SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y
You come across as a multi-faceted talent, how would you
introduce yourself, an entrepreneur or just an avid music lover?
Thank you! I would introduce myself as an entrepreneur
who loves all forms of music. I would’ve introduced myself
as a musician before I started IndianRaga, but given that the
talent we now handpick, I’d like to leave that bit out
You have sort of proved, that classical can go viral too!
How did you come up with this radical idea?
Being the only kid in my class learning classical, I always wondered
why something as beautiful as this does not have a broader reach.
The Indian Raga has been one
of the most successful Youtube
channel in the genre of Indian
classical music. Let's find
out how Mr. Sriram Emani, its
creator, made classical go viral.
When I joined the National Center for the Performing Arts
(NCPA) as its first-ever Marketing and Business Development
Manager, I began exploring how our concerts could be curated
to suit the broader trends of people. I went to MIT after that and
interned with the President of Lincoln Center in New York,
and then the head of Global Digital Business at Sony Music to
consolidate these thoughts. The first-ever plan for IndianRaga was
written by me as a final report for a class on Digital Innovations
at the MIT Media Lab. The rest, as they say, is history!
Whom do you credit for your success?
My parents were unbelievably supportive in allowing me time to
figure out what the model would be. My mom has performed in
our videos, my father has been currently working full time with
IndianRaga. And, my sister’s enthusiasm keeps us all up and
going, so yes I credit the three of them entirely for our success.
What has been the driving force for you in the journey of maintaining
a consistent content and subscriber base over the years?
Our Fellows take the lead in building a following for the content.
Passionate artists like Vinod Krishnan, Mahesh Raghvan,
Shraddha Mohan, Akash Gururaja, Sushmitha Ravikumar,
Vivek Ramanan, Kartik Raman, and thousands of core
audiences just love what we do. Besides, we had great success
with our City Chapters in London, Singapore and San Jose
which helped in growing subscribers in key global cities.
How do you come up with the idea of coming up with a track?
This is an eclectic mix of personal tastes, data-driven insights, and
an obsession with insanity. Once when we wrapped up a Raga Lab
in Mumbai, our teenage dancers celebrated with a pop song.
I was intrigued by the beat, so I suggested to Vivek and
Mahesh that we do a Raga Cover of it. Both of them thought
I had gone insane, but eventually, they obliged, and thus
emerged Swalla Jathi Mix. Today its our third most popular
track and has about 2500 dance covers on social media!
What is the process, how do you make these collaborations work?
The process really starts when artists apply to join a Raga Lab or
the IndianRaga Fellowship. We accept applications throughout
the year, or during Fellowship cycles. After the screening, we
connect artists with each other remotely. A guided brainstorming
of the artists is followed by a draft. Our panel provides feedback
on it, and they refine it. Finally, we meet and produce it.
Is there a sort of responsibility that is attached to the
kind of musicians you deal with? How do you model
the development of these independent artists?
There is a lot of responsibility on us. We wish to see an
appreciation for the hard work, and respect for heritage.
30
The
Score Magazine
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