Owners authorise societies to issue licenses for the use of their works and collect royalties on their behalf. Copyright owners register their works with a collective, which then collects a fee each time a registered work is licensed and pays a royalty back to the copyright owner. Some of the Copyrght Societies that exist in India are IPRS—Indian Performing Rights Society which is comprised of Composers and Lyricist, and PPL-Phonographic Performance License which comprises of Music Labels and Administer Rights. The 3rd New Society formed last year is ISRA—Indian Singers Rights Association comprised of Singers like Sonu Nigam and Lata Mangeshkar. Each of these Organisations separately look after the interests of its own Members All want royalties, he said. In the next few years Event Managers will have to pay royalties to all these stakeholders. There is a need to regulate and check these societies and this can happen only by collective action. PPL revenues over the last ten years from Public Performance Royalties has been starting from 4.25 crore in the year 2004 and 2005 rose to Rs 66.80 crore in 2013 and 2014. Similarly IPRS’s Revenue from the Public Performance Royalties in the last ten years has risen from Rs 3.87 crore to Rs 40.48 crore in 2013 and 2014. Radio stations succeed before the Copyright Board – royalties fixed at 2% of revenue against 20% demanded by PPL. The law is amended in 2012 due to pressure from Javed Akhtar & radio stations he said. Organisations like TCEI and its members must be aware of IP Laws in Events and Entertainment Industry. You must stand united and must protect your rights, said Reddy . Dr. V. C. Vivekanandan, MHRD IP-Chair Professor, NALSAR University of Law was the Chief Guest while speaking he said Intellectual Property Rights are created for public’s well being. He also hailed the efforts of TCEI in organising such a technical seminar with the objective of legal awareness. The objective of this Seminar was to bring about the right kind of awareness among the event fraternity said Surat Singh Malhotra, President of TCEI and Founder Head of Namdhari Group. The seminar enlightened the event fraternity about the future implications and challenges in the implementation of IPR Laws said Ms. Rakhi Kankaria, Vice President of TCI and Director of Rachnoutsav Events Pvt. Ltd. The entry to the Seminar was free. Over 100 professionals participated in the Seminar. The Seminar was an endeavour to put forth a Socio-legal point of view on the subject and device strategies towards a win-win situation for both the stake holders said Neeraj K.S. Thakur, General Secretary TCEI The last few years of the growth of Intellectual property Rights in India has given rise to the formation of Copyright societies. Companies like Phonographic Performance Lt(PP) and Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd(IPRS) have been spearheading the cause of royalty collection for the artists, lyricists, performers and music companies, said DJ Piyush Baja, President of Telangana Entertainers’ Association. During the Seminar industry papers were presented by DJ Manish and their challenges. The un-checked and un-challenged manifestation of legal protection of these Societies has today resulted in a grim situation wherein these “societies” have come to become monopolized business houses. The Event and Entertainment Industry, particularly the Event Managers, DJs, Hotels and Property Managers and corporate holding event and entertainments are day-in-day-out are challenges, threatened, harassed and most of the times branded as pirates and criminals. The lack of awareness about these societies and the confusing nature of their claims at times make the event organizer a victim of unethical practices. It is precisely to fill up these gaps of theory and practices of Intellectual Property Rights, TCEI has called for a study of the subject, with particular emphasis on the legal framework and broader implications. TCEI It is an umbrella organization of Event Management, Wedding Planners, Entertainers, Exhibitions, Sound /Light/Video, Production, Caterers and other facilitators.
