There are tons of factors that need to be in place to have a glimmer of a chance of making money from record sales , and none of those factors are in our control except making the best possible music we can which makes us happy .
If it happens to connect with people , awesome . Make more of it . Maybe it will connect with enough people that some may want to even put money behind it . But be real . Almost all of our favourite artists didn ’ t really start making any substantial bucks from music until their third or fourth albums , maybe even later . A lot of them slept on floors through their 20s .
Manage your expectations . Music in and of itself has been devalued severely over the past two decades because the way music is consumed now has changed forever - but at the same time there are tons more alternative ways to make money from music other than just trying to sell records .
Instead of trying to make money from your albums , think of ways to exploit your recordings in other ways that can generate other financial opportunities for you . Look into publishing , look into sync opportunities , look into merch and branding , look into performing , any other avenue where your music can become attached to a product that actually generates money .
There are plenty of people who will scoff at this and would rather spend their time complaining about how they ’ re the only ones fighting a losing battle and how they ’ re the only ones that respect music because they buy CDs , but the truth is that the world of music has changed , and we need to change with it .
Any artists that have caught your eye recently ? Who should we be looking at as the next big thing ?
I ’ ve been absolutely obsessed with Emilie Nicolas and her last two albums , especially Tranquille Emile - she ’ s probably a bit too left-field to be the next big thing , but dear god , that music is so inspiring ! Highly recommended .
How do you find new ideas for your music ? Books , movies , art ...?
I wouldn ’ t say books , but definitely films ! I also really like to pick apart and analyse productions from totally different genres and soundtracks . Sometimes I ’ ll lift certain ideas and motifs and warp them in my own way till they become something totally different but ‘ mine ’.
What , according to you , is the primary difference in the mindset of a composer and a producer , especially when they are different sides to the same person ?
A composer ’ s output is largely just an idea or a thought , whereas a producer ’ s output is actualising that thought or idea into a listenable form of a recording . Neither can exist in a consumable form without the other , although the composition always comes first .
Composers don ’ t need to be producers or vice versa , but when they do happen to be the same person I think it ’ s actually easier . Because when you hear an idea in your head , and you have some skill in production , you are alreay hearing it in a certain form , certain style , or with a certain sound .
And then it ’ s just a matter of picking the right tools and using your technical skill and creativity to translate that idea into listenable , recorded form .
If you had to pick three albums to introduce humanity to an alien civilization , what would they be ?
Jakob - Solace ( for serenity , beauty , desolation , emotion , bleakness , all the vivid cinematic things ) Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep , Where Do We Go ? ( for literal perfection in songwriting ) Meshuggah - Catch Thirtythree ( for the soundtrack to your worst nightmare )
Having been in the " indie scene " for ages now , what ' s your take on the evolution of the landscape ? What , according to you , is the good and the bad of Indian independent music ?
I think it ’ s mostly just good . The scene has just blossomed into something that I could never have imagined ten years ago . The level of songwriting , production , and effort that some of the top musicians and artists are putting into their products is nothing short of world class , and a lot of Indian indie artists can wipe the floor with any international act , which wasn ’ t necessarily the case ten years ago with the exception of a dozen or so artists .
I really have no complaints about it , and I ’ m privileged to be part of it . I try my best to keep my finger on the pulse of what ’ s current and what the younger crop of producers and songwriters are doing , and so much of it is mind blowingly good . Technology and accessibility have also transformed massively , which can only be a good thing .
Can you take us through your studio ? What gear do you swear by for your day to day operations ?
My studio at the moment is my “ living ” room , haha . I ’ ve never really been a fan of ‘ gear ’ for the sake of collecting gear , and all my equipment is strictly functional . Very little of my hardware is ‘ luxury ’ items . Lame answer , but the three things I just couldn ’ t possibly live without for my day to day are my MacBook Pro , my Dynaudio LYD48 reference speakers and Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones .
What are Keshav Dhar ' s 10 Commandments for Making Good Music ?
• Be humble .
• Learn an instrument . Preferably two . More if you can .
• ●Learn to record yourself .
• ●Back up your projects on at least two hard drives Every . Single . Day .
• ●Listen to lots and lots of different music . Don ’ t be a snob . Keep an open mind .
• ●If you can , play with other people . There is magic that happens when two or more people make music together that just cannot happen when one is by oneself .
• ●Surround yourself with musicians better than yourself .
• ●Practice , practice , practice .
• ●Don ’ t spend all your time working on music and not having a life outside of it . Your music will likely end up boring . Interesting people have interesting experiences and come up with interesting ideas .
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