Tarsame’s Insights: Evolution of Indian Music and The Vision Behind The Music Podcast

Edited and Compiled by Oshin Hephzibah

In this lively and insightful conversation with Tarsame Mittal, a charismatic and seasoned industry professional with over 20 years of experience in the Indian music scene, we explore the evolution of the music landscape from the early 2000s to today, the vision behind ‘The Music Podcast,’ and how it is helping aspiring musicians and executives to find their place in the industry. Additionally, we talk about the key factors and innovative strategies that can help bridge the gap between music education and a sustainable music career, while aiming to feature insightful and diverse guests on the podcast.

Evolution of the Music Landscape

As an entrepreneur with a stellar 20-year run in the Indian music industry, how would you describe the evolution of the music landscape from the early 2000s to today?

I personally feel that the music industry has really evolved in the last two decades. We’ve seen a lot of changes. It’s very difficult to sum it up in short. But I would say there is a real democracy in music now. 20 years back, music was predominantly controlled by films. For any artist, especially singers, it was extremely important to be featured in a film for them to become popular…and for their music to become popular. During the 90s, there was a wave of non-film music and a parallel industry. But ever since the sale of CDs and cassettes stopped, piracy began and it started picking up. Post that, the film music was predominantly controlling everything. But as of today, an artist from anywhere in the world can become famous without any support from anybody. You do not need a manager, label, not even a film producer, nobody.

Audio streaming platforms like Spotify among others — YouTube, social media platforms, short form video platforms, have really paved the path for democracy in music. Now, music of all genres, all languages are able to become popular. Additionally, there is a lot of crossover happening right now as well. It is just a matter of time, maybe six months, one year, two, or maybe even less than that, you will see a lot of Indian artists who will get popular at a global scale. Regardless of their language and genre of music, their music still stands strong in today’s industry.

So, music has really evolved from being in the hands of a few to now being available to everybody. And tha i’s what the biggest evolution of music is, currently.

What inspired you to start ‘The Music Podcast’ and how has your vision for it evolved over time?

The vision of ‘The Music Podcast’ is simple — to be able to connect with artists and executives of the music industry and to be able to give them something they really need — Which is the perspective of different professionals in the music industry. Secondly, anyone who wants to be an artist or an executive in the music industry should be able to learn a lot. I have personally learned in my life only through meeting people and sharing experiences.

Each person has a different view. Every individual has a different story… a different way of learning. If we want to be in the music industry, we should be able to understand the perspective and learnings of all artists, genres, eras, languages, categories, and specialization. Not just artists, but executives from all phases of life, all stakeholders actually.

So, the vision of ‘The Music Podcast’ is simple — to create that platform where no matter who you are, what kind of artist or executive you are, you get to learn from each other’s experiences. Similarly, if somebody wants to join the music industry in any form, it becomes an informative platform. Plus, I am a firm believer that nobody is perfect and there is no ‘one formula’. Through The Music Podcast, we want to reiterate that every single person has a different mindset and experience, there is no formula. You can just listen to people, learn from them what they did in their time even if your experiences and situations differ. That’s the vision of ‘The Music Podcast’.

How The Music Podcast is Helping Upcoming Musicians

In what ways has ‘The Music Podcast’ provided support or opportunities for new artists and how can someone collaborate with TMP?

I genuinely think there are not many platforms surrounding the music business in India. You can learn to play guitar, compose, learn music production, even learn singing. However, artists in today’s world need to know a lot more apart from just learning how to compose a song or how to sing.

So, The Music Podcast is actually helping them get that inside information and important things they need to know to be able to navigate their career. And of course, anybody can collaborate with us — we are an open platform. People can talk to us, send us emails, and comment on our content across all the platforms.

There are also some Super Fans who want to know more about the artist and there are some people who really want to know more about the music industry business. So, it also helps in reaching out to them and giving them some sense of the business.

Key Factors Guiding the Selection of Guests on the Podcast

What criteria do you use to select guests for the podcast, and how do you ensure a diverse range of voices?

The key factor is to try and ensure that we cover all categories of artists and executives from the music business. Also, we are constantly talking to the TMP Community — we’ve been getting comments on our YouTube and other platforms where we engage with our audience. It’s also about the ‘reach’ because not everybody is available and willing to come to the podcast. So, the most important aspect is to cover all segments, second is interaction with our community

We also consider audience suggestions — What would people want to learn about? There are issues like copyright and certain other areas that are not really understood well by the industry. So, we are also touching upon those topics, slowly and steadily we will be trying to feature guests who can create more opportunities for both aspiring musicians and executives in the music business.

Music Education vs. Sustainable Music Career

What advice would you give to music students to help them bridge the gap between music education and a sustainable music career?

See, the simple way to bridge the gap between music education and a sustainable music career is to understand that no education gives you a career, single-handedly. Education gives you the information and the capability to be able to do something. It’s just like becoming an engineer from IIT or a management graduate from IIM. For some of the best institutes in India and the world, it still doesn’t guarantee you a sustainable career. It guarantees you an entry point. So, if you have the right music education, you will be able to get the tipping point. People will give you that preference. But eventually, you need to be able to use that education in your life, in your career, and create great things using it. So, that’s the best way to bridge the gap once you gain this understanding.

Evidently, the music industry is undergoing a dramatic change, subscribe to ‘The Music Podcast’ now to get the latest info and updates you need!

We hope this conversation with Tarsame offers valuable insights into the ever-evolving music industry and the empowering role of ‘The Music Podcast.’ Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and practical advice to help you navigate and thrive in your musical journey!