Read More
Popularly known as the father of rural marketing in India, PradeepKashyap has been a catalyst in single handedly paving the way for marketers into uncharted and remote Indian geographies. He has previously chaired the position of President at Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI)and is the founder and head at ‘Mart’, which was based on ethical and spiritual principles and has since emerged as India’s leading rural consultancy organization. Addressing a congregation of event professionals,Kashyap reveals some hard-hitting facts about our rural hinterland and outlines the imminent at EEMAGINE 2015- the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and experts to speak about industry trends and the way forward. He claims, “Today 22% of the rural population is salaried. Since people have moved from wage employment to regular salaries, the purchasing power has sky rocketed. Rural wages have gone up 50% between 2008 and 2013 and hence the bottom of the pyramid is fast taking the shape of a diamond. The penetration and consumption is much higher in Rural India. Eg 75% of the urban population uses toothpaste whereas in rural India it is 45%. So if the usage in rural areas was to go up to 75%, Colgate would have to set up another factory because the population in rural India is three times that of urban, making it a magic multiplier.” He continues, “Where the earlier trend in rural India was to purchase regional brands, people are increasingly buying national brands like P&G and Unilever. Instead of purchasing small packs such as shampoo sachets they are now inclined towards purchasing mega and value packs simply because they have more monies in their pockets and are looking out for better bargains, just like urban folks. They are increasingly buying packaged goods in contrast to the trend of buying loose, as they suspect loose goods could be stale whereas the date of manufacturing on branded products puts this doubt to rest.” He exclaims, “it has become difficult to identify a tailor in a village today as people are increasingly buying readymade garments made by regional brands.” The growth of urban India has been fast but year 2009 onwards, rural India has started growing faster.“Rural is the flavor of the coming decade”, says Kashyap. He explains, “It has grown at the rate of 17% whereas urban growth has been reported at 12%. The per capita income of rural India used to be 50% of the per capita income of urban India, but this has changed dramatically over the last few years. If you look at the spending patterns, the rural consumer in many ways is becoming similar to the urban consumer. Earlier the rural consumer was spending maximum on food, but now he is spending 7% of his income on health.” These changes have proven to be very beneficial for marketers because now they can see the country from largely the same lens. The youth is increasingly more ambitious in rural India with many contesting that “they will only pick up a job that will draw them a salary more than their father’s last drawn salary”. People are becoming more vanity conscious where “women are known to be using Lux on their bodies and Dove on their faces. Because of the Swach Bharat campaign and awareness about sanitation, brands such as Harpic are widely being used”, opines Kashyap. “Aspirations are high, so much so, that even the poorest families in rural India are spending Rs 200 to 300 per month towards English tuitions for their children in the hope that it will fetch them a job in the city”, says Kashyap. He adds, “Today, roads connecting villages to towns are world class and within half hour a person can get to the closest town and be employed. There are 100 million Internet users in rural India and Flipkart has reported more sales from rural India than from the cities.“ Opportunities are massive in rural India and the landscape is changing very dramatically, but it is not the same as working 50 cities in urban India, the deepest penetration of rural India would mean we are talking 600 thousand villages. “The challenge is that of reach, scale and spread. Sadly, there are not enough people who understand this market, not enough agencies and not enough people willing to work this field”, concludes Kashyap
Read More
“Integrated marketing is easy to preach but difficult to do. I have found the work of the centre to be full of useful tips, case insights and best practice distillations – yet with a surprisingly low sermon quotient!” John Grant. The above quote highlights an important aspect of Integrated Marketing, which is that the process is much easier to talk about but rather challenging to implement. An Event organizer frequently comes across the term while managing an event but rarely knows whom to speak to. EEMA however took the initiative of simplifying the concept to event organizers at EEMGAINE 2015 by hosting an insightful panel discussion spilling the beans on Integrated Marketing. With Ravi Kiran, Co-founder and Managing Partner- Friends of Ambition, as the key speaker,SanjeevPasricha, Chairman- EEMA Taskforce on Standards, moderated the discussion. Ravi Kiran began his address by explaining the development of the term “Integrated Marketing Communication” since its inception. He shared American Marketing Association coined the most powerful term ever created in the field of marketing as Integrated Marketing and the term today has different meanings for different people around the industry. “Integrated Marketing Communication means panning 360*, something holistic that completes all corners and a recent term ‘Through the Line’ has also emerged to explain the same”-said Kiran. Speaking on why marketers resort to IMC Ravi Kiran said, “Customers today have changed with time and marketing has also evolved similarly. IMC as a process is customer centric, consistent, comprehensive and compensatory. It should not be confused with a discipline rather it is an approach and a marketing technique to cater to the increasing demands of a brand marketer.” So what can be the correct definition of Integrated Marketing Communication? To this Kiran responded by saying, “IMC can be correctly defined as the transferring of one’s thoughts through many executions and a few metrics to measure.” Citing an example for the real world he said. “IMC is best symbolized through an Indian Thali, with a variety of dishes served on the same plate, the platter represents the overall marketing of the brand and every single element of the plate represents a different media tool. All the elements of the plate complement each other and serve the purpose of providing satisfaction to the eater and similarly all media tools when complement each other while displaying the entire process is termed as Integrated Marketing Communication.“
