Striking a varied chord

It’s been a long time coming but Indian bands, and those of Bangalore specifically, are finally using a marketing approach that has always worked in the West — band merchandise. There is no doubt that there will always be those who put up ‘Metallica’ posters in their room and wear ‘Guns n’ Roses’ t-shirts to profess their love for the bands. But slowly and steadily, independent musicians are now taking to this new form of creating visibility.

Folk rock band Swarathma has been one of the pioneers in this trend and their merchandise include CDs, topis, masks and stickers. “People want to keep the merchandise as collector’s items. They know that the album isn’t only about the songs we record; there are inlay cards and artwork done by the band too,” says percussionist Pavan Kumar KJ, adding that they plan to create their own clothing range and small instruments. “We get new ideas everyday but there should be a reason to launch it.”

On the business of merchandise, he notes, “People hardly bought the masks and so, we decided to give it away free during shows. On an average, we sell five to 10 CDs at a show to new audiences. The topis are usually sold at festivals because they are colourful and have a festive vibe. In a crowd of 100, if even one person has the topi on, it gives us a lot of motivation because it feels like we have support.”

Listeners of ‘The Bicycle Days’ have the option of taking home stickers, posters, CDs and t-shirts that represent the band. Though there may not be too many who value this presently, there are a few enthusiasts who do. “As long as the merchandise represents the music and the band, it’s fine. It can never replace the CD but definitely works well to enhance the band’s presence,” says frontman Karthik Basker, mentioning out that the artwork was done by Sumaya Mahadevan.

 “I don’t know if the merchandise could become a collector’s item because that
depends on how well the band does. But the idea right now is to attract like-minded people who resonate with us and our music,” he elaborates.

In the metal circuit of the City, Bevar Sea is practically synonymous with band merchandise.

“When making band merchandise, the first thing you need to know is your audience — a rough estimate of people who turn up to your gigs regularly. I think the problems come up when bands have unrealistic estimates of how many fans they actually have and how many they have on their Facebook page. Keep it small and hence, more under your control,” says drummer Deepak Raghu.

“Our guitarist Rahul Chacko designed our merchandise, which comprises t-shirts, patches, posters, stickers and CDs. Nothing is given out for free except the stickers,” he adds.