The 8^th edition of All About Music saw some well-known faces in industry. As Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft opened the Day One of the three-day journey of music related people started from morning 10 to dawn, he motivated everyone listening.

There were attendees from Mumbai and some from outside Mumbai who especially came for this 3-day music conference filled with music industry peeps, with one agenda in mind, to connect, explore and know more abouts of the new updates and current scenario of the music industry.

So, the question is what is All About Music?

It is a conference where we see people from music industry talk at the panel, held workshops, conduct masterclass and connect at connect corner. Three days of power pack scheduled program each day ending with performances of upcoming artists like Ishan, Armaan, Jasmin and lot more over cocktails and snacks.

Lots of brands walk in with their new launch, announcement, products. It’s an opportunity for new comers and beginners to pitch music to the industry experts. Every day is filled with enthusiast artists who roam around to know more, grab an opportunity and to upgrade.

Let’s delve into day one…

First day the very first panel of AR Rehman was awaited by all the delegates and students where he shared how music related things have changed gradually with the help of technology but still the process of creating is as raw as it was, by answering one of the questions explaining how not listening to any music and being null will help create new music which is not influenced.

In the same Panel ‘In Conversation with Alan Meyerson’, he shared some authentic movements while creating music and some technical aspects.

In another Panel ‘In Conversation with Subhash Ghai’, the focus was about completing 25 years of the movie ‘Taal’, in which he shared how they created the natural sound in the film score and the songs. They celebrated the event by a cutting cake.

In the Master class by Ankur Tiwari and Osho Jain, the duo simplified how to complete a song by saying “....keep it so simple as if you can hum on it or whistle the melody.”

In another Panel followed up discussing about the global music exchange – ‘Bridging Cultural Divides through Collaboration’ one of the speakers, Founder of Hello Group, Taylor Jones mentioned how fair share should be practiced at the grassroots level and how well managed artist cross cultural collaborations can lead to new creative ideas. At the same Panel, Karan Kanchan shared his experience working with Japanese producers and artists.

On the topic ‘Backstage Titans’, was about shinning the spotlight on the people who build your favourite musical experiences. Renowned drummer Ranjit Barot spoke about how touring with instruments is challenging and how weather affects the outdoor shows. Also, the panel discussed what all new festivals are been introduced in India.

The first Panel on Day Two started with the launch of new platform called ‘Gungunalo’ created for artist to support and get every aspect related to music, be it be royalties or promotion by top most artists of India on one platform to make it easy to access. Shareholders involved are renowned artists and well-known people related to music like Shankar Mahadevan and Sameer Anjaan and many more. This platform will be subscription based which will eventually plan to held live events in near future.

‘In Conversation with Spotify’ the home of IPop, Armaan Malik and Jasmine Sandlas talked how authenticity and originality is what makes an IPop icon. Spotify introduced IPop icon where new independent artists can highlight their songs through their playlists specially curated under IPop. Sandlas stated that if an artist wants to be popular, they have to struggle through it because it is not easy to be a popstar. You need to present yourself in such a way, that people get influenced by you. The panellists also said that IPop dominates over 50% of Spotify top charts in India and that IPop is more than just a genre, rather it’s a movement driven by its versatility.

A Workshop by Priyanka Khimani solved questions raised by the audience about laws and artists rights copyrights and contracts. Ashutosh Pathak in his Spotlight Master class spoke on the ‘Future Proof Your Music Career in the Age of AI’ and said that AI permits less qualified people to sound like professionals. He explained how AI cannot listen to your music, but an artist uses AI to make music, so being human is the necessary factor to generate AI music. He pointed out three main aspects of how to execute your career based on trinity which focused on education, internship and building up your portfolio. Based on this he introduced TSM coming back to Mumbai with AI not as AI but artists and incubation.

In the panel discussion ‘Beyond the Vocals - Women of the Indian Music Industry’, one of the speakers Nirmika Singh stated that an artist should be talented as well as have that drive and be disciplined. The whole panel discussed how women are always taken for granted and should be heard in the industry all of which can help make sustainable progress. She also suggested that an artist should think as an entrepreneur, but not as an artist in the music business. Nayantara Bhatkal opined that women need to group up, share information and knowledge for the betterment of women as a community which can help women grow in the industry.

In his Master class ‘How to Approach any Record label’, Abhishek Patil delved into the world of A &R, explaining what the job was, its role in the music industry and the essential skills it required. Attendees were once again in full attendance, shuttling from one room to the other, trying not to miss out on any of the Panels.

At the Connect Corner held at the Hangar, over 30 tables were set for established companies to startups to interact with attendees, answering questions, exchanging notes, taking notes, from students to music producers, singers, company record heads, it was ameeting ground to make contacts for the future. Musicunplugged was part of the Connect Corner for the third consecutive time. The evening ended with a musical showcase featuring Armaan Malik, Anuv Jain and Jasmine Sandlas, among others.

Coming all the way to the last and final day, the first Panel discussion was related to classical music, where the panel discussed about the history and cultural heritage of classical music. The panel talked about how evolution of classical music emphasizes its adaptability beyond traditional settings. And putting light on the understanding of classical music recitals where people don’t tend to show up which indirectly affects the sponsors and the venues and altogether music business considering Indian classical music as such.

The last panel was ‘In Conversation with Hanumankind and Devraj Sanyal’, CEO, Asia Pacific Universal Music saw a full house with literally an open Ballroom 1, with attendees standing inthe concourse. In his address to the audience, Hanumankind stressed artists to create dreams and let their dreams come true and said that the only way to come up is to work hard on it. He gave the example of crossing a river of success in three ways. The first option he gave was to swim through it and do whatever you can by yourself, the second option being to build a boat and get people on board who can help you. The third option being to bring in the technicians and creative minds to build a bridge to success.

All together this Edition of All About Music shed more light on the changes in music business by technology and pointers on how we can give up the age-old process and accept new strategies considering new upgradations in 21^st century.

To all the upcoming artists this music conference is nothing if there is no music so basically you are only one song away. So don’t be afraid by these huge arrangements organised every year, it will take place to inform you about the happenings. Take advantage of it and work on your dreams.

To people joining in next year, be prepared to walk in floods of music enthusiasts, consider AAM fasting which will save you time do your homework, everything is first come first basis. So grab an opportunity as soon as you see it. Lots of branding, lots of promotion, so focus on what you want and build a masterplan to success.

Musicunplugged was Media Partner for the second time and part of the Connect Corner for the third consecutive time.

By Kiran Holkar