Read More
Every once in a while a brand with an innovative appeal and a creative strategy strikes a perfect balance between community and marketing philosophies and emerges with a successful campaign; Goodknight’s Fast Card is one such example. The brand successfully marketed itself in Pandharpur, a pilgrimage destination in Maharastra through a successful promotion executed by Vritti imedia. What was the promotional campaign and how was the product marketed was the topic of a key presentation given by Rajesh Radhakrishnan, Director Sales and Marketing-Vritti Solutions at the RMAI Rural Conclave 2015. “We know how ATL has a limited reach among the people and also we were aware of the fact that for BTL to make a successful impact a greater level of consistency was required. Outdoor advertising was an option but wall paintings cannot be controlled in rural and hence we decided to come up with the Audiowalla Bus Stand Promotional campaign”-said- Rajesh Radhakrishnan as he began to explain the campaign. The Audiowalla Bus Stand promotion was executed in rural areas of Rajasthan, Goa, Punjab and Karnataka and featured the appeal of felicitating a smoother day in the lives of people in the rural areas. Showcasing an example of the promotional activity in Pandharpur, Rajesh Radhakrishnan embarked upon the fact that since Pandharpur in Maharastra is one of the most visited pilgrimage venues in the country the product GoodKnight Fast Card was promoted through making available hygienic water to the devotees, Radio Programs on tourists’ buses, signboards and hoardings on strategic locations. Speaking on the main aim of the activity Rajesh Radhakrishnan said, “We wanted to develop a connection with the people and hence as part of the promotional activity we also distributed samples of the product to showcase its features.” Other experiential connects of the campaign were Bhajan Pandals for devotees with banners, Live LED displays and pamphlets about mosquito related diseases in the area. Another interesting highlight of the activity was the use of the product to enable a mosquito free sleep for tourists and devotees at public houses. With memorable experiences as well as the product features well embedded in the minds of people, Vritti Solutions truly managed to make optimum utilization of the marketing capabilities in the area and best market Goodknight Fast Cards as a product.
Read More
Lack of skill and talent has always been a pressing issue for the events and entertainment industry and a discussion targeted at addressing this concernrecently took place at EEMAGINE 2015- the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and to share their perspectives on the way forward. With the topic “Emerging Trends in Talent Management” in discussion, the panel was chaired by Mohamed Morani, Director, Cineyug, Vijay Subramanium of CAA-Kwan, Tarsame Mittal of TM Talent Management, Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management, Vijay Nair of Only Much Louder and was moderated by Roshan Abbas, Patron – EEMA. The session began with opening remarks by Mohamed Morani who highlighted someprimary concerns withtalent management in India. He said, “From an event agency’s view one of the biggest disadvantage that they face is with artists charging differently from different agencies.” Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management raised the issue of last minute cancellationsby Artists with neither them nor the artist management agencies taking any liabilities. To this Vijay Subramanium responded by essaying the current situation and said, ” By collaborating and working together as a team, both artist managers and event agencies can solve issues of differential pricing.” Gomes further said that things were changing and the artist management function in India was getting more and more organized, which would take care of such concerns in due course of time. Suggesting his inputs on the issue Tarsame Mittal outlined six essentials in an artist and artist managers relationship, “Trust and transparency; Accessibility; Loyalty, Being genuinely talented; not being Egoistic; and being a team player.” Vijay Nair while presenting his views on the subject said, “We have taken up an international practice of dealing with artists. As a regularexercise in OLM, contracts are digitally signed first and the artist’s fee is determined for the time after they arrive at the event.” He mentioned that artists were receptive to this and so long as they kept to their end of the contract so did the artists. Nair also mentioned that when there is a breech of contract, it is important to pick that fight to not face the same problems in the future. Taking the discussion forward Mohamed Morani admitted that,for many, relationships with Bollywood stars mattered more than paper work and hence when performers break their contract there is not enough paper work for compliance of legal action. To this Subramanium responded by speaking on the importance of collaboratively working to find a solution and said, “As EEMA we should sit together with all the talent management companies in India and determine a cap for each artists such that no unrealistic numbers become the standard just because one client is willing to pay that amount. Also artist costs should be dependent on their ability to generate ticket sales.”
