MUMBAI: India's indie artists’ struggle against the Bollywood juggernaut and corporate indifference: they refuse to surrender.

Circa two decades back cable television and MTV had just invaded our homes with Nirvana, Madonna, Dr Dre, REM and Van Halen…

By the mid 90s' India's indie (independent) music scene was very happening. Listeners bumped to the catchy and original songs by the likes of Baba Shegal, Alisha Chinoy, Gary Lawyer and Daler Mehndi. Even the remixes sounded fresh and innovative, and the country’s new artists were grabbing suitcase full of international awards. But the party didn't last. By the middle of the 2000’s, India's independent music was down, almost out for the count.

Audiences, radio stations and record labels deserted the Indi-pop in droves and the entertainment industry, including music, were monopolized by Bollywood. Many independent artists joined the Bollywood brigade, made ad jingles, while others left the industry all together or were ‘reduced’ to playing at hotel lounges.

“The whole industry sold out. The powers that be- the corporate, film banners, the radio and television got together to create a cultural fascism. The independent artist in India is being squeezed out by the system that has grown too big. For many Indians, modernity means getting up at 7-8 in the morning, going to work and coming back. They don’t have time to think- music comes down their list of priorities and they consume what is fed to them,” Sufi-rocker Rabbi Shergill fumes.

“In the 90s music channels and radio channels only played Indi-pop music, its very niche now. Even most of the traditional media does not promote Indi pop music," agrees singer-composer Shibani Kashyap who has worked both as an independent artist and for the film industry.

But is Bollywood, which itself is now struggling with piracy, copyright litigations and mindless item numbers, to be solely blamed?

“The problem with our country is that people believe “Bollywood is India”. Every release from the film industry is treated like a ‘global phenomenon’, which is not true. This leaves very little space for Indie music- especially Western music,” laments the country’s original rocker, Gary Lawyer who has ‘been there and done that’ as far as popular music is concerned.

“To start with this industry (independent music) never existed in India. The only ones that did were Bollywood/Tollywood/Kollyood etc. Music in India was either total classical or films. And that’s the way it has been for many years unlike the West where music grew as an Industry with management and publishing companies. Also the Rock and Pop sound was and is an “alien” sound to Indian audiences. It was restricted for a long time to college circuit or hotels where people only wanted to hear covers only,” states Delhi-based veteran musician Valentine Shipley who has played for acts like Fairlane and Parikrama.

The music landscape has changed drastically with illegal downloads and piracy bleeding the Rs 20,000 crore music industry. Artists today are divided on whether to release full-fledged albums or a series of singles as costs escalate and returns diminish.

While Kashyap prefers to release her material as singles instead of LPs (albums), Shergill follows the traditional way. He supported his latest album “III” (Universal) with a tour but is also pragmatic enough to make his new tracks including his lead song “Ganga” available on the Internet.

“I had actually completed “III” (Universal label) two years ago after recording it in Delhi and mixing it the US. LPs (records) has not been happening since 2007, but the standard marketing muscle of a music label is still good enough to go for it,” Shergill avers.

“LPs are still viable but the market is tilted more in favour of using social media digital technology for recording, distribution and marketing via channels like Youtube where you can make money for certain number of hits. It’s all about reaching out to your audience with your USP,” Shipley agrees.

Is there a sliver of hope for indie artists? Have the country's audience developed a taste for original songs, enough for labels and corporate to support them?

“The Indian audience is now fairly open to experiment and have become more open to changes. As a live performer, I do sing a lot of songs, which are not film songs, and I get a great response nevertheless. If the song is good the Indian audience is very receptive today. But it would be a huge help if the industry would also support standalone artists and band and believe in them," Kashyap points out.

However, music labels claim that they are supporting indie acts.

“Music labels like ours are certainly supporting indie artists now. We had an “Icons Nxt” platform last year and we are planning a second season. There is an audience for non-Bollywood music- it all comes down to the quality of work,” states Saregama music business head Adarsh Gupta.

Lawyer doesn’t share the optimism though. “Today’s kids lack exposure to music other than that of Bollywood. Things will improve, especially for Western music, when a new generation exposed to global trends comes up and there are changes in the government. Till the time music is seen as a viable career, I don’t see much hope,” he states.

The jury is still out.