2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

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Sachi_R
Posts: 2174
Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by Sachi_R »

Image

As we wring the angst out of our hearts that 2020 dominated us with, and ring in the optimism of 2021 as a new beginning of our lives, there is one continuity- the musical joy that flows from these youngsters and that makes us optimistic about 2021 as we will get to listen to them a lot more. The collage is from The News Minute. I have many more young stars in my mind.

There are kings, queens, king-makers and ornery people like me in Carnatic music. Being at the bottom of the pyramid hasn't stopped me from giving some marketing tips to youngsters who have so much brightened our lives in recent times with their Carnatic music.


I have been tagged the "marketing" man all my life - for good or worse. So I thought I should share some thoughts on how these youngsters can do "Marketing" in 2021. In a good way. And please don't shoot me for saying this, because my intentions are beyond reproach. Let me simply state what I have observed in established stars and all-time greats and just put it in a capsule.


M A R K E T I N G. You can't escape it. Swami Chinmayananda says Bhagavan Krishna was a famous marketer who gave us the Gita!


So here goes:

M - Manodharma. D'ont blame me for listing first the biggest one. I can't help it that the word starts with M.

A - Attractiveness. This is important because you have to shine amidst the clutter and the cognitive overload in the all-live, always-on connected world. So your persona comes through loud and clear every moment.

R - Repertoire. Unimaginably high standards have been set by the reigning stars today. You have to master a wide range of compositions and concert elements. No escape here. And if you can do it like some of the stars shown in the pic - without memory aids, notes and iPads, so much the better.

K - Kinship, There is a lot of collaboration going on among musicians.This is a very welcome thing. So being able to productively and joyfully collaborate with others is a big deal.

E - Energy. This is the in-thing today, thanks to all the entropy built into our lives. Even sedate music can have energy, not a weepy sleepy quality.

T - Thought leadership. We demand a lot from musicians, and expect them to talk about things with insight and understanding. This is a tough one as it cannot be "put on".

I - Interactivity -Somehow you can't get away with just singing nowadays. You have to be in touch in every way with your audience.

N - Novelty. You have to be doing something new. All the time. And get it right, too!

G - Guru parampara. I have thrown in this very serious word that has become somewhat flavourless in the Twitter-FB-Youtube-Reality show age. Carnatic music without Gurus is dead. What I mean here is that one should not project, "Hi, I am a ready-made prodigy" image. Because nobody is really without a guru. And speaking with respect of your Guru and showing the humility of " I owe it to my Guru/s and I am still evolving in the path they showed" is important.


By using the word marketing I don't want you to think I am cheapening this discussion. Please take it in the spirit I have tried to share it in.


Have a great 2021!
Last edited by Sachi_R on 29 Dec 2020, 07:44, edited 1 time in total.

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by CRama »

One more point to be taken care of- Packaging the concert to suit the venue, occasion and duration of the concert.

Sachi_R
Posts: 2174
Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by Sachi_R »

Thanks CRama, excellent point!

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by rajeshnat »

Sachi
Great post. Marketing is the only vehicle that can make artists afloat in concert circuit.Having said that in the name of marketing slowly adding visuals, PowerPoint slides, excessive collaboration has to be out as it dilutes the actual core musical content.

Cm is only audio with collective expressions of individual artists period. How the blend has to happen is left for each rasika to discover.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 30 Dec 2020, 10:01, edited 3 times in total.

Sachi_R
Posts: 2174
Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by Sachi_R »

đź‘Ť

By the way, Rajesh, I really enjoyed this one:

https://youtu.be/YL9SIVCiS5Y

Image

Sriranjani - Badrinath - Akshay Anand

The visual, audio, programming, individual performances... all excellent.

sureshvv
Posts: 5523
Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by sureshvv »

We need the Telugu spelling of Marketing - Marketingu, "u" added for Uniqueness :D

munirao2001
Posts: 1334
Joined: 28 Feb 2009, 11:35

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by munirao2001 »

Sachi_R Sir, Revelation of master's reflections. Add Magnetism (perceived as higher value over 'attraction')yet another dimension to 'M' which is pratyaksha pramana of crowd pulling and populism-gateway to 'money transfers'.

