NEW DELHI: Soundscapes of India (SOI) Season 3, the country's premier showcase music festival and global music exchange, concluded after three days of curatedmusic showcases, panel discussions, workshops, pitching sessions and industry meetings held from August 29 to 31 at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The third edition of the showcase festival organised by The Indian Performing Right SocietyLtd (IPRS) in association with MusiConnect India brought together more than 150 artists from more than 15 Indian states, alongside international delegates from over 20 countries across Europe, Africa, Australia, North America and Asia-Pacific.
THREE DAYS OF CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING
Across the three days, the conference highlighted how Indian music can grow as an export category through panels, roundtables and workshops. Sessions included‘Cultural Export as an Economic Driver: Building India's Global Music Presence,’ with tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh and Serendipity Arts Foundation Director Smriti Rajgarhia; ‘Country focus sessions covering the UK’s Live Music Industry with representatives ofCeltic Connections, and Export Lessons from Africa featuring industry leaders from Tanzania, Eswatini, Egypt and South Africa.
Dedicated roundtables- on cultural diplomacy and international festival partnerships, on collaboratively mapping India's music ecosystem, and on music tourismand the festival economy- brought together delegates, festival programmers and policy voices to work through practical frameworks rather than open discussion alone.
Philip Grefer, Founder & CEO at WISE, shared his experience: “I was really looking forward to exploring India’s independent music scene. Since this was my firsttime at Soundscapes of India, I wanted to understand how India’s diverse music ecosystem works -and I found exactly what I was looking for at this event.”
Riju Tuladhar, Co-Founder of the folk music festival (Echoes in the Valley), mentioned, “ It was interesting to witness diversity in Indian music, to meet musiccolleagues from different countries and within India too.”
Marc Dube, Producer and A&R, Wandering Entertainment, Canada, added, “My experience was fantabulous, and events like this are a necessity. I quite discoverednew talent at the event.”
Stani Goma, Founder, Beats of Any Nation Downunder (BAND), Australia shared, “I was at SOI to experience the diversity of Indian music, discover talented artists,and explore opportunities to collaborate with them. I’d love to bring some of these artists to Australia, introduce their music to new audiences, and help promote Indian music on the Australian music scene.”
