After a dark decade that saw Hindi film tracks loot iconic music channels of indie talent, and reality shows hog primetime slots, channel heads are now working overtime to conceptualise shows that showcase, groom and promote local talent
After a dark decade that saw Hindi film tracks loot iconic music channels of indie talent, and reality shows hog primetime slots, channel heads are now working overtime to conceptualise shows that showcase, groom and promote local talent
In a makeshift, abandoned warehouse in one of Goregaon's alleys, a production crew is steeped in work. Like members of some secret society, an army of producers and programmers march in and out a massive steel structure. We enter in silence, not ready to disrupt the ritualistic practice, we imagine is taking place inside.
Once inside, the world falls dark. Our eyes take a while to adjust to the dim-lit canopy that stands in the warehouse. It's familiar -- the semi-circular stage, musicians posted in corners like battle soldiers, and a buzz emanating from the vicinity of crane-mounted cameras. 
Any form of exposure is good, but I think this move would've helped
bands more at a time when there was little online music sharing and no
streaming platform. Ankur Tewari, The Mumbai musician was filmed on
the terrace of a building, singing Teri Yaad, for an episode of Tehelka's
The Music Project
And of course, a monitoring box, from where, in complete silence, a bespectacled few are watching the show. We are on the sets of Coke Studio @ MTV, a show that has, slowly, been giving Indian indie talent a stage for primetime viewing.
Lungi-clad, Folk Rock artiste Raghu Dixit is hovering around the set, ghungroos tied to his ankles. For the once Bollywood reject, turned away a decade ago by most record labels, this is mass fame at last. "Leslie Lewis called me to his office," Dixit recalls about the composer, who is directing the show. "I went to his studio, and in his soft drone, he asked me if I wanted to be on this new show called, Coke Studio. I yelled, 'Coke Studio! Of course!'"u00a0 Dixit, a popular indie artiste, is finally getting noticed in his own country, after performing successfully across the world. 
Airing every Friday at 8.30 pm, MTV Roots features videos by artistes
who are popular across South Asia, including Pakistani duo Zeb & Haniya.
The duo's songs are mostly in Urdu, but some lyrics are also in Pashto,
Persian and Turkish. Their music has been described at various times as
Alternative, Art Folk, Ethnic Blues and Easy Listening
Gross exaggeration? Maybe, keeping in mind that this is not one of Ekta Kapoor's white-washed bungalow sets, churning out tear-jerking TRP grabbers. This is the alternative TV viewing experience -- not a reality show, not a staged drama. It's not even Bollywood. And yet, it has been put in the commercial dinnertime viewing spot of 10 pm on Fridays.
The show, in many ways, marks the return of non-commercial music to television; a genre that had gone missing from music channels since the turn of the 21st century. "Music programming in the past decade on most popular music channels had fallen to a non-commercial music to Bollywood music ratio of 30:70. It's been somewhat of a dark era. Now, it's time for channels to return to their roots and promote local talent," says MTV Channel Head Aditya Swamy, who took the initiative of showcasing long-format 'rockumentaries' and jam shows while making a consistent effort to bring non-film, Indian alternative music back on air.
This is something his colleague at MTV, Riad Saha, has been chasing for long. The result was the June launch of MTV Roots, a 30-minute programme that promotes bands across South Asia, big on the local gig circuit, but not all that popular in India. Unlike Coke Studio, instead of live performances, the show features music videos of various artistes.
"It's simple. We want to promote South-Asian music around the world. We have been keeping a keen eye on artistes for a long time, and it's time to bring them to the fore, commercially," says Saha, who shifted base from MTV New York to promote indie talent in the subcontinent.
MTV Roots now airs every Friday at 8.30 pm. Besides Indian bands, the likes of Pakistani duo Zeb & Haniya are on the show. "We will soon take the show on-ground, travel to cities and line up concerts. We want people to witness what we think is good music," says Saha. Coke Studio too is now a travelling pub rock gig with the artistes on the show including Kailash Kher, Harshdeep Kaur, Shaan and others performing live.
With a major music channel leading the way back home to music, it was only a matter of time before small-time producers took their love for the scene to screen. Delhi-based music fan Andrew Clarence had an idea he had been waiting to showcase for long. As part of the video team of news magazine Tehelka's web platform (tehelka.com), Clarence began shooting a series of video portraits of bands across India three months ago, for a show called Tehelka's The Music Project.
The idea was to enter an artiste's personal space, and direct a one-take video of them, while narrating their story. "We wanted to showcase bands that people don't generally know of. We focus on small-time outfits from across the country, giving them a viral platform," says Clarence.
So far, Dischordian, Nirmika and Andrew, Bangladeshi band Blunderware and Mumbai band Airport have been filmed. "These are all interesting artistes that not many know of," says Clarence, who is on the lookout for a channel to air his vignette.
