Indian Music Industry in Focus: Three Conferences Coming Up in February
The fourth edition of Asia Music Summit sets up in Kohima, while new multi-day events like Rise//Del and Deccan Alternative Music Conference will take place in New Delhi and Bengaluru, respectively
Photo: Matheus Bertelli/Pexels
It’s not just music festivals that are getting added to the calendar in the post-lockdown, resurgent years of the industry. Music conferences too are sprouting, bringing more conversations, initiative and showcase performances in the coming months in India. In February alone, three music conferences are coming up, two of them in their inaugural edition. We take a look at what’s in store.
Asia Music Summit
February 1st to 3rd in Kohima, Nagaland
Starting as a virtual conference during the pandemic in 2020, Asia Music Summit, the initiative of MusiConnect Asia became an on-ground gathering only in 2023, when it was hosted in Ulsan, South Korea.
Now, Asia Music Summit is being hosted and co-organized by the Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA), Government of Nagaland from February 1st to 3rd in Kohima. This fourth edition is slated to host meetings, discussions, panels and live performances from across the continent. Joining the conference’s founder Kaushik Dutta are delegates like Fuji Rock Festival director Jason Mayall, Italy’s Fabio Scopino (Italian World Beat), WOMAD Chile director Alejandro Orellana Quiroz, Canada’s Sunfest director Alfredo Caxaj, Portgual’s Carlos Seixas (FMM Sines Festival), Amman Jazz Festival’s Lama Hazboun and Seoul Music Week’s Sungchun Lee, among others.
TaFMA chairman Theja Meru tells Rolling Stone India that hosting Asia Music Summit has been a “big and ambitious dream” for Nagaland, but credits the government (chief minister Neiphiu Rio and advisor Abu Metha) as well as his own visit to WOMEX in Spain to give impetus to put things together. One of the few government-aided bodies in India to extensively support independent music in the region, Meru hopes that the conference brings the world to Nagaland and for the music of Nagaland and the region to reach more platforms around the world. “We are also hoping that this summit will open up many opportunities for our musicians from the region. Very happy that a good number of bands have signed up for our showcasing concerts,” he adds.
Further details about tickets and venues for the Asia Music Summit are awaited.
Stay tuned for Asia Music Summit 2024 details on TaFMA’s page.
Rise//Del
February 7th and 8th at IICC, New Delhi
Some of the biggest stars in the music industry will head to New Delhi for the first edition of Rise//Del, put together by entertainment and event company Verge. Described as a “multi-disciplinary conference that connects music, creative industries and startups,” the two-day conference boasts over 160 speakers spread across over 40 sessions.
A ticket to Rise//Del at the International Convention & Expo Centre in Dwarka will give you access to hear the likes of Lucky Ali, Anuv Jain, KING, Ritviz, Lisa Mishra, KR$NA, Yashraj Mukhate, Srushti Tawade, Varun Duggirala, Mallika Dua, Akhila Shankar and more.
Organizers Verge’s co-founder Aayush Bansal says in a statement, “With Rise//Del we want to create a space for creative professionals to collaborate, learn from allied industries and rise together. This is also why we involved leaders across these industries in the curation process.”
A student pass for the conference is currently priced at ₹1,999, while a general pass is priced at ₹3,499 and a conference pass along with access to the afterparty is priced at ₹4,499.
Deccan Alternative Music Conference
February 9th and 10th at Bangalore Creative Circus, Bengaluru
Among the more independent, grassroots initiatives that aims to bring “action-based and skills-oriented programming” to the table, the first edition of Deccan Alternative Music Conference (DAMC) takes place in Bengaluru. Described as “an annual, traveling, boutique music business conference and showcase festival” the two-day event is being put together by recently-launched consultancy company Neon Culture, with co-presenters including Chennai’s OriginalDog, Kerala-origin Heartland Experiences and the Indian Gig Poster Archive.
Choosing workshops and masterclasses over panel discussions, the DAMC so far includes singer-songwriter (and vocal coach) Mahesh B.R.’s vocal workshop, musician Nush Lewis from music education company Offset, music supervisor Sandesh Rao from Heard Music, the Indian Performing Rights Society’s heard of CorpCom Rumpa Banerjee, legal expert Manojna Yeluri from Artistik License and more.
Neon Culture’s co-founder Vishruti Bindal offering a masterclass on the business of songs and ways songwriters can monetize their songs in 2024, while Prarthana Sen will host a “mini bootcamp” on how to conduct business and communicate effectively. OriginalDog founders Berty Ashley and Navin Dorai host a masterclass on marketing.
A press release from the organizer states, “At DAMC, we will discuss and present actions to build a more resilient music economy in the Deccan region city by city and discover a new music scene every year.”
Once the conference’s day events wrap up, a showcase event will take place. Up to 10 artists are expected to be selected from an anonymous jury, to perform their music to “300-plus fans, talent buyers and bookers in the music industry,” according to DAMC. The selected artists will also participate in a series of workshops with industry experts from across the world.
Discounted student and artist day passes are priced at ₹600 per day, with a two-day pass in that category on sale for ₹1,000. A regular attendee ticket comes to ₹1,200 per day and ₹2,000 for both days.
Get Deccan Alternative Music Conference (Bengaluru edition) tickets here.
