Mumbai: The second edition of the India Music Week (IMW) Focus Group Sessions by Rock Street Journal will take place in three cities – Mumbai on 12 December, Shillong on 16 December and Bengaluru on 19 December. The sessions will feature industry experts like Ram Sampath, Vijay Basrur (Ok Listen!), Sameer Pittalwala, Sameer Kulavoor (Bombay Duck Designs), Divya Bhatia (RIFF Festival), Bobby Talwar (Co-Founder OML, VP Book My Show), Arjun S. Ravi (Co-Founder, NH7).

With an intention of creating an intimate and informal environment for the entire ecosystem of the music industry, the IMW Focus Group Sessions provide a platform for musicians, writers, designers, managers, promoters, booking agents etc., to directly interact with the panel.

Anirban Chakraborty (Executive Director RSJ) aka Bann opines that the sessions are aimed at having a productive dialogue between various sections of the music industry. Last year the sessions were open discussion, however this time the format will be different. Bann explains, “This year we would structure the sessions with a discussion around the journey of an artist or band right from getting the name of the band to recordings, getting a manager, getting shows, working on collaborations and many other issues. We are not really the solution providers but we create the meeting ground where things can be done. From last year’s session there were few examples where in a few aspiring musicians received the right kind of advice from the experts that helped them get some direction. This is the kind of outcome we are looking at."

RSJ says that it has always strived to bring the music community together through its conferences, festivals, editorials etc. Earlier with the IMW Conference there was a lot of industry talk taking place, two way discussions were lacking and a feeling prevailed that the sessions were not being as productive as desired, hence, the current dialogue based format. The session is open to aspiring individuals from all genres but hopes to have people who are serious about music.

Last year’s sessions took place in four cities and witnessed audiences of about 40 to 50 per session, with Shillong having the highest of audience of around 80. A typical session which lasts for about five to six hours covers important aspects of the music industry focusing on topics like and monetisation from YouTube and the digital world, designing festivals amongst others. Interested participants can register at India Music week's official website.