Do ARTISTS/MUSICIANS make a living in India?

nvik16

lol count me in your list ... Anyway it is true that people don't think of art as a career . My friend , who is studying radiology in mumbai was an artist by nature ( I never was, It's like you either have or you don't ) . He did tabla and I dunno how many musical instruments . But he took up medicine because he had to . Anyways he is out with his band in his med school ... The have become big in mumbai is what I heard .. Youtube for yatra the band ... That's his band ... The moral of story ART does not feed you . The same goes here in US I guess ,never seen a rich artist here !!

Nick-H

The answer has to be, as in all the arts in all the world, that a very few do.

These days it is, as has been observed, unusual for a classical musician not to have a business degree, or to be working in commerce. They very wisely prefer to have a safety net.

Clasical musicians are, in no way, at the bottom of any heap other than maybe financial.

In the South the scene is not exclusively, but still Brahmin-dominated. I don't think it always has been, and it is not a pre-requisite. It is also Hindu-dominated (although a number of famous Nadaswaram players are Muslim).

The North is more 'catholic'... many top artists are muslim and do not feel any problem in playing music from either background.

The stars of the North are payed handsomely: how much do you suppose Ravi Shankar gets paid to even think about a stage?!

The stars of the South very much less so --- which may explain the accountancy etc!

The ones to make a decent living are the ones that make it onto the foreign-tour circuit.

They earn money as teachers too, though you will probably still find the occasional one that has a few chosen students they teach for free.

Some of them are quite keen to charge large amounts of money to visiting foreigners too!

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blackbird

I guess in many cultures, being a musician is seen as reward enough in itself... many's the gig I played in my younger days where everyone involved would get paid -- the bar staff, sound engineers, doormen, promoters, flyposters -- except the bands, who might get enough to cover our travel expenses, but nothing towards the equipment and rehearsals that made the whole event possible.

But we still did it, because travelling 200 miles to play for less than an hour was worth it for the wonderful buzz of being on stage and making people happy for an evening. Eventually I tired of all the hard work for nothing, and gave it up, but I have my memories....

Nick-H

One has to eat ...

Thoughtcrimes

As an ex-musician in several scum-punk bands in the USA, I was all-too-aware of the term "pay to play." "Pay to play" means that even if a band earns $500 per weekly gig, it typically gets divided btwn 4 people. After monthly rent for a practice studio, transportation costs, equitment costs/repairs, expenses for demo tapes, recording and whatever else, you're lucky if you scrap even. I guess that's where the expression "labor of love" comes in, and I can only imagine in India it's that much tougher. That's why most must work full-time on top of their creative pursuits, tho I challenge anyone to do a full-time band, full-time job, have a relationship, friends, kids, and whatever else - it's a juggling act that most can only pull off for so long. Granted, I'm not talking about the elite .05% that somehow breakthrough and have some degree of commercial success.

In sum, I'll quote something I once heard that makes a ton of sense to me: "Why would someone CHOOSE to be an artist??? It's a ridiculous life!"

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blackbird

Indeed... we do it because we have to. I still can't help writing songs... I blame Saraswati.

Nick, I did eat in my 20s... I had a part time job which was enough for food on the table and a roof over my head, but all those hours playing music is the reason why I missed out on the property ladder, and of course now it's way beyond the reach of anyone who isn't either already on it, or from a rich family.

Of course once I stopped being in bands, instead of becoming sensible and maximising my earning potential, I've kept buggering off to India at every opportunity....

Dilliwala

That's a myth, unless u count the Mumbai film industry and "Indipop" as "North". Ravi Shankar made it big after a lifetime of relative poverty, that too when he hit the international circuit. For every one of him there's a thousand struggling to survive up North, just like everywhere else.

crowgirl

Indeed... we do it because we have to. I still can't help writing songs... I blame Saraswati.
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To add to the god/ess aspect posted above, it makes alot of sense that Lakshmi and Saraswati are placed far apart in one's home. Music/Art/Creative endeavors, etc., do not necessarily = Wealth.

I FEEL for all the musicians who have responded to this thread. I doubt one chooses (in traditional sense of word)..one simply IS. And yeah, unless one hops onto the bandwagon of technology where the $$$ are, it is challenging to have that home/security/retirement fund....not to mention Health Insurance (in USA)!

Can relate to above poster saying F*** it, finding some means and buggering off to India (or wherever) in order to simply enjoy one's life NOW.

I'm sending out HUGE BLESSINGS to all of the musicians/artists here. xoxo

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blackbird

Thanks crowgirl.

Yeah the most shocking thing I learnt about America when I went there, was that no-one involved in the music business can get health insurance.... I realised just how lucky we are to have free healthcare in Britain.

GauhatiBoy

I remember a lot of hand-painted billboards advertizing movies, very nicely done, and so many artistic carvings sold for next to nothing. There is a lot of artistic talent in India and as far as I know nobody makes anything but a basic wage from it.

Nick-H

That's why I said the stars. I mean that in every way, not just in terms of acknowledged musicianship or stature, but in terms of having made it as world entertainers.

It is a bit unfair to pick one name, perhaps, but he has become, for most of the world, the archetypal 'Indian Musician'. Which is why I have to keep explaining to people that Carnatic music does not sound like Ravi Shankar.

Perhaps his southern equivalent is L. Subramaniam.

But then again, perhaps both these guys should now be regarded as American musicians!

I still hold, adjusting my terms slightly, that Senior Carnatic musicians do not get paid anywhere near the amount paid to Hindustani musicians of equivalent stature.

robotvoice

Crowgirl, Thanks for the blessings. I (and many other struggling artists) can use them. Like it has been echoing in this thread, musicians and artists do it because they have to, a true artist is not in it for the money and only a lucky few can make it happen financially. To all those trying I wish them the best of luck.

Piscesman

Traditional Indian artists,writers and musicians are culturally embedded artists. What they do is brilliant, but the context for what they do doesn't translate easily or readily in the West.
There, until George Harrison discovered Ravi Shankar, Indian arts were largely the domain of cultural studies, and the eclectic tastes of people who'd actually visted India.
The massive pop culture in India now, particularly stemming from all-singing-all-dancing Bolloywood, Indian MTV etc., challenges cultural arts and artists to adapt beyond the context of their role and training, if they're to make a living from it.
I saw a great regional dance and music program in Delhi. The dilapidated theatre, crummy seating and dingy lighting said everything about the artist's resources and ability to market themselves. I didn't get the feeling they're a dying breed though, with only the wandering minstrel circuit to look forward to. They were far too good.

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robotvoice

When you are broke, you are a "wandering minstrel"
When you have some cash, you are a "touring musician"

same same

Nick-H

Not sure what you mean by this. Is it to do with classical Indian music being largely religion-based?
RS would resent that! He would be quick to point out that he was an established senior artist long before the Beatles came along. "1961" pops out of a brain cell; not sure if it is a random braincell, or if this was when RS started touring the West. I think his brother was even more of an ambassador, but RS ended up getting the limelight. He is rather sensitive about this Beatles thing --- unduly so, I thnk. So maybe he could have become a world star without them, but the massive shove they gave him must surely have helped. My remarks on his feelings are based on a talk I saw him give, about his life and music, a couple of years back: I don't know him personally, and haven't even read his book.
Big-potential topic for discussion --- but I'd say that classical is classical, folk is folk, pop is pop. Classical musical is a minority entertainment the world over; pop, be definition, is popular!
There are classical music performances here almost every day, and a crescendo of same in the 'December season'. A number of the halls are far from shabby, and some belong to societies that exist to promote concerts.