Small labels, big sounds

This is the best time to be an "Indie" artist in India. Home studios producing experimental labels are fast becoming a rage.

Sometimes record labels are born out of frustration. Frustration that there are no alternative sounds to the mainstream. Or, as Ashutosh of singer-songwriter duo Ashu & Dhruv says, because "you sometimes feel like an NRI in your own country". He laments, "Why should we be embarrassed about our global music identities?"

To correct the bias of music majors towards mainstream, and therefore profitable, sounds, some music lovers have gone ahead and taken content-generation into their own hands (and recording studios). Blue Frog, started by Ashu & Dhruv along with other partners, is a bar, a record label and talent management company, all rolled into one.

The Blue Frog bar with its avant garde design and acoustics came first, located in an industrial estate in Mumbai's Lower Parel, with live acts on stage every night. The record label is to be launched in February; eight artists have tentatively been lined up. "We are not genre-biased, but we will not cater to any music that already has representation," says Pathak.

The criteria for music selection is equally straightforward for other labels. "We represent music that sounds good to us," says Craig Fernandes, promotions executive for Phat Phish records.

Phat Phish was started by Channel V creative guy Anand Purapur in the late '90s as an ad film production house. Then came the propitious but unplanned launch of Rabbi in 2002, and suddenly the company found itself scripting a long-term vision for music production.

Now, with six artistes in its catalogue including what will be its first release since a Malayalee rock band called Avial, the label prides itself representing progressive sounds with language not a barrier.

Call it Indian funk, new rave, trip hop or what you will, these hard-to-define sounds are finding their way into music listeners' lexicons thanks to labels that are stretching the spectrum of music. "It's never been a better time to be an 'Indie' artist in India," says Sonal D'Silva, a writer and musician scouting for a label.

"The major labels have a list of demands before they will even meet you, including a ready-to-run music video," she says. D'Silva generates music digitally in a home studio to avoid studio costs that range from Rs 1,000-1,500 an hour.

"Entry costs of artistes are low today because home studios actually produce halfway decent sound," says Ambrish Kumar of MummyDaddy records, another independent label on its way to its first compilation release come 2008.

"In fact," says Kumar, "it's the big guys that are bleeding because fixed costs are so high and music sales are so low." Kumar believes you can follow a low-cost model and still hold out hope to a wide release.

"I want to get good music out there and get the damn thing heard by paanwallas on their radios," he continues. And while most of these independent labels say they will employ physical distribution channels for primary revenue generation, all agree that they will need to supplement income from album sales with some creative marketing.

Blue Frog intends to release "Live at the Blue Frog" DVDs. Kumar says MummyDaddy might in the future venture into content aggregation that would work on a subscription model for consumers.

Interestingly, while the web and its community of free-downloaders cause infinite angst for the larger labels, it offers a world of opportunities for the small guys who say free downloads actually work for word-of-mouth plugging.

Globally as well, several niche acts have been choosing to self-promote on the Internet instead of traditional major labels. British band Radiohead recently created a splash when it allowed digital downloads of its latest album allowing customers to choose their own price.

"Our MySpace profile has had 15,000 hits already since August," says Fernandes. Of course, what never fails for independent labels is taking their artistes straight to listeners in the form of live shows.

"It's like the 1960s in the United States, where live music was the biggest earner for artistes and their labels," says Kumar. Blue Frog's business model is built around this "" its recorded music division dovetails into its live music division and most labels will double up as artiste management companies and booking agents.

"Only Bollywood makes money off album sales. For artistes, earnings come from live sets," says Arjun Vagale, one of the founders of Jalebee Cartel "" a progressive electronic act.

Organised festivals are doing their bit for niche music. This December, the first ever Sunburn electronic dance music festival attempted to create a community out of the scattered audience for electronic dance music in India.

For 48 hours on a beach in Goa, local dance music acts like Shaa'ir + Func (most of them supported by independent labels) were provided a platform alongside legends like DJ Carl Cox and Above & Beyond.

Earlier in summer, the Big Chill festival in Goa drew 5,000 electronic music fans. Produced by Counter Culture records, another small record label, the festival was a testament to Counter Culture Record's viability.

Having started off as an artiste management company called Only Much Louder (OML), Counter Culture Records was started to release the music of bands that OML managed. Today, it has nine artistes on its roster.

So, any chance of the biggies biting? Vagale reveals that HMV has offered Jalebee Cartel (they've been recording singles with foreign production houses for a decade now) an album deal, but they've signed on with MummyDaddy records in India.

"I don't blame the large labels because the entire gamut of radio stations and music channels feed into it and sales of CDs are low. But the time has come to experiment," he says.

No one is quite sure when niche music categories will draw in the big bucks, but like Pathak says, "If us as musicians don't take the gamble, who will?" Kumar echoes that, "If Mummy Daddy records ever near-breaks, even I will be delighted." Keep listening.