Read More
With no specific laws in place to safeguard the interests of event organizers, last minute cancellations by performers, security concerns and similar threats have become a routine affair in the industry. But where does the government step in? And what actions should it take to establish a strong footing for the industry was the subject of another insightful panel discussion on the third day of EEMAGINE 2015, the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and also to share their perspectives on the way forward. Led by Brian Tellis, Patron EEMA, the session “Let’s Work Together In Building the Events Industry” had PoonamMahajan, MP, Mumbai North Central,representing the stance from the government. Brian Tellis began the session by highlighting the key issues perturbing the industry at the moment, “A major challenge that our industry faces today is the lack of recognition and as an industry I feel we are not dialoguing as much as we should.” Brian further explained how the industry faces constant pressure from the governing authorities on issues regarding venues, entertainment tax and security concerns and that the industry needs the government to intervene and come up with a support system for the events and entertainment industry. PoonamMahajan began her address by responding to what is the crux of the term “Politics” as per her. She said, “Politics is all about a human to human connection and the work of politics today is to instigate conversations among people. The more we communicate and converse the better idea we have about the issues and we can then formulate strong solutions to resolve them. We as part of the government are open to take the necessary steps that could benefit the industry by stepping up to work together.” She also explained the role of the authorities in the entire events spectrum and said. “Authorities are confrontational and they are present to support and guide. Today every event organizer wants the same things-single window license clearance, extension of the 10 PM deadline and less taxes to be levied upon. But what we should really look forward to is establishing a partnership between the industry and governance so that everyone can benefit from it.” When asked upon when can the commit and create a timeline for such changes the MP responded by saying, “I think the dialogues can start from next week itself and we as part of government are willing to take every possible step that supports the events industry as a whole.”
Read More
In an attempt to widen the reach of EDM in the country, Vh1 supersonic recently organized The Club Nights series which was an extension to their IP Vh1 Supersonic festival. The series featured the noted German-American trance legend Markus Schulz who performed in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi. EE spoke exclusively to Markus Schulz on the highlights of his performance on the tour, engaging elements and the differences between performing in India and abroad. Q- Is this your first performance in India and share with us how excited are you? A-No, actually I have been to India a few times before but it has been quite a while that I have done a proper club tour here. Previously I have played at Suburn festival and also the E3 festival but in the shows the stage was too far away from the audience and that is what interests me about this tour as I will be performing right in front of the audience, in a club setting. As far as the excitement level is concerned I am super excited because there are so many passionate fans out here that have shown to me their enthusiasm and excitement quotient since the gig was announced. All In all there is a lot of excitement and electricity in the air. Q- What are going to be the highlights of your performance in this tour? A-One interesting part of the tour is that all my performance are going to be broadcasted directly on my radio show as well and that I feel is an excellent opportunity for people to know how really passionate are the fans in India and will also widen the reach of the genre of music all over the world. Also, I have brought my entire crew with me so it is going to be a time coded club show and the visuals are going to be interacting with the music. All in all, it is going to be a never like before experience for the audience as they will witness the same experience that get when they go to large music festivals but in a more closely participated ambience that enables them to enjoy music better. Q-What are the key changes that you have noticed while performing in India and abroad? A-The main difference that I have witnessed over the years is the fact that people are really educated here in India. Trance music has such a big online community now and when other performers come to India they think they can play generic set and people will not know the difference however the reality is exactly opposite, you have to challenge fans in India in terms of what you are playing as they are so used to listening the best of trance DJ’s all over the world. Q- What has been your experience with organizers in India? A-My experience here is that I have always received an amazing hospitality. People embrace you here, they want to show you their city and you are so well taken care of and even if you are here for a few hours you are able to absorb a little bit of the culture from outside of the hotel. Obviously the organizers are better prepared and take special care of you and the overall performance elements. Q-If called upon would you prefer to perform to India more often? A-Absolutely, at the beginning of the year we as a team sit down and carve down the places that we want to hit. India has always been one of the places that I would love to come to perform at least once a year if not more often but unfortunately there is only 52 weekends in an year and lot of time is eaten up abroad but India is such a special place to be since the crowd, the hospitality and everything is just spectacular.
