Talk show by consultant a guide for growth for indie musicians

CHENNAI: Band member of Metal band Abandoned Element, now management consultant, Ashish Joseph’s talk show, The Inside World, aims to challenge the perceptions revolving around art as a career, as a financially secure job, and how society views the field in our country.

The talk show hosted by him on YouTube discusses tried and tested growth and marketing strategies embraced by popular artistes that other musicians can adopt to make their independent music venture sustainable and adapt to the constantly evolving music scene.

Speaking to DT Next about how the talk show happened he says, “Having been in the music scene for a long time, I understood the trade and what made an artiste relevant in the market. It also saddened me to see how even today in India music is not considered a serious profession because there’s a notion that when you start out you don’t make much money and that is not the case at all.

“During the pandemic, I had a lot of time on my hands and wanted to do something for these young up-and-coming talent who have so much potential but are unable to get the attention they truly deserve. I laid down the sketch of the talk show and decided to bring artistes on board who follow a targeted strategy that helps them.”

The first season and second season, which were released in 2021 and 2022 respectively, featured Chennai-based artistes, Mr Kev, Alvin Presley, Kevin Fernando, Chris Jason, Sharanya Gopinath, Sandeep John, Alisha Thomas, Christopher Stanley, and Gowtham Bharadwaj.

They spoke about how musicians can diversify their content and optimise engagement, marketing growth hacks, complimentary branding and collaboration, creative business planning, avenues for revenue streams, analysing your target industry and lots more.

He says when an artiste is able to gauge the market and their niche and apply it to their target audience, the response is much better and they can very easily monetise their content. It has become essential for a musician to understand what works commercially and does not. He remarks that musicians are now donning the hats of an entrepreneur and a researcher for their art.

Giving advice on how indie musicians can sustain their art, he says, “The core aspect of art is how you connect it with your audience. When you look at it from a business standpoint, it shouldn’t be one-dimensional. Ensure that your audience builds a relationship and feeling for your content. That will sustain you.”

Talking about the upcoming season, he says, “We will be releasing season 3 very soon. The production work is going on and we are looking at moving the show’s format to podcast so that the show is available on all streaming platforms. For season three we will have an exciting lineup of musicians and I’m looking forward to its release.”

Watch The Inside World by Ashish Joseph on YouTube.