The method of the madness of Indie music producers

CHENNAI: The lockdown paved the way for people to indulge themselves and explore several art forms like painting, poetry, filmmaking, theatre, music, and so on. Unexpectedly, there seems to be a whole new tribe of indie or independent music producers in Chennai. However, musicians struggle to make a livelihood out of their passion as they are constantly levelled by overheads such as upgrading their gear and hardware as well as ‘impossible to please’ clients. Speaking to DT Next, a few reveal the challenges of subsisting in the industry.

“My journey in music began as a child. I started playing the keyboard at a very young age. Seeing my love for music, my parents supported my decision of pursuing a degree in sound engineering and music production. After the completion of my course, the institute gave us five clients to work with.” “Initially, it was a struggle to understand what the client actually wanted. With experience and time, I got better,” says Thiyagarajan K, independent music producer and owner of Audio Doctor Production.

Talking about the challenges faced by the industry, he says, “The problem is trying to meet unrealistic expectations with a small and fixed budget. Representatives of a client came to me with a list of requirements and told me they wanted a jazz number. When I told them that the output they expected won’t be possible using the software I use and that I needed live instruments, they asked me to work on it using just my keyboard.”

In spite of the ignorance and stinginess of a few potential clients, many artistically-inclined youngsters are tapping their reserves of rhythm and melodies to craft a career for themselves in this heavily competitive line of work.

Ashwin Subramanian is one such braveheart who quit his corporate career six months ago to work as an independent music producer full-time. “I was at a bird sanctuary at the crack of dawn when this epiphany hit me. Seeing the birds and nature made me realise the inspiration that led poets to write about such things. I knew I could not do a 9-5 job all my life,” he says. The on-stage moniker he has adopted is Ashwathama, which means ‘immortal’ in Sanskrit. “I want my music to be immortal and the name to represent my roots.”

But the music business is anything but a cakewalk. He tells us, “It is a daily race just to survive. Earning a steady income through music is a challenge. One of the main reasons is the lack of return on investment, as musicians shell out lakhs to upgrade their high tech paraphernalia. “If clients don’t pay us fairly and on time, we can’t break even.”

Ashwin Hemanth, who has assisted well-known composers in the Tamil film industry, says, “One of the pressing issues that independent music producers face is the mentality of the clients. They think that as independent artists, we have very little to offer and can only do so much. The main issue is the budget of the project and it all boils down to that.”