Supporting local artists 

Within the span of two weeks, Dreamz Unlimited Nagaland, in a detour from their regular fares of sarcastic commentary on  contemporary social issues, released two ‘music’ videos - ‘Loss Khabo,’ and ‘Low Budget Rappers.’
The former about a band purportedly releasing a new single, and the latter, a ‘rap battle’ where the rapper showcase their talents, through freestyle spontaneous recitals and performances, in ‘live battles.’ 


The ‘message’ of the song Loss Khabo, literally and figuratively, came at the end of the video, where the imaginary band was interviewed. ‘We write song about better world, and can be called semi-gospel,’ they concurred, when queried about genre of the band. Upon successful release, “we are planning to go to Jerusalem,” they added. 


When asked about their remuneration, it was informed that they get lots of ‘gigs almost all the time’ and often receive ‘Thank you’ in return.  “Our house is full of ‘Thank Yous,’” they replied, dead-pan, adding sometimes on lucky occasion, they get ‘fried rice.’ Fans were also urged to download the song from a website loosely translated as ‘this song is not there.’ 


In the second video, the battling rapper – Mr BlingZ and Young Preacher, in the midst of their battle, simply walked off the stage after making a deal to trade in ‘potatoes and bread,’ on credit. 


Besides being highly entertaining at face value, both videos can be considered sharp commentaries on the state of music industry and performing arts in Nagaland – a parody on the dilemma and struggle of artists, and the outlook of their patrons - ‘the fans,’ towards them. 


Is local music scene in the state in such dire straits? Perspectives differ. For instance, it is a well-known fact that ‘gospel music,’ often self-funded, is most prominent and a relatively successful genre, mostly on the basis of personal marketing and networking via churches members as the USP (unique selling proposition). By the virtue of numbers – churches and events etc, gospel artist gets more platforms, though often for free.  


Away from the gospel genre are artists dealing in various local languages and English. Most involved in the trade concur that while platforms are limited, the remunerations are peanuts, forcing many to pursue their passion just as a side hobby, curtailed by the lack of ‘market’ and meaningful return. 


One of the biggest struggles seems to be lack of paying audiences for local artists. The recent Dimapur Music Festival was a case in point. Despite tremendous line-up, the audience mostly played truant. The annual, Hornbill Music Festival, discontinued from this year, also suffered similar fate. The turnout perceptibly more for 'mainstream' international artists. 


The arrival of digital age has hit the music industry harshly across the world in terms of sale of physical copies via traditional mediums. However, via online streaming and sale of digital copies, the industry is surviving.

 
For Naga artists, barely struggling in terms of sale of their music, it came as a death knell as most songs are shared in digital forms even before their official release. Forget about the royalty through the music, even a platform to sell their music is limited, if not missing.  


Lack of paying audiences and platforms - more professional setting aas opposed to on and off events, coupled with widespread piracy and lack of a formal market, makes the industry a not so ‘musical’ experiences for those involved. When the most popular category is under such strains, there is nothing to write home about other performing artists like comedian, filmmaker and niche genres. 


The market itself is limited and in nascent stage, and unfortunately cannot go beyond the state as the other side is monopolised by Hindi music.


If one looks holistically, however, it can be safely asserted that every single big name artist out in the world has started out in the local scene, supported by local citizen.  Are the local artists considered not ‘mainstream’ and ergo, not worth paying?  For them to go mainstream, however, support at local level is crucial as initial impetus and for continuity; without this, they would cease to make any impact. It starts with a little appreciation. The support of the State government, thus, should be acknowledged in this area. 


Being local, nevertheless, does not necessarily guarantee an instant rapport or automatic support. While musician or other artists argue that they are delivering a service and must be paid for it, the same goes the other way. Devoid of royalties, one cannot survive being a one song or gig wonder. 


Music or any other performance medium, is a creative learning process, and require vision, consistency, hard work as well as professionalism to create a culture where they can be “honoured or paid.” Most importantly, one needs to keep reinventing, to keep the audience interested. Ask Dreamz Unlimited.