Live gigs are where real money is still at in India: Parikrama

Bengaluru: In India, real money is in live gigs for musicians, but the various online platforms of today do help in getting popularity fast and therefore more gigs, said Saurabh Chaudhary, the guitarist of one of Asia’s oldest rock bands, Parikrama.

The band will be part of the two-day rock festival, BookMyShow Live’s Bandland, being held on December 16 and 17 in Bengaluru. The festival will see 12 bands perform, including international acts like Deep Purple, Goo Goo Dolls, The War on Drugs and Amyl & the Sniffers.

“The money that you get in return from music platforms is negligible (in India). The only way to earn in this day and age is to produce good music, put it out there on one of these platforms. If people like your music, you’ll be called to play live concerts. That’s the only place where real money is left anymore,” Chaudhary told PTI over a Zoom conference call.

His band mate Subir Malik, who plays the organ and synthesizer, said Parikrama stays relevant even after 33 years because the band kept changing with time, but kept its core identity – that of a rock band – intact.

“For instance, for more than 30 years, we never (studio) recorded our music. People came to our concerts to hear us. But we realised that we are not playing in colleges anymore. So, about a year and a half ago, we started recording a lot of new material and started releasing on platforms like Spotify and Apple music, which we never did before,” says Malik.

According to him, Covid-imposed lockdowns gave the band the window to rethink strategies to reach a wider and younger audience.

“But we still draw a line on letting the market tell us what to do, like we always did. For instance, last night I got a call asking us to play in someone's marriage. But it’s not what we want to do ever,” adds Malik.

Chaudhary says another reason why Parikrama stays relevant is because it understands the power of music in bringing about socio-political awareness. The band has done its bit to the society with songs like ‘But It Rained’, which sought to bring to the attention of people the kidnappings in the Kashmir Valley.

“I personally think that all kinds of art – painting, music, theatre – we all have that freedom to spread awareness of what is really going on, especially among the fence sitters. And I think we can make a difference,” says Choudhary.

Bengaluru is one of Parikrama’s favourite destinations ever, say the band members.

“I think one of the shows that will always stay with us is when we opened for Iron Maiden in Bengaluru on March 18, 2007. It was a very special show for us,” says Malik.

Parikrama’s organist adds that Bengaluru vibes well with their music because of the city’s connection to rock and roll.

“There are a few regions – like the Northeast, Kolkata and Bengaluru – that always had a very strong rock music background. Bengaluru is called a rock capital for a reason. If you look at history, there’s so many things to it like, you know, a dedicated channel for English music on the radio, etc. They all started from Bengaluru,” says Malik.