Sachin-Jigar, Amaal Malik, Swanand Kirkire: Musicians embrace the OTT revolution, bet big on albums for the web

Of late, the world of OTT witnessed a surge in the popularity of original music featured in various projects. From the catchy tunes of Scoop to the beats of Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo and the captivating track of Farzi, these ventures have captivated the hearts of music aficionados. As this trend continues to gain momentum, it becomes crucial to explore the perspectives of artists within the music industry regarding the advantages and challenges associated with the OTT space for the music artiste.

Swanand Kirkire

Swanand Kirkire, who penned the lyrics for Qala, points out how makers didn’t focus much on marketing music, and that bothered him. “There was an OTT release Raat Akeli Hai, but its songs never caught people’s attention because they were not marketed well. Agar log sun nahi paarhe the, toh gaane banaane ka matlab kya. Only the ones who watched the film got to know about it. It had to be there somewhere other than the OTT platform for people to consume,” suggests Kirkire, adding he is happy to see that the change is finally happening. “But fortunately OTT has started learning to do it, and we can see the results. Qala is a great example of how OTT music managed to catch the attention. They have cracked how to do it. They have given songs to music labels which they were not doing earlier,” he explains.

Sachin-Jigar

The composer duo feels the web is a more liberating space sans the pressures of delivering a hit. “Your focus is gaane se sahi feeling aani padegi and not to get chart topping numbers. The intent is very artistic and content driven,” says the duo, but is quick to point out that we need to consume OTT music in a much bigger way than we are already doing. “Right now, OTT music doesn’t get the limelight and that’s my big issue. And that is why we try to make tracks like Paisa Hai Toh…from the series Farzi, which connect to the commoners but also fit seamlessly into the overall production. And that is a big challenge for us right now. And I hope that with more and more OTT projects, we are able to overcome that and make the music and the songs of shows more palatable for the directors as well as the audience.

Avinash Chouhan

Avinash Chouhan, known for writing songs for web shows Panchayat, Aspirants among others appreciates OTT space for the fact that it gives you a genuine situation and a story to weave a song around. He tells us, “De Mauka Zindagi was a very situation track and it touched people because the writing was very relatable. We only reacted to a situation that was given to us and that’s why it turned out so well. And because OTT is experimenting with content, there are a variety of situations that we get to create music. As a result, the audience is also getting a variety, which is also meaningful.” Having said that, Chouhan points out with OTT, one needs to make sure that your music fits into the overall story. He explains, “What OTT is doing is jin jagaho par story based hai, un jagaho ki reality of uthaakr gaano me daala jaarha hai. In Panchayat, there is a song called Paracetamol, jisme words ki choice ispar depend kr rahi thi ki story kaha pr based hai. I wrote this line for Paracetamol (Panchayat)- ‘Na kataiyo parchi re, Na lagaiyo arji re, Na kisi hakeem ki davaiya.’ I did not say dawaai, but davaiyaa keeping in mind that the story is set in a heartland.”

Achint Thakkar

The composer is credited for the score of Hansal mehta’s web shows Scam 1992 and more recently, Scoop. Sharing what he loves about the platform, he says “No one has ever asked to make a viral track, but something that feels right. Whether it goes viral or not is a matter of luck. And in this process, setting of the show plays a huge role.” He explains, “For Monica…Oh My Darling, we wanted to make tunes that would be nostalgic, we had classical music in Rocket Boys which is not what youth listens to but the show needed it. For Scoop, Hansal sir wanted something that was reflective of the environment that Jagruti was in and the madness of newsroom. So it had to feel dark, brooding and pulsing like a ticking time bomb. So, it’s always more about the story and story is the target rather than the audience.”

Amaal Mallik

The music composer feels the audience today wants something fresh and relatable, which, is says, is a challenge. “We have Gen-z audience who listens Lo-fi, Hip Hop and everything else in the purest form. So, if I have work on the music of a project based in 80s or 90s, the music will be of that era, but the with soundscape I have to keep in mind taste of today’s audience. I can’t go away with it.” But he is happy that because of the demand of something fresh, he gets to experiment and move out of the comfort zone. “Everyone on OTT- from actors to makers to musicians- have a free hand to experiment. For example, I am working on a project with (filmmaker) Amol Gupte and for that, the music I have created has hip hop, influence of qawwali coupled with an orchestral score. And that’s a soundscape I had never explored before. So, yes, OTT provide better space for us to grow,” he explains.