In Conversation with Nisha Narayanan, Red FM
To make the most of World Music Day, Red FM announced the launch of Red Indies, its new venture that celebrates and supports independent music artists.
The day was extra special and noteworthy for the brand as it ventures into the world of unrecognised talents from around the country. On the occasion, we spoke to Nisha Narayanan, COO & Director of Red FM & Magic FM, who didn’t shy away from holding back her excitement about the launch. Here are excerpts of our interview with her:
Agency Reporter: How are you planning to structure the programming?
Nisha Narayanan: In terms of structuring, we will reveal some of the news shows that are coming out in a few days. They are dedicated to only independent music, hosted by independent music artists. Red Indies will be a completely platform-agnostic channel and we hope to do a lot of digital and on-ground events too.
AR: Would we see a lot of live shows or recorded ones or both?
NN: Preferably more unplugged versions would be great to have, but it is not always possible to execute it all the time. But between live and recorded shows, I am sure it is going to be a mix of both. Because we are planning to go pan-India and looking at regional music as well, recorded music will become important. The challenge really is to source this great music.
AR: Would the channel be featuring upcoming artists or established ones?
NN: It is always a mix of both. The story really is about discovering new music and artists. The vision clearly for Red FM is to play some great music on the radio, irrespective for its genre. The whole compartmentalisation of music should not be there. So, Red Indies is just a small step towards that.
AR: How is Red Indies going to be a doorway to new opportunities for these artists?
NN: Since Red Indies would be platform, language, and region-agnostic, we would love to carry it forward in the digital and on-ground space too. Over the next few months, you will see Red FM getting aggressive with Red Indies and support a lot of independent artists. It is a journey of discovery to find these artists and offer their music to the public.
AR: Red FM has always been very bold and edgy. How do you wish to position Red Indies?
NN: I think it is a great step for us to support independent music and dedicate time-slots and days to new music. That itself is challenging. I hope we have enough advertisers and clients who support this initiative as it is a great market. There is a huge audience which follows independent music. We just hope to see a lot of support from the listeners and advertising community.
AR: What would be the channels’ monetisation plans?
NN: Since Red Indies is a part of Red FM for now, let’s just go step-by-step. The idea is in the spirit of playing great music and advertisers are always welcome. There is always a scope to innovate together, but the first step is to deliver great music.
For now, Red Indies will be a part of the current Red FM programming and is expected to go live within 10 days. We believe that the industry of independent music artists in India was a rather less explored area. Although a little late to recognize such talent, the leader that Red FM is, their launch of Red Indies is a step towards offering a doorway to newer opportunities for these artists. We are sure to witness an awesome curation of these artists and their music!