Sachi_R
Posts: 2174
Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by Sachi_R »

Great inputs. Hope some artistes are reading this. CRama, MuniRao, Rajesh, Suresh, are maharasikas

SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by SrinathK »

Ah, after a long time, a good timely dose of @Sachi_R wit!

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by shankarank »

70 years ago they had much simpler criteria. Only two: neraval and svarams!!

https://youtu.be/x-SY66R8-R4?t=555

Wow even rAgAm and exquisite brigas were not recognized!

https://youtu.be/x-SY66R8-R4?t=511

They had a taste for some laya infused forms, nah the creative sangItam , now that British considered Indians as NOT so creative people, a.k.a kalpana sangItam! They just didn't go as far as saying, that is then musically complete without any percussion!

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by RSR »

at p-4
@rajeshnat Do looks matter in a musician? No. I agree with you that we are not marketing stage presence but the music.
( 'stay afloat' , not 'float')
----------------------
at p-6
@sureshvv
Very nice point. 'vandhnam ' sounds much better than 'vandhanamu' Thamizh does not have this 'kutriaya'' phonetic though it creeps in some times as 'athu', 'vanthathu', 'kandru, 'thondru', etc. I wonder if kutriya usage is found in literary thamizh as often as in Telugu.

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by shankarank »

Actually tamizh is the one with kuTriyalukaram and kuTriyalikaram. And one can spot of tamizh person based on it's usage! Telugu and others should have full rounded ukaram. Both the reduced "u" and "i" are captured and taught in tamizh grammar.

The sounds for ka -> ha - actually not ha , but a tEytal sound when it is not a beginning sound ( mahan, pahal). Also found recently "ta" as in latA , or katai is also a touch and go sound!

That makes tamizh, the most phonetically natural and sounds with least resistance ( Principle of least effort).

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by shankarank »

Sachi_R wrote: ↑28 Dec 2020, 08:31 G - Guru parampara. I have thrown in this very serious word that has become somewhat flavourless in the Twitter-FB-Youtube-Reality show age. Carnatic music without Gurus is dead.
Most of current learning I agree happens via a Guru - Sishya relationship. Sadly in current discourse, Gurukulavasam is recalled nostalgically only via experiences of the service the past musicians rendered to the Guru , you know the chores and stuff , including until the ration shop era of 70s, 80s!

Gurukulam now is imagined like that and hence whatever goes on now is considered not a Gurukulam.

My take is, until we don't convert this into a technique driven exercise and give it to Universities with a secular charter, a flicker of a lamp of Guru-Sishya relationship is still let lit up.

And this need not be reduced to pretenses and expression of humility. It is more an acknowledgement and loyalty to an eco system. If those who start as mere teachers, are able to inspire their wards to develop a deeper engagement and have an eco system that the student relates to in the long run, that qualifies as Guru - Sishya relation. Guru is not that single person there as well!

Students can still volunteer to do lot of activities , serve the needs of the Gurukula of modern times , if you will - but then those opportunities arise only if there is a vibrant eco-system. Depends on what is out there, how much interest/investment the community is making.

Until then it is still a temporary association.

Sachi_R
Posts: 2174
Joined: 31 Jan 2017, 20:20

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by Sachi_R »

Just a word about what is evident palpable and assessable about Guru Shishya relationship. Nowadays we see the shishya/aa playing tambura when the guru performs. Examples TM Krishna, Sowmya, Amrutha Venkatesh, Ramakrishnan Murthy, Sriram Parashuram, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan,.... Their disciples are already making their mark as musicians and so are identifiable. I see the immense learning and enjoyment evident in their faces as they immerse themselves in the concert. It was a big deal also with Ariyakudi, GNB, MMI, SSI, KVN etc. too.

This makes me think the Guru Shishya relationship is a big deal even today.

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: 2021 - Marketing Tips for New Carnatic Stars

Post by shankarank »

Let the lamp be lit up , not down, as the sages had predicted it would happen!

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