Farhad Wadia: Live music venues have grown but the challenges too have grown exponentially

Independence Rock founder Farhad Wadia (Photo Courtesy: Independence Rock)

Mumbaikars are experiencing the best time as they enjoy a variety of music festivals in the city. It only gets better because every major Indian and international act is visiting in the next few months with bigger and better concerts.

As the debate around venues, tickets and lineups heats up this music festival season, the Independence Rock music festival, popularly known as I-Rock, will return this weekend at Bayview Lawns. Being one of the earliest rock festivals in the city, it will see fans not only from the financial capital but also around the country come together to experience rock music. Started by Mumbaikar Farhad Wadia in 1986, it is one of the few music festivals that has stood the test of time to celebrate its 30th edition this time.

Evolution of live music concerts
In all this time, Wadia has seen independent music evolve in the country and with that the live music concert scene. He shares, "The music scene in India has changed drastically especially with the advent of the Internet and the growth of Indian bands writing and singing original music in all languages. Previously, bands did covers and in English."

However, he says today bands are mostly doing original music and maybe a few covers. "Bands are also exploring different genres of music and singing in local languages," adds Wadia, who started the festival after rock bands were not allowed to perform at Malhar, the St Xavier's College annual festival. While it was held on August 14-15 every year, the new avatar relaunched in 2022 has been taking place in November.

Interestingly, I-Rock was first famously held at Rang Bhavan - a much-loved Mumbai venue that fans have boasted of many performances over the years. Unfortunately, the iconic open theatre was shut down in 2003, and Wadia was right in the middle of the attempt trying to revive it. In the meantime, the festival was also held at Chitrakoot Grounds. While it was converted into a state cultural centre in 2013, there have been a lot of changes in music venues since then. More concerts are being hosted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, more popularly known as NSCI Dome, today in Worli, NESCO in Goregaon, and undoubtedly Bayview Lawns at Princess Docks, which has been the venue for I-Rock in the last three years including 2024.

Challenges for music concerts
While Rang Bhavan was always a favourite and the latter the new venue, it is not only the live music scene but also the venues that have now made it possible for people to attend more concerts. What has been the kind of change that the US-based Mumbaikar has seen over time? He explains, "The venues available have grown but the challenges too have grown exponentially. Their costs have soared and hiring a venue and setting up a decent production/experience can cost anything between 75 lakhs to 1 crore,and the multiple permissions required, security arrangements put a hefty price tag. You could hire Rang Bhavan for Rs 3,000 a day, and adjusted for inflation even if it was Rs 50,000 today, it would still be a fantastic option strictly because of the location, vibe and magic that it had, and the permanent stage and tiered venue style that it offered."

At a time when so many concerts have sprung up in the city with not only Indian but also international acts, are there still challenges for organisers? Wadia says there are multiple. "In the current scenario, events in a city like Mumbai face challenges with affordable venues, existing infrastructure, traffic management, government permissions and high entertainment taxes," he adds.

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However, the workings look like it will change, especially because of the growing number of music festivals being held in Mumbai and India at large. Wadia believes music festivals not only work for the audience but also the organisers and more importantly musicians. He further adds, "As audiences grow, the commercial opportunities to exploit this growth is a natural process. I personally believe that the more festivals that mushroom, the scene grows as audiences experience the different offerings and different genres and thus ticket sales grow across the board for everyone. Also, more bands get opportunities to ply their craft and reach audiences that might not have heard them."

The two-day festival will see a stellar lineup that not only includes some of India's most iconic rock bands but also features the future of rock. From Motherjane and 13AD to Swarathma and Bloodywood, and even About Us and Skrat among others and Wadia hopes it can last 50 years, and he is there to see it happen.

"Rock music to me is a way of life. Independence Rock was born at a time when there were no concerts or festivals or platforms for Indian bands. There will always be concerts and then there is only one Independence Rock," he concludes.

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