The Radio
I usually have these epiphanies while smoking a joint, at the end of a pretty easy day; when I am alone in my room, in front of my machine. Sometimes they sound like rantings and sometimes less so.
The last few days were quite eventful. I had the idea of building an indie internet radio station. Got an internet radio casting service, from one of the aggregators. Built a website. And made some calls to get the NOCs, from the FNO artists. With all this, going on, inside my head, I suddenly had a realisation.
Why should people come to our shows? Not friends. People, in general. I mean, they possibly do not have the idea of our existence. As a musician, if one has to reach beyond their own social circle, they have to reach via their music, their art. If the people, in general, hasn’t heard our songs, then there is no chance of them, liking them, and in turn, knowing about our existence. And it is not really sustainable to have an audience that is filled with just friends. And it’s fair on their part, as well, to not attend all our gigs. It is very natural for them to be bored to listen to the same songs, every show. There is boredom in clockwork sequences, as well. It felt nice, when you were young and they were young, and they had nothing better to do, at that point of time. But for an artist to mature, she/he needs to reach out beyond their area of influence.
It is very important to release one's own music, on the major platforms. People will listen to them and come to the shows. But how far can we reach, through Spotify or YouTube or Apple Music? – A little more than where our personal and professional spheres extend to. Of course, that is a way to get through to people. I am not denying it. But if there was something that could reach a step further? To be honest, how many new artists, do we listen to? As musicians? How many do we get to know of?
This whole culture of self-selection of every art form, though is liberating, is a bit boring, to be honest. What it does is, it takes out the element of surprise, out of one’s life. You know what you want to listen to, and you stick to that. Period. The little joy of discovery is almost disregarded.
When I was a kid, I used to listen to a specific English music programme, hosted by All India Radio. It was called ‘Night Flight’. I think it was hosted by Jimmy Tangri. I am not too sure. But what I loved about that programme is that I used to hear so many great artists, I did not know of, at that time. I heard Billy Joel, for the first time, in Night Flight. Piano Man. It changed my life, to a certain extent.
That element of surprise is somehow lost, today.
I think this lack of surprise exerts the notion of pre-destination. The artist who is at the top of the social structure, usually breaks through as someone exceptional. There is definitely hard work, but there is an added advantage. If nothing, at least they have a wider social reach and few less things to think about This in turn, may help them to spend more time thinking about creative ideas. For everyone, that is not an option.
If you think in these lines, the radio would seem like a tool of democracy. What a radio does is, it adds that element of surprise, that element of doubt, in the mind of the listener. There is a sense of inquisitiveness on what or how the next song might be.
If one, from the listener base, listens to your music, which was playing as part of a playlist, and somehow connects to your song, they might go about searching about you, on the internet. Maybe, listen to more of your songs. And if they, by chance, like your music enough, then they might come down to your show, where they can see the real you.
~ Durjoy Choudhury
June 19. 2023