One of his best episodes features Mumbai musician Ankur Tewari on the terrace of a building in the metropolis, where he decides to strum his new song, Teri Yaad, while narrating his story. Although Tewari happily shot for the show, he feels indie music should have come to TV earlier. "We already have an audience online. Any form of exposure is good, but I think this move would've helped bands far more at a time when there was little online music sharing and no streaming platform," says Tewari.
And then there is the headache of censorship. Of his three self-produced music videos,u00a0 one will never be aired on television. "One video is sure to be censored. It shows people kissing and smoking, and you know, Indians don't smoke and drink!" he shrugs, referring to his song, Jannat.
Tewari is right. The Internet has been a great gamechanger for most artistes, arming them with tools of self-promotion and music distribution, which is the role channels once played. Saha explains, "The business of music has changed. Labels are now realising that true A&R (Artists & Repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists) is essential, and talent must be pushed in order to survive. That's the best thing that could have happened to music. It has never been a better time to make music."
The independent artiste can be successful only if all arms of the media -- television channel, radio, print and labels work in sync. Saha in fact, is in the midst of setting up his own indie label to promote unique talent.
The fact that labels now need bands to survive, is one of the positive fallouts of piracy. That's also why channels are finally taking notice.
Vh1 Channel Head Ferzad Palia has a overhaul plan ready for September. "We will be offering more airtime to local talent via more hours of our Vh1 India Rules series," he says, referring to the Indian music video song breaks that intersperse regular music programming.
"We intend to help bands produce their music videos, groom them, lend expert opinion and help them monetise their music. It is time India rules," says Palia, who co-produced Pentagram's 2007 music video Voice. Vh1 has been airing music videos that most other channels don't. Metal band Scribe's Dum Hai To Aage Aah! and Them Clones' My Life are popular videos that have streamed on the channel. "Why stop at bands. There are solo guitarists, rappers, freestylists, who are fairly underground," says Palia.
Bands like Soulmate, Advaita, Mekaal Hassan Band, Bandish Projekt, Shaair 'n' Func, Swarathma and Papon are getting to play their music on air, and explain to the television viewer, who they are and why their music deserves an equal footing.
But really, is that enough, with Hindi rock being the mainstay of our diet? Former VJ and music columnist Luke Kenny disagrees. "Alternative music is not on air. The shows on air right now are not really about independent music. Coke Studio is mostly playback talent." According to Kenny, Indian programming suffers from a Bollywood 'handicap' -- you won't be on air till you are commercially viable. "Raghu Dixit is an established artiste. What about all those underground musicians who are not? The '90s were a different ball game altogether," says Kenny, harking back to the decade when channels offered music mentors to artistes.
Channel [V]'s General Manager Jules Fuller took an earnest interest in bands like Indus Creed and Parikrama, producing music videos, directing 'rockumentaries' and organising concerts. A decade later, other than their band competition, Launchpad, Channel [V] has taken a backseat in promoting indie talent. "We were pushed and promoted, directed, mentored. We went on concerts, tours, shoots -- all organised by producers," says Subir Malik, of Delhi rock band Parikrama. The band was one of the first video stars of the '90s, with But It Rained bagging unprecedented airtime on music channels. "Now, the Internet is your guide, since the new generation of musicians have been completely ignored by television," Malik says.
Singer Suraj Jagan (of Give me some sunshine fame from 3 Idiots) says, "I am a rock artiste, first, then a playback singer. But Bollywood has changed the soundscape, and made alternative music popular, which is why a metal band like Bhayanak Maut could do a song for a Bollywood film." Jagan is referring to the Habemus Papam track in Anurag Kashyap's Shaitan.
Channels, says Jagan, are indicators of what is popular. "Channels instantly pick up Bollywood music trends. Right now, Bollywood has a different sound, which is why Indian non-commercial artistes are getting noticed."
Where mainstream music channels hesitate, alternative channels take the leap. Star World, AXN, Zee Caf ufffd and Fox Entertainment have created a set of new viewers. Television analyst Pankhuri Gupta says, "The target audience is different now. Most viewers of English language programming are between 18u00a0 to 30 years. This is the lot that also enjoys Western music, frequents clubs, and travels to music fests."
Which is why when event management company Only Much Louder organised the Bacardi NH7 Weekender last December, Star World hopped on board as media sponsor. Funnyman in the rock circuit, musician Rohit Periera, even landed his own endorsed branding with a small show called Koffee with P-Man, a spoof on Koffee with Karan, that worked as a filler at the three-day fest held in Pune. Over 50 bands from across India and around the world performed at the event.
The ultimate goal is to give musicians a space to sing their own songs. As Kenny says, "Let Bollywood promote artistes and ask them to sing their own songs. Then we will watch TV again."
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