I think that access has a lot to do with it. Earlier, people needed to wait
for long periods of time to hear their favourite band. People used to make a
conscious effort to ‘get’ their music. There used to be anticipation,
dedication and surprise. Today, there are so many options in music everywhere
and everything is so easily accessible that most people don’t have favourites
that last longer than 2-3 years. In the choice between easy and good, easy
wins. The days where people dedicated time to listen to music for themselves
are fading away, giving rise to a community that likes to listen to music in
the background, while doing something else. I think that venues where you can
‘do’ more are certainly a more popular choice, as opposed to quaint spaces
dedicated to listening to and experiencing music.
Janak Vadgama,
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Director, Taal Inc
While people still tend to go where the
crowd is, the band/artiste performing does make a difference to their choices.
Earlier, music wasn’t as easily available and portable as it is today, and as
such the artiste performing would be a major part of the decision.
Ashly Fernandes,
Bassist, Purple Rain/Co-Founder, The
Ka3aoke Co
The bands in Goa have no national
publicity. Most of the party-goers are tourists. There’s a logical disconnect
over there. The crowd itself doesn’t know who the artistes are, so the choices
are ‘live music’ or ‘DJ’. It doesn’t matter whom.
Jonathan Furtado,
Guitarist, Jazz Collective
A large chunk of the crowd
that used to go out and listen to what used to be popular back in the day, went
purely to listen to the popular music of the time. It was about the music, and
less about hanging out. There was also less disposable income to be considered,
and going out in itself was a luxury, wherein you would be able to scrape
together maybe money for one drink, or at the most two. That concept has
changed over time. I think that today, popular bands are not incidental, but
they cater to the genres that people want to listen to. As long as people get
that, I think that as party-goers, they would be satisfied.
Vince Costa,
Singer-Songwriter
In my opinion, the audience before was driven by its love for music,
but now that love is divided between band loyalty and not being concerned too
much about the band. People come to get entertained and I suppose that they
have a right to have a good time. Today, we also have audiences with wider
tastes, like jazz blues, funk, EDM, rock and so on, and will visit a bar/pub
depending on their taste in music.
Errol de Pereira Andrade,
Guitarist, Crimson Tide/Faith
Technology rules today’s world, and as it is with just about every
field, it rules over music too. Music created by machines (EDM) rules over
music created by musical instruments (bands). As a musician, I am quite
convinced that we live in a world that’s gone mad. How else can you explain
people paying large sums of money to watch a DJ press ‘play’ on a gigantic
stage built to accommodate a tiny laptop? People have just too many
entertainment options today, thanks to technology again. Going out to watch a
band playing is relegated to the bottom of the barrel and that too, of the few
who have felt the amazing vibe of the live music scene in the BCs (before
cellphones).
Colin D’Cruz,
Independent Bassist/Music Producer
