Sounds of 2021: How live music fared amid virus hiccups

After a lull in 2020, the music world took baby steps this year to get in sync with the new reality of the post-pandemic world. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride with the undercurrent of worries about the fast mutating virus scenario leading to turbulence.

While the early months of 2021 were engulfed by despair and agony due to the devastating second wave of the virus crisis, the music industry found a semblance of stability as live shows resumed in the second quarter of 2021. If there were intimate shows by Shalmali, Aastha Gill and Raftaar, there were also big musical outings by AP Dhillon, Ankit Tiwari and Papon. That’s why the year was a mixed bag for many, including singer Jubin Nautiyal.

“Initially we faced consequences of the second wave, but after that we got back. As an artist, I am happy and content to be on stage again as live concerts started again. Our music industry has faced a lot, but now is the time to evolve again. It’s just unfortunate that we are facing it again now, but I hope we will get through it,” asserts Nautiyal.

Yet, the year wasn’t all roses. According to CISAC Global Collections Report 2021, live and background income was the worst affected this year as well. The music collections from live and public performance fell by -45.2% to EURO 1.5 billion lockdown measure took effect across the world.

As per Varun Rajput, vocalist as well as founder of band Antariksh, the live scene is just back to 50% of the pre-pandemic level “as the public concerts, college festivals and music festivals are yet to come back in full swing”.

“The high is something that we are still waiting to witness. If things with Omicron don’t turn south, we might witness lots of concerts in February and March of 2022,” he adds.

Not everyone is as hopeful. Rakesh Nigam from The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), adds, “Throughout the year, whenever the music industry tried to pick up, there have been some obstacles. Before June, it was the second wave, and now it is the Omicron scare. Now, since the live industry has once again gone for a toss, there will be a long term impact on the whole ecosystem, which will take some time to overcome, maybe the next two years”.

In fact, there is a sense of disparity which is seeping in with the revival of the live music scene, as pointed out by singer Akriti Kakar.

“The low point is the breaking of price brackets of all artists. Some refused to budge in the name of the pandemic to reduce costs and wait it out, some slashed their rates from little to too much to be able to do a lot of concerts. The latter has created a bad ripple effect for the ones that were already in a lower price bracket,” shares Kakar, who is currently in the Bahamas for a show.

On the bright side, the new altered reality turned out to be a booster shot for independent musicians, as well as the streaming domain.

As per singer Jonita Gandhi, there was a “lot more focus on releasing music and building catalogues than ever before in India”. “With fewer concerts, artists and musicians had to figure out new revenue streams. d I think one of the biggest things I’ve seen most do is release music of their own and focus on the digital connection for their music,” she puts.

In fact, despite the release of films, the popularity of independent music was on the upswing.

Sadasivan KM Nambisan aka Sadu, singer- composer, admits, “The data of revenue earned by music companies, digital platforms and individuals showed that film music and independent music were almost at par (in a manner of speaking) which is great news for all independent music creators”.

Here, rapper-singer Rishaad Chaudhry explains, “2021 has been a blessing for most underrated artists who got the opportunity of being discovered as people have been digging deeper and looking out for new artists, which is why the music industry is successful and thriving”. In the same vein, Aditi Iyer, Opera-trained singer-songwriter, adds, “2021 was the year music got used to the pandemic and that meant a lot more attention to and comfort in streaming platforms”.

While it will take some time to get over the pandemic slump, the year definitely sets the tone for the future. “This year was a lot about learning and pivoting to create a new sense of normal. With the rise of hybrid concerts and virtual concerts that are completely produced, there are so many new facets to the concert business that didn’t exist before,” says Gandhi, which she feels will develop further in the new year.