Music finds a new frontier

Now,finally,a new form of music entertainment in the form of webcerts and release of singles is drawing the Internet audience to Artistsaloud.com,a product of Hungama.com.

Commenting on the birth of the website,Soumini Paul,general manager,Artistaloud.com says,I have a background in singing and have worked with Channel V heading artistes and also worked as a public relations executive for composers Shankar,Ehsaan and Loy. This gave me the background to tinker with this idea and marry artiste profiles with their music. I approached Hungama who were ready to take a risk with this project and we formally launched in the beginning of this year.

So what exactly is the website doing to help the beleaguered music industry? Paul says that they have signed up many known faces from the music industry who are happy to lend their voice and work to the website. It is also a budding ground for young,independent artistes looking for a break. Via the Upload feature on the website,users can sent in thousands of their unreleased work to Artistaloud.com. Our in-house team of experts then picks the best of the lot, she says. By showcasing these artistes on their website and giving them a face and their songs a platform in a legitimate setting,the website hopes to draw audiences to buy new music. If all this sounds suspiciously similar to Apples iTunes,it probably is. We have been considered an Indian equivalent of iTunes. But Artistaloud.com is more of a mix between iTunes and Myspace, Paul says.

She also concedes that it was difficult to convince some senior musicians to jump into the online space. Some mainstream singers like Roopkumar Rathod were apprehensive. But there are many others who readily joined us. We try to rope in as many known names as possible. If consumer recognises the artiste,then its good for us. The main hook we use is to tell musicians that here is a company that is not going to touch your creativity like studios, she says.

Explaining the USP of the website,Paul says,Ever since we started,weve told the artistes that you give us music,well give you distribution. We can take their music to iTunes,Amazon and mobile consumers. Its a one-stop destination where were building a database and take it to other branches. Its beneficial to artistes and us. In many ways,the rising number of artistes is an acknowledgment of the webs growing influence and its capability to become a moneyspinner. Were the only player in this format currently but were a long way from showing profits. Thats mainly because weve priced our songs so ridiculously low that people will not think twice before paying for it. Weve even dispensed with paying with credit cards since I myself am not big on using them for transactions, Paul explains.

This has not stopped the venture from trying to explore new opportunities to drive revenue though. High on the list is creating a product and turning it into a brand before selling it. Just like television and radio,we8217;re trying to create brands out of our offerings by packaging and presenting it to our audience, Paul says,citing the example of Kailash Kher. Artistaloud distributed Kher8217;s Commonwealth Games tune by packaging the song and turning it into an anthem,thereby increasing its value and download potential.

The company also holds special campaigns to draw attention to its work. It has collaborated with Universal Music and released singles featuring 11 foreign and Indian artistes and albums by six metal bands.

Its biggest contribution to music that has made people sit up and take notice is their concept of holding live concerts over the Internet,appropriately called webcerts. It is basically a way for audiences to sit and enjoy a concert without stepping out of their homes or offices. Hungama had the technology and the ability to put together the whole concept of webcerts. Its at a nascent stage and we use it primarily as a marketing tool, Paul says. Predictably,the website often hooks itself up with leading social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to draw in new audiences and stay connected with their existing consumer database. Facebook is the biggest tool for us in terms of consumer interaction. Rather than being like YouTube,which is a free-for-all website,were selectively screening artistes and songs. So its important for us to connect with our audience and keep them informed of new offerings, Paul says.

And even though she considers 3G to be over-rated,Artistaloud is firmly on the path of growth with 105 artistes affiliated to the website and counting. We have 14-15 genres of music on our website which facilitates and celebrates independent artistes. Whether youre a Megadeth fan or prefer listening to Kishore Kumar,audiences will find it all here, Paul says. It already sounds like music to an audiophiles ears.