Read More
Be it a locally organized film festival or an edition held globally, every film festival witnesses a confluence of the most creative minds, outputs and cinematic genius at one platform. Hence, over the years the emergence of numerous concepts pertaining to film festivals have not only challenged the film making abilities of filmmakers but have also been instrumental in the promotion of various genres of cinemas. This time at EE, we list down 5 unique film festivals across the globe. 1-Incredibly Strange Film Festival (New Zealand) As the name itself suggests the Incredibly Strange Film Festival features bizarre flicks that would otherwise never see the light of day. The festival held every year in New Zealand has successfully completed 17 years, and has screened “greatest collection of cult films ever”. From genres ranging from horror and fiction to something completely bizarre, the festival is open to entrees from all around the world. 2-Fake Film Festival (Canada) Virgin Radio Vancouver regularly holds the Fake Film Festival, where developing directors ham up their own parodies of movies for a 60-second submissions. The entries received at the film festival are judged on their ability to entertain and recapture the essence of the original movie, a process known as “sweding.” With the last edition of the festival featuring impressions of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Juno,” “Bridesmaids” and “Salt.” This one is a must attend for all movie buffs. 3- Cinema in the Cemetery (Australia) As the name suggests the audience of this film festival does not only include the corpses. The Cinema in the cemetery film festival aims to signify that motion pictures are alive and well even in the deadest of locations. St John’s Cemetery, Australia that hosts the festival annually screens a diverse range of classics ranging from Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller “Rear Window” to 1980s cult classic “Ghostbusters.” - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/5-unique-film-festivals-across-the-globe/#sthash.xLdBJKGU.dpuf 4-Bring Your Own Film Festival (India) This one displays sheer laziness on the part of festival organizers. The film festival neither has a selection process, nor does it feature a deadline as to which the movies have to be submitted by the applicant. The festival follows a simple concept, if you have a film made, then have it showcased. This east-coast Indian festival has the noble ethos of removing standard film festival hierarchies, competition, juries and laurels.By inviting all comers to showcase their work; it supports a vibrant grassroots community of film enthusiasts. 5- International Moustache Film Festival (United States) If there was a list of the most bizarre film festivals, The International Moustache Film Festival would surely top the list. To participate in the film festival, your film must contain a mustache-related theme, or a key cast member must be “mustachioed”. Another interesting element of the festival is the prize categories that range from Best ‘Stache Growth Story, Best ‘Stache Shaving Story, Best Moustache Death Relationship Story and Best Collection of Moustaches in One Film.
