An MBA from India’s best B-school making music?
“Ever since I made my first song I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Gaurav says in a very matter-of-fact way.
“It happens sometimes to you that when you do something, you realize that this is really what you want to do. I enjoyed composing my first song so much I kept composing more songs. If you are really enjoying what you do and if you feel you have a chance to make a career out of it, that’s what pushes you forward.”
Which explains why after finishing his degree Gaurav, chose not to sit for campus placements and instead dashed to his home in Mumbai.
Back in Mumbai, Gaurav has been spending time feeling the hard edges of the music industry while trying to get one of the record industries to promote his album.”The most important thing I’ve done is visit a lot of record companies over the last month to understand the way things work for a new artiste,” he reveals.
His stint with Times Music during his summer internship has helped, though. He knew how to access the company’s A&R.; “I also visited Sony Music, Universal Music, Sagarika Records, House of Music (HOM) Records and Phat-Phish Records. I still have to visit a few companies like T-Series and SaReGaMa and will be doing so in a couple of weeks,” he
adds.
Publicity on account of being an IIM Ahmedabad graduate following unconventional career notwithstanding, it has not been an easy sail for Gaurav in the music industry.
“The scene is quite difficult for a newcomer. A new artiste is required to submit a demo version of his album comprising of four to five songs to the music companies for their consideration. The cost of the demo has to be funded by the artist. If it gets approved, then you are expected to make your own music video, which is an investment of at least Rs. 7-8 lakhs if you get it made by professionals, in order for the music label to promote your album,” he explains.
For an Indipop artist, according to Gaurav, a break costs a minimum of Rs 10-15 lakhs.
The technicalities are as intricate. “These companies have grades like grade A or grade B or grade C to categorize an artist. So if they think that you are a grade C artist they may not promote you aggressively, whereas if they feel you are an artist who is going to sell a lot then they will promote you well by putting your promos on channels like Channel
[V], MTV and also by organizing promotional events for you” he elaborates.
Arranging finances for the demo wasn’t difficult for Gaurav, but managing the moolah for the album and the video remains a challenge.
“The video is made once the music is approved. The music companies have a say in the way a video is made. You have to make the music video based on their requirements,” Gaurav informs.
And this is only the beginning.
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“When you record a good song you need to work with good producers. They should know their sound and music very well, they should be people who are willing to experiment with different kind of sounds, and who are willing to do a song tastefully and there should be good sound engineers to handle the mixing and mastering of the album.”
A search for the right producers is on, but Gaurav would rather not disclose names at this juncture.
Gaurav’s band has three guitarists, a keyboardist and a percussionist. “The keyboardist is irreplaceable. I have known him since my IIM days and we used to play together at various occasions,” says Gaurav.
The album’s vision too is pretty much made.
“A couple of songs are soft, meaningful and reflective numbers quite like Shaan’s ‘Tanha dil’. There are two fast and powerful rock based Hindi songs and a couple of ballads in Hindi. Besides that there are three to four original English songs and a fusion track based on the life of handicapped street children. There is also a salsa based track,” he
reveals.
The MBA turned musician plans to finish his demo by mid July and then take it to the music companies. In the meanwhile, Gaurav and his band are rehearsing for live shows.
“The most important is doing a live act, that’s the way you reach out to the people and that’s the way you get most of your income. You start with small shows before the album is released; after it releases you do many shows,” Gaurav says.
Tough as it might be to be a musician, what has worked in Gaurav’s favour is a comfortable financial position.
“I’m lucky that I don’t have any financial constraints; there are many people who have opportunities but unfortunately have a lot of constraints, like immediate family needs,” he says with a touch of frankness.
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Gaurav credits his unconventional move not only to his family but also what he calls the support IIM Ahmedabad provided to its young entrepreneurs. “They helped us a lot by publicizing our ideas and also getting a lot of contacts for us, but for me to succeed as a music artiste, it’s my music that has to be really good. If I wanted to work in a music company as a manager then IIM-A would have definitely helped. My aim was totally different yet they helped, going out of their way to have a press release about me by Mr Narayana Murthy (Infosys Chairman).”
“Some of our professors have helped me with contacts in the film and entertainment industry. There have been other people who have given me the contacts for my live shows. IIM- A alumni have come forward with contacts as well. Things are working out well, though it’s a long process,” Gaurav recollects.
The great plunge however was taken with due research. A summer internship with Times Music was part of the big plan.
“I have a proper plan with milestones and deadlines. It’s good to have a plan A and plan B but when you know you have a plan B you don’t give 100 percent to plan A. You should make a plan A as if there is no plan B and give your 200 percent to it. Set milestones, deadlines, have a detailed plan and don’t leave any stone unturned,” he explains.
That’s when the entrepreneur in him begins to speak.
“Unless you have a proper understanding of the business it is very difficult to succeed, you’ll keep making mistakes all the time. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy job, it involves a lot of pressure, frustration, but you have to be prepared. The most important thing is you should get into a business you love doing; don’t just get into a business for the sake of doing it and to prove that you are an entrepreneur. I am getting into music with a long-term perspective, having a retail chain, music label because I love that; this is what I want to do. I have that kind of passion for music and this industry and I want to be a person who helps it grow in the future. Do something that you really love only then will you be able to give 100 percent, that’s what I feel. You’re then bound to succeed!”
“I don’t want to release five albums per year; it will be maximum one or two albums. Apart from that I will be starting into my own company (related to music) within a couple of years. I plan to have my own music label one day in which I use the power of the Internet extensively, create innovative ways of getting music to people, launching new artistes and bands, promoting their music, beating piracy and making money for all of us. Some day I would also love to have my retail chain of music stores.” Gaurav concludes.