Live in the moment

A live stream of a gig in progress

Last weekend, when New Delhi-based five-piece pop-rock band Faridkot went live, the joy of fans in Mumbai who signed up was unmatched. Not only did they deep-dive into the magic of mystical notes of Sufi rock, but at a ticket price of Rs 1,300, also binged on F&B kits delivered to their doorsteps during the gig that was streamed live.

Kebabs, hung curd dips, fried onions, jowar puffs, cookies, a sepoy tonic, a cocktail mixer and a reusable cup. What more could one possibly ask for? This unique live experience was made possible, thanks to the collaboration of city-based live recording property, Madness JAMS, and Gurugram-based networking and ticketing platform, SkillBox.

Food kits for the gig

As packed venues and bustling stadiums continue to remain a far-fetched dream, founder of SkillBox, Anmol Kukreja chats with us to decode how innovation can help the live music industry bounce back.

"The entertainment industry is one of the hardest hit during this pandemic, and probably will be one of the last sectors to recover too. And so it was important for us to navigate the challenges and help independent artistes monetise during this time."

Live Act by Lifafa

The answer led Kukreja to launch Livebox by SkillBox, which he claims to be India's first native live streaming platform for musicians. The launch of LiveBox resulted in three times the growth in the number of active artist contributors on SkillBox, which has now reached 60,000.

When asked what makes this live streaming experience different, Kukreja illustrates, "In a live stream, the quality of video and audio can be real deal-breakers. And if you've watched live gigs online, you'd realise how existing platforms have mono channels for audio and low-quality video. This isn't the best way for musicians to let their audience experience their music. This demand-supply gap helped us build our own live streaming server that ensures the highest audio and video quality. Artistes can live-stream videos in 1080 pixels [HD quality] and get stereo output with an audio bitrate of 320 kbps. Not only are musicians happy with the quality, but even customers who buy the virtual concert tickets get their money's worth."

Anmol Kukreja

The response to the delivery of F&B kits has been a success, he adds. "We want to give users an experience as close to the live concerts they attend. And attending concerts isn't just about the music; it's about the add-on facilities like food, merchandise and engagement with fellow fans." Kukreja has plans to incorporate many such experiences in the future.

What's hidden in the box for upcoming live gigs, then? One of the formats they are experimenting with will bring fan clubs for different locations together to engage during live gigs and another tech upgrade for the platform may even integrate a virtual dance hall, which will allow viewers to use their webcams during the gig and send live feeds of them grooving to their music.

Log on to skillboxes.com

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