Ankur Tewari is perhaps the most versatile but rare artist you might ever come across. His kind is rare because they are very multi-faceted and they are constantly learning from their surroundings and expressing themselves through various art forms. Ankur is a composer/singer/songwriter, a filmmaker and also an entrepreneur. In his most recent achievements, he was the music supervisor behind the blockbuster movie Gully Boy and critically acclaimed web-series Made in Heaven.

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Henry has been working in the music industry for a decade now. He studied copyright law, he's worked jobs in a publishing company, a music library, a record label and is currently working at Believe as a Digital Retail Manager. Interestingly, Henry wrote an article recently, which is the focal point of this episode. If you're wondering - how does one make money off live-streaming as a performer? This episode breaks it down for you in the best way possible. Word to the wise, the age of live-streaming is yet nascent. Treat it as just another tool in your arsenal and not a primary source of income.

Oaf Records is an independent record label from Bengaluru that is spearheaded by Siddharth Nair. Here is a label that believes in the 'slow & steady'. Siddharth manages Cinema of Excess, Inalab, The Flying Turquoise Panthers & STEVIE along with two bands that he is himself a member of - Haiku-Like Imagination & Tangents. His approach towards management is long-term. There's a real structure to the way he runs the label but still takes much of his decisions intuitively.

Welcome the head of talent at Big Bad Wolf - Anirudh Voleti. The boutique talent agency manages a roster of reputed artists such as Prateek Kuhad, Kamakshi Khanna, Indian Ocean & Karsh Kale. Anirudh recalls early days, working at Only Much Louder. He sincerely works behind the scenes and optimistically acknowledges that "making money" is not the factor driving his efforts as he believes that first and foremost it has always been the artist's music and their vibe & adaptability that piques his interest as an artist manager.

Music is a business. Naturally, this paves the way for entrepreneurs to bring something of value to the masses. Founder of OKLISTEN, Vijay Basrur started this company on a whim in 2012 as a way of creating a platform for fans to buy music. Since then, his team has helped thousands of fans discover amazing new artists from the country and provided a platform for independent musicians to sell and distribute their music to the world.

Meet the Industry gets its first extreme metal band on the show. Divyanshu Gupta, guitarist of KillKount - the death metal quintet from Bhopal - lays it down tête-à-tête with Maulik about what it's like to be a band that has been alive for 7 years and has finally released it's debut album this year. Divyanshu gives a eulogy for a bandmate they recently lost to an unfortunate accident. He pays homage to iconic Indian bands that have inspired him over the years and shares his account of recording their debut full length album Konflict & Terror. Thriving as a death metal band in India is no small feat but there have been a number of homegrown bands that make the highest cut, and KillKount is one of them.

The award for the Most Confusing Subject in the Music Business would probably go to Royalties. It's not only complicated but also not rewarding enough until you get to the big leagues. The reason why independent musicians ought to know about copyrights, licenses and royalties at an early stage is to be ready to make the right decisions when the moment arrives. This episode helps you get initiated in this area of the business.

Maulik is on the prowl for some weird, funny & interesting occurrences in the world of music. It's also a great time to discover some cool new music coming from independent Indian musicians.

Sri Rama Murthy aka Murthovic is an independent electronic music composer, sound designer and pioneering Indian DJ who has been working in the electronic music field for close to two decades. This episode demonstrates Murthy's story in thorough detail, he's eager to share and very perceptive of the transitions he's made in each stage of his career.

Raja Kumari is at the top of her game. Having sung in Bollywood films and getting signed on to a big record label, it's safe to say that RK has been in the limelight for quite some time and for the right reasons. She successfully ticks all the boxes for a thriving independent musician - brand, performance, fans et al - but it seems like she wouldn't be here today without her predilection for the Indian culture, arts & mythology.

If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Meet the Industry you can help support the show by doing the following:

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Editor, Producer & Host: Maulik Shah

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One of the hottest electronic music acts of India, Ritviz shot to fame in 2017 with the biggest party anthem of the year 'Udd Gaye'. He talks about his fascination with art since a very young age, how music took a center stage as he grew up writing hundreds of songs. He emphasizes on the need to be authentic and shares his thoughts on plagiarism. Enter the world of Ritviz and take back what inspires you.

If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Meet the Industry you can help support the show by doing the following:

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Editor, Producer & Host: Maulik Shah

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This is the final Virus Impact episode with acclaimed DJ and producer Anish Sood as our guest. Anyone who knows independent music in India, especially electronic music, knows of Anish. He recently co-founded INDIA NIGHTLIFE COLLECTIVE (in association with @budweiserindia) which is a non-government organisation that aims to provide emergency financial aid to at-risk nightlife workers and individuals who do not have access to other support systems.

Naveen Deshpande is the Founder and Director of Mixtape Entertainment. Mixtape represents some of the finest acts from the country and handles bookings for more than 60 artists through partnerships with prominent promoters, festivals, venues and corporates across the country. Maulik asks Naveen about coping in the coronavirus climate and what the aftermath could look like, to which, Naveen shares his ideas and plans to deal with the impact of the pandemic on his business as he mostly keeps busy in these days of national lockdown plotting his next moves for when things go back to normal.

Kickstarting the VIRUS IMPACT series with our first guest - Abhi Meer who is an electronic music composer, touring DJ and radio host from Mumbai. He talks about dealing with lost shows due to COVID-19 virus, how it has affected the full-length album he's working on, what to expect from sponsors and the degree of uncertainty that currently envelopes not just the music industry but all businesses as a whole.

This episode ventures into the sensational world of a Carnatic music and jazz ensemble led by Bengaluru-born singer/songwriter Aditi Ramesh. It's a story of passion and self-evolution through music in various forms. Aditi talks about the 3 projects she's a part of and we take a peek into how she injects versatility into the country's indie community by binding two antipodal genres in one exciting package.

The manager is the most important person in your operation. If you're serious about your career, the manager is most likely going to be with you for the rest of your career. This episode is a brief history into the kind of people managers are. It's essential to select the right fit for this job and hopefully this episode can guide you to approach this topic in the best way possible. Whether or not you already have a manager, you need to get things done and for that you need to maintain a list of things to keep you in check. One instant tip: be prepared to work your butt off.

Dev Bhatia laid early foundations for Artist Management in India when he started performing basic duties for Jalebee Cartel, who were quickly rising to fame in 2007. Six years later, he co-founded UnMute Agency that focuses predominantly on talent management and events in the electronic music space. His conversation with Maulik begins with a brief history of his career, then dabbles into outspoken opinions about modern day approach of independent artists. He's the paradigm of a successful artist manager but he humbly acknowledges the fact that life in this industry isn't all rosy.

It's a wonderful time to be an artist, especially in India. Young aspiring musicians are powered by technology to create music and even publish it online, giving rise to a breed of 'indie musicians' who can forge their own path to make their dreams come true. Tej Brar, in conversation with Maulik talks about his journey with independent musicians and what he brings to the table in order to further fortify the music scene in India.

This episode of Meet the Industry touches upon the importance of managing your finances. Maulik first explains the need to hire the right accountant, then provides an action plan in order to collect due payments and discusses ways to raise funds through sponsorships & grants. Finally, we talk about payment ethics and cash flow management to maintain a sustainable eco-system.

Artistic vision is very important in order to set actionable goals. Maulik invites a dance music producer from Bengaluru - Oceantied (Ketan Bahirat) for this episode who gives us an account of his journey from a bedroom producer to a touring club DJ and how it all took shape. Later, Maulik goes into finer detail about what it means to have a vision and where does one go from there to realize the big picture that involves strategy development, team building, and opportunity creation.