Launched in 2016, Happydemic is a live music platform owned by Radhika Mukherji, who is singer Shaan’s wife, and by Amar Pandit. The company—in association with India’s oldest music label and youngest film production company, Saregama India—has taken it upon itself to create a fresh wave of musical content with emerging artistes. But that’s not Happyedemic’s only USP. What makes this a standout endeavour is the fact that it lets users hire musicians and artistes of their choice and book them for events, through the simple-t0-use portal, www.happydemic.com.
“Happydemic is not just a portal. It’s an initiative by Amar Pandit and me to create deployment opportunities for artistes by creating unique musical concepts that drive business impact,” says Radhika Mukherji.
Talking about the vision behind Happydemic, co-founder and CEO Mukherji adds, “I’ve been with Shaan for 21 years now and have personally witnessed amazing talent giving up on their dreams, because they could not make ends meet. For Shaan and me, this is a way of giving back to the musical ecosystem—the system that gave us all the love and support in the past years. We strongly believe that music brings about an abundance of happiness in one’s life. Our vision is to spread happiness in the lives of artistes and customers by bringing live music to people’s doorstep.”
“Our dream”, she continues, “is to ensure that every artiste gets at least four gigs per month through us, even if they are not exclusively tied down with us.”
Happydemic currently has 700-plus artistes registered on their digital platform, and has corporate tie-ups with the likes of Hindustan Unilever, Reliance ADA, and La Farge India to name a few.
“As of now we have over 700 verified artistes on our portal—most of them are from reality TV shows and have worked with the who’s who of the industry. Any artiste can register for free on the platform. After that, they go through a screening process based on three parameters—voice quality, performance quality and government ID proof. We also hold regular camps in different cities to meet them personally and get to know them better,” says Mukherji.
Users can easily browse through the offical list of artistes and select any of them based on their choice. The online platform is a hub for all kinds of musicians, and not restricted to just singers.
“We work with singers, instrumentalists and any other artiste that falls under the musical category. Artiste bookings are just one of our online services for the end consumer,” Mukherji adds.
“In just a year and a half, we have executed over 850 performances and have over 250 confirmed performances already lined up for 2018.”
The portal is perfect for those looking to book performers for occasions like birthday bashes, marriage anniversary celebrations, weddings and other functions. “We have a special sector for corporate firms, where we create unique musical solutions that drive business impact. One such amazing concept is called ‘SongStruck’: Gifting ka naya tareeka, a 20-minute unplugged performance at one’s doorstep.” Mukherji tells Guardian 20.
Videos of artistes performing are also available on the portal to help you choose from the array of musicians available. “We don’t just bridge the gap between customers and artistes. We understand the requirement thoroughly and then focus on creating magic through every performance. Our focus is on an excellent outcome. We leave no stone unturned to ensure the perfect performance that builds an emotional connect with the audience,” she adds.
Speaking on husband Shaan’s contribution to this platform, Mukherji says, “Shaan is the soul of Happydemic. His goodwill has helped us grow at a fast rate. Shaan does not come to office regularly but is a part of every important decision that is made.”
The initiative also offers employment opportunities to artistes hoping to make it big in showbiz. Mukherji explains, “Every artiste is looking for a playback opportunity today. Unfortunately, only some are lucky enough to make the cut. We help artistes make their career while they are trying to achieve their big break. Now, we have also tied up with Sa Re Ga Ma, an Indian music reality show, and have chosen six fabulous artistes who are on their way to becomeing YouTube sensations.”
Vikram Mehra, MD, Sa Re Ga Ma, says, “We are extremely excited to work with Happydemic to discover and establish new talent. We plan to use timeless music, our digital presence and Yoodlee films banner to make these artistes big.”
Though a new entrant in the world of business, Happydemic has already managed to carve a niche for itself. “Music is something everybody loves and we are overwhelmed with the feedback we receive from our clients. In just a year and a half, we have executed over 850 performances and have over 250 confirmed performances already lined up for 2018. Happydemic has two goals for the coming years. First, taking the concept of music strategy and planning to every brand in the country; and second, taking live music to every corner of India,” says Mukherji, signing off.