3rd edition of Tunecore India Grant to focus on Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada indie musicians

Tunecore is a US-based global platform that assists self-releasing musicians market their songs.
“We are starting to see the growth of truly independent music in the south. Which is why we decided to focus on the south and be there for the young musicians who are starting their journey as an independent musician,” Akhila Shankar, head of TuneCore South Asia, told PTI.
Shankar said, in India, classification of music does not stop at genre level.
“That’s more of a western concept. While we have hip-hop and pop and rock and various other genres, there is another layer of nuance in India which is specific to the language in which people are communicating and expressing themselves. For instance, Punjabi music is a genre by itself,” she added.
However, Tunecore’s decision to micro-tune into regional languages happened from the second edition, Shankar said.
The first TuneCore grant, introduced in 2022, was open to musicians across India, irrespective of language or genre.
“For us the first edition was really about, let’s just figure a model. Post the first edition, we realised that independent music in India is also very language focused, because that’s how fans are discovering music. Even our streaming services are designed that way.
“You select the language that you want to hear your music in, you don’t necessarily select the genre. So, in 2023, for our second edition, we decided to focus on Punjabi artists,” said Shankar.
Selection of a language for focus involves an intense study of the market, she added.
“We look at a mix of data like what language artists are releasing their work in as well macro level data as to what’s happening in the industry,” said Shankar.
For instance, the success of ‘Katchi Sera’, a Tamil independent song by singer Sai Abhyankkar and released by Tunecore’s parent company, Think Music’s indie label, Think Indie, played a role in zeroing in on south Indian languages for the third edition, she said.
“The song is now going viral globally – just on YouTube alone, we had more than 53 lakh views in less than a month. We really are at that precipice where music outside of films is finding its audiences and finding it in a very big way. Hopefully, the grant will help musicians find their groove at the right time,” said Shankar.
Last year’s grant winner, Ashish Sodhi from Delhi, said the Tunecore grant did come in at the right time for him.
“It’s not about the money so much. I decided to take my chance with being a musician post Covid – there was a lot of time at hand during lockdowns when I could explore my passion. The real trigger was my chance meeting with Yo Yo Honey Singh, who, incidentally, sang along with me in my debut song, ‘Who Knows’. But I still needed validation.
“When I won the grant for my song ‘Star Struck’, it gave me the confidence that I can make a mark in the contemporary music scene,” said Sodhi, who sings under the name So Dee.
The importance of selling it to the right audience and at the right time is what first-time grant winner and Mumbai-based independent musician Atteev Bhansali’s take away from his Tunecore experience.
Interestingly, Bhansali too, who sings under the moniker Atteev, finally found courage to call himself a professional musician post Covid.
“I have been tinkering with music ever since I was 16. But the confidence that I could make myself heard and make a living out of music came only during the Covid break. Winning the Tunecore grant really really helped me. That I won among so many entries – you know, I sent my song literally at the last minute – came as a great confidence booster,” said Bhansali to PTI.
This year’s is also the biggest grant yet. “We are offering four prizes of ₹1 lakh each for winning entries in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, irrespective of genre,” said Shankar.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.