Read More
Mr. Tommy Hilfiger will visit Beijing, China, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his namesake brand. Between May 24 and 26, Mr. Hilfiger will host events throughout Beijing including an exclusive recreation of his Fall 2015 Hilfiger Collection runway show, which marks the first time the brand is bringing the event to an international setting. Debuted at New York Fashion Week in February, the Fall 2015 collection is inspired by American football, fusing stadium spirit and varsity motifs with Hilfiger’s classic American sportswear designs. The complete show experience will be transported to Beijing for the runway event, which will include looks from the men’s and women’s collections and take place against the backdrop of Hilfiger’s football stadium set. “For the first time, we’ll transport our entire New York runway show to a new setting abroad,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “I’m excited to bring the spirit of an authentic American football game to China and share the unique experience as part of our 30th anniversary celebrations. It’s the perfect platform to share our signature style and brand values across men’s and women’s fashion with a new audience in China, and a great way to celebrate the opening of our largest store in the country.” “Since we entered the Chinese market, it has been an important region for the expansion of our global business,” said Daniel Grieder, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger. “Today, with our solid foundation of over 100 stores across the country, we are able to embark on a number of exciting strategies focused on unlocking the growth potential, sharing our all-American heritage, and expanding our brand presence and business.” Also being launched is a two-story Tommy Hilfiger store at the In88 shopping center spanning over 500-square-meters (5,400-square feet) and reflecting the brand’s “classic American cool” DNA. Bespoke décor reflects the brand’s all-American heritage and is inspired by a blend of tradition and modernity, from over-dyed patchwork rugs, vintage furniture and antiques to digital screens and custom-designed lighting fixtures. The store’s visually striking façade stretches over 30 meters along two sides of the mall, while large windows host high-resolution digital screens that display the latest Tommy Hilfiger advertising campaign videos and imagery, creating an engaging and immersive brand experience. Hilfiger’s 30th anniversary trip to China will be complemented by an extensive digital program designed to engage the Chinese consumer and shared globally via Tommy Hilfiger’s social media channels, including Weibo and Wechat. Friends and followers of the Tommy Hilfiger brand are invited to join the conversation using #TommyChina.
Read More
Gone are the days when you only had one Sunburn festival and one massive queue of electronic dance and music lovers. Over the years multiple EDM festivals like VH1 Supersonic, Enchanted Valley, Karbonn MTV Blockparty, Corona Sunsets have emerged as strong competitors on the basic premise of getting a bigger share of the dance and music frenzied fans. With the increasing number and frequency of EDM festivals across the country, we ask industry insiders whether EDM festivals are racing towards a point of saturation. Siddhartha Chaturvedi, CEO, Eventcrafter says, “I do not think that we are overdoing EDM festivals at all. A small country like UK has hundreds of festivals happening only in the summer and each of those are growing in terms of the various genre of music, various form of performing art needs it’s patrons to get together for it to grow. However, the problem is too much of commercialization of these festival brands. It’s smarter to keep the sanctity and aspirations of one Sunburn to happen once a year rather than making god knows how many sub properties of it. We need more quality experience.” Harshal Kothari, Director, Rising Events said, “The fact of the matter is not that we are doing more of EDM festivals in the country but that it is a tremendously successful event genre that is loved by the youth and hence everyone is trying to come up with their own versions of it. If you look at the college festivals also most of the students demand for an EDM DJ rather than a Kailash Kher, KK or Honey Singh who not only charge lavishly but also require a greater production value. The EDM DJ’s are not only affordable but also require lesser production value and hence more and more of these properties are coming up to cash on the young crowd and their demands.” Sharad Mathur, CEO, EMG Entertainment responds by saying, “We are completely underdoing such genres of events in the country. If you look into the European countries and other developed nations you will find that there are so many things happening and numerous avenues to get entertained. In India looking at the population size, the condition of the bread earner and the overall per capita income of the country I don’t feel we are completely utilizing all avenues of entertainment. So definitely more of such events are required.” On being asked upon to share their choices if asked to develop an IP event, Sharad said, “India is a vast market and a growing economy where you can be experiential as well as experimental. I particularly feel that there is space for so many more IP’s because as an events fraternity we have just started and there is a long way for us to go. I would personally love to call a motivational speaker or a knowledgeable personality like Philip Kotler and create an event around that.” Harshal Kothari completes his stance by saying, “I think an event property surrounding kids would be a fabulous idea as that is a genre I feel has never true been capitalized upon.” Siddhartha Chaturvedi completes his stance by saying, “It’s all at a very complex stage in our country. People want to go to such experiences because it’s more of a cool thing rather than a passion and it is these people who come in herds and make numbers go larger. What then happens is that in the process the community which is passionate patrons of the festival start shying away as they find it uncomfortable amidst these wannabes so they start seeking newer boutique experiences. And I fervently believe that this is the reason why you are witnessing a drop at Sunburn or Supersonic now.
Read More
