Music has always been popular in India, from Amir Khusrow to Tansen to Lata Mangeshkar to Kishore Kumar. With multiple genres of music including techno, house, trance, and psychedelic trance, among others have come forth, consumers have been spoilt for choices. While music is streamed on audio OTT platforms, music events are slowly picking up pace. “Vh1 was the first to do an all-only English music channel in India. We also felt that we should take this benefit in the form of an experience to consumers. That is when we started Supersonic,” Gaurav Mashruwala, business head, Viacom18 LIVE, told BrandWagon Online.
As per a FICCI-EY report, the organised events sector grew by 129% in 2022 to reach Rs 7300 crore. The live events segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22% over the next three years to reach Rs 13,400 crore by 2025. While the Supersonic started as an EDM (electronic dance music) stroke techno festival in Goa, it gradually transitioned into a multi-genre music festival as the festival was moved to Pune. Mashruwala believes that while music streaming has become popular, the discovery of new music also remains important. Moreover, social media and short-format video content have helped in the discoverability of music, helping it become massive. “Consumer preferences keep changing and we constantly build on that. Social media has been a massive tool of discovery of music and keeping that in mind, we got artists from the social media world and what our consumers like,” Mashruwala highlighted.
Furthermore, Supersonic appears to not have left any stone unturned when it comes to promotion. Budweiser Beats has been a partner of the event for the last five editions. According to Mashruwala, the brand’s music ethos as well as the music philosophy of Vh1 have to be synchronised to get the artist lineup right and set up a stage. “Budweiser Beats is big on techno music and we have a stage called ‘BudX Spectrum’ wherein we have house and techno music playing. Nexa is big on the indie music scene so we have indie artists play on that stage. Music is a part of their brand ethos, it is not just a pure play branding exercise,” Mashruwala added.
In addition to sponsorships, brand collaborations are also huge as Vh1 aims to make Supersonic an inclusive festival. Fashion, food and beverages, art, AlcoBev, and automobile, among others, are some categories that the festival cuts across. The target audience for the brands is broadly Gen-Z and millennials. “The main motives of the brands that partner with us are to increase their reach and engagement with customers and potential customers. We work with the brand teams to deliver a good experience. Moreover, a lot of content is made which is showcased on the ground and digital platforms including Viacom18’s and Supersonic’s social handles,” Mashruwala stated.
The ambition of the brand is to keep the festival rooted in Pune while doing a few micro events in other cities to give other audiences a similar experience. The brand aims to follow trends to ensure consumer experience continues to be in sync with the trends across fashion, lifestyle and music.