MUMBAI: “Music turned out to be a great way for everyone to keep their emotional well-being up”, says the Subramaniam siblings.

Radioandmusic got in touch with Singer-songwriter, Co-Founder and CEO, SaPa (Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts), Bindu Subramaniam and Violinist, composer, Co-Founder and CIO, SaPa (Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts), Ambi Subramaniam to know about the profitable business opportunities for musicians and more.

The Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa) was founded in 2007. Students from SaPa have been involved in various large-scale initiatives; in 2017, they launched the 10,000 deeds campaign contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals in partnership with UNICEF. They have performed live at prestigious events across the country, including the Under The Raintree Women Cultural Festival, India first event curated entirely by women

Check the interview below:

Tell us about the profitable business opportunities for musicians

Bindu: Today, it’s more important than ever for musicians to look at multiple revenue streams. There are opportunities to make a living from performance, teaching, music production, songwriting, composition, and business and technology. There are new and exciting ways to create and share music, while also earning a sustainable living from it.

How did pandemic help the youth to disconnect and find their passion again?

Ambi: The last year and a half has not been easy at all. In many ways, music turned out to be a great way for everyone to keep their emotional well-being up - particularly during a period of isolation and uncertainty. We’ve seen a large number of adults returning to learn music for themselves, as a means of finding joy, and as a result music educators like us have created courses that speak directly to this audience.  Classes in a variety of formats from live-online to asynchronous and hybrid have found popularity around the world.   

Music has evolved during the pandemic & helped people to unearth talent. Do you agree? If yes, how?

Bindu: Like in every other sphere of life, the pandemic has changed the music industry, accelerating trends, disrupting, discouraging and creating new opportunities all at the same time. One interesting change has been the evolution of live performances. A few years ago, no one would’ve even imagined the idea of a live concert over Zoom. However, when the pandemic hit and concert venues shut down overnight, artists and event managers started looking for ways to create meaningful live experiences online. It was not easy - with lag, it was hard for even two artists to play together from different locations. However, thanks to some ingenious planning and routing of sound, musicians have found fun ways to work together online. Today, online concerts are much more advanced - with quality production, excellent audio and video, and ways for artists to speak directly to their fans.

Whenever things go back to in-person performances, online shows will still remain a great way for artists to engage with listeners everywhere more intimately.

Artist development is a long-term commitment - Building a solid foundation is necessary for a bright future

Ambi: I agree - especially over the last two years, artists have realized the value of lifelong learning and developing new skills as things continue to evolve rapidly. Earlier, a musician could visit a studio nearby to record a track or shoot a music video. But with lockdowns in place, it became necessary to learn how to record audio, shoot videos, edit music videos, and even build a promotion plan online. This is a good trend, because learning new and complementary skills can only help.  

When the world opens up again, it will definitely make sense to work with experts in different fields instead of doing everything yourself. However, today, it is important for artists to build skills like production, editing, distribution and promotion. It will only serve to make us more well-rounded as artists in the future.  

Can independent artists achieve mass success without leading label's supporting them?

Bindu: Avenues are opening up for musicians now, and it’s better than ever before. With social media platforms and streaming services, artists can connect to their audiences directly without the need for labels. However, artists need to know that engaging with their audiences is a really important thing to do consistently.

Upcoming projects?

Ambi: We’ve been recording a lot of new music, and we’re excited to release it in the next few weeks. We’ve also recently launched our online learning platform that hosts courses on all musical topics from singing, to playing an instrument to parallel skills like songwriting and production. These courses are delivered by the world’s best musicians like Dr. L Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Usha Uthup, Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas, and more.