The Exchange, a two-day dedicated music conference and showcase, a collaboration between United Kingdom's Department of International Trade and Indian promoters Submerge, saw music professionals discuss and converse about global trends and establish collaborations and partnerships.
In attendance were DJs, music entrepreneurs and digital marketers and key stakeholders in both markets. Some of the prominent speakers included OML founder Vijay Nair, Dolby's Jayesh Veralkar, singer Nischay Parekh, DJ and producer Nerm of Shiva Soundsystem, Asian Underground pioneer and percussionist Talvin Singh, digital streaming services like Streo founder Prerana Dhawan, online digital music distributor Ditto Music founder Lee Parsons, GOAT Festival founder Dave Gaydon alongside Naariyal Paani's Emanuelle Decker and BASSCamp’s Sohail Arora.
We spoke to Dave Gaydon, co-founder GOAT Festival (first edition held in Goa in January 2017) and speaker on the panel "The Sweet Spot: Boutique Festivals" about his experience. He said, "I was very pleased to have attended this edition of The Exchange. I made some excellent new contacts, cemented our existing relationships and the content of the conference sessions was excellent. We have come away with renewed enthusiasm for developing our business in India."
DJ Uri, one of Mumbai's most respected DJs and part of the special vinyl showcase at The Exchange had this to say, "The scene is thriving here, and its good to see that industry professionals and music enthusiasts alike can come under one roof to experience and learn about all aspects of the music industry. It's also a networking opportunity that should not be missed. I'm looking forward to giving a talk about my obsession with vinyl records, the good old turntable & sharing historical moments with musically oriented individuals."
Nina Condron, director Horus Music and speaker on the panel, "Digital music in India" shared, "Through some of the previous panels that we had attended we had learnt that the publishing space is still in it's infancy here in India. At The Exchange 2017, we announced the launch of our brand new publishing company Anara Publishing in which we aim to educate independent artists about their rights and how they can earn more revenue from their music. We were also able to let people know about our brand new website and from this had a lot of new interest in our company.
Speakers at the conference initiated discussions on the current trends in production and sound technology in the UK and India, understanding music consumption patterns in Tier II cities, recognizing the potential of streaming services and the digital market in India, why India will see a rise in boutique festivals and celebrating the legacy of vinyl, among other issues.
Counted as a pioneer of the Asian Underground sound and tabla virtuoso, Talvin Singh will headline a showcase of The Exchange on March 31 at antiSOCIAL in Mumbai.
On March 31, he will be presenting a Triptiqe set, which will celebrate his diversity and repertoire. The three-pronged showcase will include ‘Indian Classic Music in the Modern Landscape’ featuring Rishabh Seen on sitar, a collaboration with an Indian electronic artist, Vinayaka and DJ set by Talvin, that will see him perform the ‘Archives of the Asian Underground (1994-2007)’.
There is an additional showcase featuring British rapper and entrepreneur, Akala alongside highly-acclaimed AV artist, DJ Cheeba and Selectah Si Chai – founder and creative director of unique touring festival venue, Chai Wallahs, at the newly-opened Summer House Café in Mumbai on March 30.
Nikhil Chinapa, Hermit Sethi and Pearl, the three founders at Submerge told us they aimed to connect fans with their music idols and have helped build the foundation for establishing India as the go-to destination for electronic dance music in Asia.
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