Review/ All About Music X

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Music conference/ All About Music X

Presented by: TM Management with help from thumpN

Details: Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, August 25 to 27

The much-awaited All About Music conference had its 10th edition at the Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, from August 25 to 27. Over the years, it has been an important part of the industry calendar, providing insights on the state of affairs and a platform for networking. Months of planning and hard work obviously go behind its execution. 

Yet, it's always had its limitations because too much is happening simultaneously. Like every year, there were panel discussions, conversations and artiste pitches in the three ballrooms, workshops and how-to-do-it sessions in another corner, performances somewhere else and the popular 'Connect Corner' in an another spot. Not to talk of a sizeable bunch who didn't attend any of them, preferring to make fresh contacts in the main lounge.

Many of the sessions this year dropped the term 'AI', and one called 'AI in music business' talked of the legal side of the monster. Some talked of its dangers, some said it must be used only as a tool to help original thought, and others looked at it as a business opportunity in times when the human brain had become passe. 

The most interesting sessions were on the live music arena. The one on big venues, hosted by Shaju Ignatius of the Laqshya Music Group, and the talks by levent management professionals Samit Garg and Vincent Samuel talked of large-scale operations, and provide great insights and tips. Yet one felt there should havs been more discussion on small and mid-sized events, nightclubs, the NMACC Studio/ NCPA Experimental/ AntiSocial/ Bonobo kind of places where many attendees look for performance opportunities. 

Of the conversation sessions, Usha Uthup was simply brilliant while speaking to RJ Hrishikesh Kannan, giving a lot of life lessons to the largely young audience, besides rocking it with 'Skyfall' and a Bollywood medley. The Colonial Cousins took the audience down memory lane in their talk with industry veteran Atul Churamani, and Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash displayed honesty while talking to curator and consultant Aishwarya Natarajan. Punjabi star Rashmeet Kaur, Nirali Kartik of Maati Baati and Carnatic singer sang well in their sessions, though the interviews could have been better.

Naturally, there were many sessions this blogger couldn't attend, because of the simultaneous scheduling. But one way to.make things easier for everybody is to club subject types together after considering the attendee profile. For instance, have industry-related subjects like royalties, publishing and distribution in a half-day slot in the same ballroom. Likewise, have half a day dedicated to technology or music genres or live events or current challenges. At least people know what to choose. And surely, one needn't keep repeating the same set of speakers in multiple sessions year after year - surely the industry has many more people who can come with fresh perspectives.

This is not aimed at being a crib piece, and one appreciates the efforts of the organisers in getting people together year after year to discuss relevant issues. But it was strange not to see well-known musicians in the corridors. Even those with sessions could have mingled with the average attendee instead of being constricted to an area most people couldn't access. What stops some artistes from hanging out with the fraternity?

Finally, an observation. Two years ago, there was regular reference to Kerala rapper Hanumankind and his song 'Big Dawgs'. Last year, the 'Saiyyara' soundtrack was a common subject of discussion. This year, no artiste or song created a buzz for being currently in the news. What's missing in the music?