Pepsi-MTV to tap non-film music, art with new TV channel Indies

Pepsi-MTV Indies, the new co-branded television channel launched by beverage and food company PepsiCo India and popular youth channel MTV, aspires to be the world's largest stage for 'independent' emerging artists.

So, if you are a talented Jazz musician looking for a platform to showcase your talent, Indies could be your preferred option.

From college music festivals to spotting and nurturing talent from far-flung towns of India, the vision of Pepsi-MTV Indies is to take the increasingly popular sub-culture of independent, non-film music to a much wider audience.

"There is a rock band in Arunachal Pradesh whose lead singer works in the local post office. These are the kind of talent and stories that we would like to bring alive through Indies," says Aditya Swamy, Business Head, MTV India.

It's not going to be music alone, says Swamy, as he also plans to acquire independent film content.

"Today, you find a lot of talented filmmakers who have great ideas but are unable to showcase their work due to funding challenges. We are also acquiring short films of 15- to 20-minute duration."

So, what prompted Pepsi to partner with MTV? The obvious reason is an opportunity to connect with the youth in a space they love.

"This will give us a 24/7 opportunity to connect with our target audience," points out Homi Battiwala, Senior Director, Marketing (Colas, Juices and Hydration), PepsiCo India.

Independent music is getting increasingly popular among Indian youth. The sheer increase in the number of independent music bands from just 10-15 five to six years ago to close to 100 today speaks of its popularity. Live music events like NH7 (in Pune) last year drew around 10,700 people over three days. Sunburn, the electronic dance music live event, clocked revenue of Rs 75 crore in 2012/13.

Pepsi has signed a three-year deal with MTV, wherein it has bought out a large percentage of its ad inventory. With the audience getting increasingly fragmented with the emergence of newer platforms of content consumption (mobile, tablet etc), the need to engage with one's target audience in a space which they love has become crucial for a brand, says Battiwala.

But will a TV channel which focuses on a niche segment like independent music and art make good business sense?

Regular music channels - which air Hollywood and Bollywood chartbusters - have been bleeding. Most of them have repositioned themselves as youth entertainment channels and are also offering fiction content and edgy reality shows.

Swamy gets defensive and says he is prepared to invest. "We are building a cult and it will take time to catch up."