MUMBAI: It was in the early days of the lockdown when a few arts and media organisations came together to face the COVID-19 crisis and its impact of the live arts space. 50 days later, this group has ideated, debated and created stayIN aLIVE – an artist support platform – which will launch its first event on 16th May 2020. Over 60 artists, 24 hours of non-stop content, across multiple platforms!

#StageBadlega has never been truer than today. The ‘stage’ is no longer the wood panelled, sprawling space with clear entry/ exit points and synchronised lighting. It is now a soothing cosy corner of the library or a neatly organised living room dotted with personal photos. New trends are currently being witnessed but what happens once this lockdown is lifted? What is the long-term solution for freelancing artists and the live events industry to become self-sufficient and holistically support itself?

“stayIN aLIVE sparked my interest from the moment I was approached to be part of it. This time of global upheaval and renewal has provided a ripe opportunity for the entertainment industry to grow in new ways. Not just in terms of commerce and entertainment but also through helping one another sustain ourselves and grow into this new emerging world. This includes discussing and offering guidance in such delicate matters like mental health. As a collective of longtime professionals we have an opportunity to create a solid backbone for artists across the fields of music, dance, comedy and every other performing art.”- Uday Benegal, Musician

‘StayIN aLIVE’ aims to build this long-term, sustainable platform for artists to nurture, support and strengthen each other in the coming years. Fuelled with a deep love and admiration for the live arts and performance industry, this is a collective of organisations and individuals, hoping to create a movement of awareness and self-sufficiency for the live industry. The aim is to educate, inspire and support artists and at the forefront of that aim and vision is a commitment to cultivate best practices, encourage thought leadership and become a compassionate, yet impactful and sustained, voice of advocacy for government policies related to the live arts industry.

“It has taken us almost two months to set our vision and to bring together like-minded individuals that view this as a long term platform. On 16th, the first half of the day is dedicated to information exchange, experience-sharing and really just opening up the hearts and minds of artists to each other and to the audience. This is only the beginning of our journey into building a solid support system for performing artists across fields.” - Roshan Abbas, Founder - Kommune

Many artists that work in the now prevalent gig ecosystem face issues like not being paid on time or at all, struggling to protect their creative work and a myriad of other problems that arise from being an independent creator. These are issues that arise in addition to several things that artists, represented or independent, have to deal with on a regular basis – Priyanka Khimani, Music and Entertainment Rights Expert

The stayIN aLIVE foundation, a collective between Kommune, Big Bang Music, Tabhrasa, Priyanka Khimani, KWAN, OML, The ArtX Company, Alok Parande, Paytm Insider, Shark & Ink, Tape A Tale, Artist Aadmi, Unmute, Women of India, Gully Gang and Tarsame Mittal Talent Management – promises that 16th May is only the beginning of a long and solid journey of the foundation.

“I am excited to be a part of Stayin Alive since it's a great initiative for the artist community to come together in these testing times. I am just doing my bit to spread awareness and help those who need support right now. Asli Hip Hop will always stand for the right things and we'll all help each other get past our hardships”, said Naezy, Indian rapper and artist

On 16th May, performing artists from various fields will cover a range of topics, such as, ‘How does one deal with a creator’s block’; or ‘Know your digital rights as an artist’; or even jam with fellow artists on your screen! We are talking of artists including Uday Benegal, Naezy, Kubbra Sait, Tanmay Bhat, Shilpa Rao, Nakash Aziz, Dualist Inquiry, Nikhita Gandhi, Suhani Singh, Nikhil D’souza, Tejas Menon who will be sharing their stories, learnings and art, all through the day.

“We are excited to be part of this unique initiative. There’s a strong lacuna in the industry as far individual artists, freelancers are concerned despite the fact that they form a large part of the industry. stayIN aLIVE aims to be that single body that will hopefully be the backbone for every artist to follow with regards to industry best practices, government representation and advocacy when needed. Most importantly, the funds we raise from this initiative will be directed towards supporting artists in need” - Rashmi Dhanwani, founder of The Art X Company.

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