India at the Øya Festival – Amit Gurbaxani, journalist

India represent an emerging market in the global music industry, with a 24,5% increase in revenue in recorded music in 2018 compared to global growth of 9,7%. India is currently the 15th largest market for recorded music in the world, and IFPI’s Global Music Report expects India will reach top 10 within 2022.

Øya International is a business-to-business program that runs throughout the Øya Festival in Oslo. Among the almost 160 delegates from the Norwegian and international music industry at Øya International this year, there will be three special invites from India. Akhila Shankar, Amit Garbaxani and Roochay Shukla will be hosting a panel on Thursday on the Indian music market exclusively for the delegates, and we have done a Q&A with them.

More:Akhila Shankar of JioSaavnRoochay Shukla of Outdustry

Amit Gurbaxani is a freelance journalist who covers various aspects of the Indian music industry, from new artists and releases to industry trends for a number of Indian and international publications including Billboard, India Today, Music Ally and the website Firstpost.com, for which he writes a bi-monthly column.

– Are you looking forward to the Øya Festival and to see Norwegian artists?

– I’m very excited for the festival, which I’ve heard many good things about. Apart from the legendary The Cure and personal favorites such as Robyn and Tame Impala, I’m greatly looking forward to watching Sigrid and Karpe as well as some Norwegian artists and bands I’ve not heard before.

Read more: Roadmap to India (Norwegian)

– How is the climate for Norwegian and international artists in India today? Do they stream a lot or is it mostly national repertory that Indians listen to?

– While the majority of Indians listen to Bollywood and music in their regional languages, the market for international music has been growing exponentially ever since the advent of streaming and easier access to sounds from across the world. Quite a few Norwegian electronic music DJs and producers and metal bands have performed here over the last two decades. Alan Walker and Kygo are of the two biggest international acts in India and have regularly played gigs here.

– Do you know any Norwegian artists, and how is their standing in the Indian market?

– I’m a bit of a music chart geek and I’m familiar with all the Norwegian acts that have had some success in the US or UK such as a-ha, Alan Walker, Kygo, Nico & Vinz, Röyksopp, Sigrid and even Ylvis. Of these, as I mentioned, Alan Walker and Kygo are both huge here. Almost everybody who listens to international music is probably aware of a-ha and “Take On Me”. It’s one of those songs you will hear at most bars that play retro music.