For Mangaluru music group, live streaming expands reach

Mani Krishnaswamy Academy, which used to host home and neighbourhood concerts, is now organising classical concerts that reach a global audience

An academy in Mangaluru is keeping the passion for live music alive by taking its classical music concerts online.

The Mani Krishnaswamy Academy used to host weekly music concerts in open spaces, its favourite venue being the space beneath the Surathkal flyover on NH 66.

The academy also hosted home and neighbourhood concerts, taking Carnatic music to the people. The physical concerts called for seating and hall logistics, and the audience numbers had remained small.

With the lockdown, the academy discovered the potential of the Internet.

“On Facebook live, I have found audiences close to 60,000 catching some concerts,” says Nithyananda Rao, convenor of the academy.

The live streaming was launched on April 15, 12 days after first lockdown was announced. In the last three months, the academy has streamed a staggering 131 concerts.

“We have featured young and accomplished artistes. Music enthusiasts can pay a voluntary fee as low as Rs 50, and many have paid more. With this, we pay an honorarium to the artistes and also develop the academy,” says Rao.

The academy is named after the great teacher and musician Dr Mani Krishnaswamy, and connects more than 125 artists from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, says Capt Ganesh Karnik, president of the academy.

Vibhu Rao, a young music facilitator, is in touch with musicians across states, and sends them invitations to perform on the academy’s Facebook page.

“It is not just the four (Southern) states where Carnatic music is appreciated, but also across India. In fact, the listener base and performer base of Carnatic music has increased many times over because of online streaming, and several youngsters have caught the attention of the music elders,” says Vibhu.

Mani Krishnaswamy Academy’s work has won the appreciation of Arkay Ramakrishna, whose Arkay Convention Centre in Chennai used to host about 20 Carnatic music concerts every month before the lockdown. He told Showtime: “This online revolution had to happen sooner or later. It has a greater reach, and serious audience reaches and spread.” He has posted about 2,800 concerts on YouTube.