The Score Magazine - Archive October 2016 issue! | Page 51

SUMIT SUVARNA
As an administrator (Event Programmer, Artist
Manager, booking agent, etc) in the music
business, things still aren't gonna be easy. But
then again, nothing worth achieving ever comes
easy! As mentioned before, the independent music
scene in India still very small. So the number of
administrators complement that. We have a few
premiere Artist Management/Booking Agencies/
Event Organizing firms and several independent
promoters. If you manage to get onboard with one
of these companies, you may not have a tough time
earning a decent living. It may not pay you what a
'regular' job like that of an Engineer or as a doctor or
a banker would, but it's not necessary to be that way.
Besides, if that's what you want, then why not? Right?
Cosmic Infusion @ Metalabad’s event,
‘Moshpit’ in Ahmedabad
Things aren't gonna be that easy if you're an
independent promoter. Climbing the ladder to the
top is gonna be a challenge here. Of course, it's the
same with everything else, but the risks involved are
pretty high too! For example: Even putting up a club
show could take weeks. From dealing with venues
to booking the bands, sorting out the backline and
production, etc to executing the event in a smooth
way. If you're smart or if lady luck favours you or
both, you may get a sponsor or two. But you can
rarely bank on that. According to Dushyant Dubey,
the sole runner of Metalabad: "The only profits that
can be realistically expected are from sponsorship
vs. expenses. In cities like Ahmedabad, where venues
(i.e places that already have sound and lights) don't
exist, the expenses are pretty high." It's important
to understand that the monetary returns are never
gonna be a surety. Even a bit of bad planning can lead
to l