Entrepreneur Ritnika Nayan Announces Music Business Management Course

New Delhi-based music entrepreneur Ritnika Nayan has been involved with music at different capacities from being a musician to getting into the business side of things for nearly 20 years. While studying at Hofstra University, New York, Nayan organized concerts for bands such as American pop rock group Maroon 5 and Canadian rock outfit Nickelback.

After obtaining her masters in Music Business from London’s University of Westminster in 2006 and interning with Peter Jenner (ex manager of Pink Floyd and The Clash), Nayan returned to India the following year and realized that there weren’t enough management companies to hire her and hence she went ahead and started her own artist management agency called Music Gets Me High. She went on to manage artists such as New Delhi electornica group Jalebee Cartel, EDM artist Nucleya, Mumbai electro duo Shaa’ir and Func, fusion band Advaita and alt rock outfit Menwhopause among others. Nayan has also worked on festivals in the country such as Ziro Festival of Music and SulaFest.

Now, the entrepreneur is looking into the academic side of things, announcing a two-month long course in Music Business Management set to start this April at the capital’s Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication. Classes will take place on weekends and fees include ₹45,000 plus applicable GST as well as a registration fee of ₹500. While Nayan will conduct the course ”“ she is also getting on board guest speakers such as New Delhi rock band Parikrama’s keyboardist Subir Malik, artist manager Dev Bhatia, music consultant Malvika Nanda and more.

In this interview with Rolling Stone India, Nayan talks about why a music management course is necessary in India, the curriculum, the current state of the industry and more. Excerpts:

When did the idea come about for setting up a Music Business Management Course in the country?

My entire goal of coming back to India and setting up shop here was to make this scene better and at par with the international market. So everything I have done ”“ from the management and concerts to the studio and books and so on have been for this goal. I noticed that there are no courses in India that offer just a certification in music business. They offer some classes for people who are doing a larger course in mastering an instrument. But there is nothing for people who want to be managers, agents, promoters etc. So that’s pretty much why I decided to do this. I had the plans for the course ready for a while now and it was just a matter of finding the right partners and when I got introduced to the lovely people at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication (SACAC) ”“ it all just fit perfectly. SACAC really know how to treat their students well and I just got a great vibe from them. They believed in me and the course and were ready to take a risk and try something new.

Why do you think it is important for something like this to exist in the country?

The music industry in our country is growing at a steady rate, we have a lot more people pursing music as a career either as an artist or as a manager, promoter etc. Yet most don’t really understand or know the business side of things. If you don’t know the business, you will more often than not get screwed over by someone in the market. So it is very important to understand how things work so you can navigate it well and to your advantage. Plus if you’re going to be managing other artists or working in the business”“ you need to know how to do things right so the scene in general can improve overall.

What is your take on the current state of music management in the country?

I think a lot’s changed since I first started, there are a lot more people getting involved and a lot of artists now understand the need of a manager. However there are downsides ”“ it has become ”˜cool’ to be a manager and a lot of people take up that title without actually doing the work which is detrimental to the artist and the scene in general. There are a few people however who are taking the industry forward in a great way and really paving the way for Indian music on the international stage.

What are the topics going to be covered at the course?

We will cover the following topics: Music Industry Today, Artist Management and Booking, Record Labels and Digital Distribution, Intellectual Property and Business Affairs, Music Publishing, PR and Marketing, Live Concerts, Festivals and Touring and an internship. We plan on giving real world assignments so it isn’t just book knowledge but a more hands-on approach.

What are you hoping people that attend this take away from it?

I am hoping that students will learn how to manage their own career if they choose to be artists and if they want to work in the business, this course will give them a leg up as they will start off with a lot of knowledge that most people don’t have.

Click here to register and for more information.