Indian talent has become a favorite on global platforms for collaboration today. But with multiple Grammy nominations and countless international shows, Musician Anoushka Shankar cracked it long ago! Having clocked 30 years as a sitarist, she is now looking forward to a multi-city India tour in January.
“In some ways, it had all started in India. I had formed a band and started a three-year global tour here. Since then, we’ve released my three chapters of music, allowing it to evolve on stage across continents. Now, I can present this new iteration to people here,” she tells us.
With music from around the world just a tap away, Indian music has definitely gone global. But as an artiste, Anoushka does not credit social media and streaming platforms for the popularity: “No, they haven’t played a role in it. Social media helped young artistes reach an audience in a way that conventionally, we needed labels for. It removed that filter of in-between people, which is incredible. But I also think that was quickly manipulated.”
{{/usCountry}}With music from around the world just a tap away, Indian music has definitely gone global. But as an artiste, Anoushka does not credit social media and streaming platforms for the popularity: “No, they haven’t played a role in it. Social media helped young artistes reach an audience in a way that conventionally, we needed labels for. It removed that filter of in-between people, which is incredible. But I also think that was quickly manipulated.”
{{/usCountry}}The 44-year-old insists that it has made way for “a really broken system”. She explains, “Musicians now have to be their own publicist, marketer, own graphic designer; there’s more expected than just making music. And streaming has been absolute hell!”
While initially streaming platforms brought worlds together, now, she feels the story is different. “Musicians can’t earn any money from their music anymore. It’s messed up that record labels and streaming platforms make all the money off what the creators are creating and that they don’t get (much). Artistes need to be fairly and properly recognised for what they do,” she ends.