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Independent music? Check. Graffiti artists? Yes. Stand-up comics? Yay. Indie filmmakers? But of course. The vibrant indie community will finally find a space on your television screen when the 24-hour channel Pespi MTV Indies goes on air in early March. “Made in India and made for the world,” says Aditya Swamy, EVP and business head, MTV India. Here’s what to expect from the channel…
Why have a separate channel around the indie scene?
MTV stands for pop culture and I think while we represent everything that’s popular on MTV, there’s a big part of our DNA that talks about revolution, especially music revolution. There is a rich indie scene going on. Around four years ago we started a weekly show on MTV called Roots, which featured independent artistes from across the Indian subcontinent. And I think the way things have shaped up in terms of festivals, clubs and artistes, it’s bubbling over. So MTV stands for pop culture and indie stands for sub-culture.
Do you have something similar abroad?
MTV has a lot of brand extensions but we don’t have anything that goes by the name Indies.
So, it will be all about the indie scene here?
The heart of the channel is the Indian independent scene. I think there are a lot of things happening on the global independent scene but instead of presenting only that there is a window to the stuff that’s happening abroad.
Is the channel only about music?
Indies is really about five key sub-cultures that play today, led by music, which is the most vibrant sub-culture. There is comedy –– there are a lot of stand-up comics who are doing well; on the channel you won’t find any VJ but stand-up comics will introduce shows and host segments. Then there is art, not traditional art… graphic art, street art. There will be a series around album art. The next pillar is independent films –– from short, five-minute variety to 60-minute films. We are working closely with the collective called IndiEarth to curate films… And then there are emerging sub-cultures like skateboarding, biking, motorcycling.
Who’s your target audience?
The definition of youth is continuously changing. Young people are, in a way, getting young and younger. By 12-13, some are not watching kids channels. The core of the channel is 18-25 but there will be a healthy spillover on both sides of the spectrum. The idea is not to just go out there and create content. The idea is to work with a creative collective, from the independent producer to a large corporate working in the indie space. We are working with IndiEarth, BlueFrog, OML, Sony Music, Universal Music, OK Listen! The idea is to bring together all the people working in the scene and artistes.
Will there be Bollywood trailers, like on most channels?
No, this is the home of the independent. If it’s an indie film, there will be a trailer of that.
Indie doesn’t mean English music only…
We have videos from Bangla rock to Tamil to Kannada to Marathi to Punjabi… music knows no language.
Music is a key youth passion point and Pepsi’s biggest platform globally. We are excited about partnering with MTV to launch this new platform, as we continue to set and fuel trends, creating a gateway to new experiences for our consumers.
–– Deepika Warrier,
vice president, Po1 marketing, PepsiCo India
I think independent music has a following of its own and that is quite evident from the music festivals happening around the country. It has, to an extent, validated the seriousness or importance of the Indian (indie) music scene.
–– Raghu Dixit
It’s a great platform. Songs by indie bands rarely become hits, due to lack of exposure. Pepsi MTV Indies will be able to change that, making it easier for artistes to create hit tracks.
Shridhar Subramaniam, president, Sony Music, India and Middle East
I think Pepsi MTV Indies will be a great magnifying glass for the independent music community in India. It’s really great to be able have a presence on one of India’s greatest loves, television.
Nischay Parekh
I’ve always bet on the indies even when the country was going insane with Bollywood and it still does. The proof of that is us signing close to 50 indie acts in the last three years. The only missing link was full-time television for this segment of music. With Pepsi MTV Indies that need-gap is fulfilled. Universal Music Group and EMI are fully on board with the channel.
–– Devraj Sanyal, managing director, Universal Music Group South Asia and EMI Music South Asia
Mathures Paul
What do you want to watch on Pespi MTV Indies? Tell t2@abp.in
