Founder, Amplify Music Incubator
Tanish Thakker is a key enabler in India’s independent music ecosystem and the Founder of Amplify Music Incubator (AMI), a pioneering artist development initiative. With a vision to bridge the gap between creativity and industry knowledge, he has built platforms that empower emerging musicians with tools, networks, and mentorship. Alongside AMI, he is also the Director at Gatecrash, an international music agency, and Co-Founder of Jazz Weekender, a platform dedicated to nurturing live and jazz music culture in India. His work sits at the intersection of artist development, live music, and ecosystem-building, making him one of the leading voices in India’s indie music movement.
Early Career & Music
Tanish’s journey into music was unconventional, beginning with a background in startup incubation and venture ecosystems. His early exposure to incubation models made him realise the absence of similar structured support systems in the Indian music industry. He went on to work across music venues and live spaces, including stints at The Quarter at the Royal Opera House, where he was involved in production and programming. These experiences gave him first-hand exposure to artists, live audiences, and the operational side of the music business, shaping his understanding of the industry from the ground up.
Transition to Entrepreneurship
Driven by the gap he identified in artist development, Tanish set out to build infrastructure for independent musicians in India. After engaging with global models like Canada’s Music Incubator and learning directly from international mentors, he translated those learnings into the Indian context. This led to the creation of Amplify Music Incubator – an initiative designed to help artists navigate the creative, business & wellbeing sides of their careers. His entrepreneurial shift reflects a larger vision: to move the Indian indie ecosystem from fragmented growth to structured, sustainable development.
About The Company
Amplify Music Incubator (AMI), founded in 2020–21, is India’s first definitive development program for emerging musicians. AMI focuses on enhancing creativity, entrepreneurship, well-being, songwriting, and performance skills to help artists build sustainable careers. Their illustrious alumni include Anoushka Maskey, Irfana, Sudan, Rae Mullah, Frizzelle D’Souza, Aafirah, Tanmaya Bhatnagar, T.ill APES, Bendi, Sunflower Tape Machine, Meera, Utsavi Jha, Bebhumika, Abdon Mech, Easy Wanderlings, Ranj x Cliffr, and more. Designed as a multi-week incubator, it offers mentorship, workshops, residencies, and showcases that blend artistic growth with business acumen. Backed by industry professionals across India and globally, AMI has supported over a hundred artists through training in areas like branding, touring, royalties, songwriting, performance enhancement, mental well-being and more. The program operates as a collaborative ecosystem, bringing together artists, mentors and industry professionals to create a holistic growth environment.
Impact & Vision
Through AMI and his broader work, Tanish has helped catalyse a cultural shift in how independent artists approach their careers – encouraging them to think beyond just music creation and towards long-term sustainability. The incubator has supported multiple artist projects, facilitated hundreds of workshops, and built a strong community-driven ecosystem that prioritises collaboration over competition. His long-term vision is to create stronger infrastructure for the indie music industry in India – including funding models, cross-border collaborations, and deeper knowledge-sharing frameworks that make the artist journey more accessible, inclusive, and globally competitive. Central to this is developing programs that upskill industry professionals, from artist managers to music business practitioners, so that talented people are not just entering the industry but staying in it, growing within it, and shaping its future. Since launching in July 2021, AMI has hosted 7 cohorts, supporting 90+ music projects through the 6-week mentorship program (5 weeks online + 1-week residency in Goa). Their focus on enhancing creativity, entrepreneurship, well-being, songwriting, and performance skills to help artists build sustainable careers.
Amplify’s Impact
90+ music projects supported
120+ industry professionals engaged
250+ workshops & talks hosted
12 AMI showcases presented
120+ hours of post-program mentorship
70+ performance opportunities enabled
