Amplify Music Incubator was created to help independent artists in India who don’t have enough support and resources. They have announced a call for applications for their sixth edition, starting on August 14. The program, developed by Mumbai-based music agency Gatecrash, is a national initiative that provides training and networking opportunities for up-and-coming artists.
The program lasts for six weeks, with five weeks of online training and a final week-long residency in Goa. This is followed by a showcase. In the past, AMI has featured projects like T.ill Apes, Easy Wanderlings, RANJ + Clifr, Bawari Basanti, and Shreyas Iyengar. They have provided over 420 hours of professional development training by industry experts from India, Canada, the UK, and France.
So far, AMI has worked with 42 acts across four batches and recently started the fifth edition with 15 projects on June 26. Now they are accepting applications for the sixth edition, which will run from August 14 to September 23. The deadline for applications is July 17.
The goal of AMI is to help artists understand both the creative and business aspects of being an artist. They provide training on creative collaboration, PR and promotions, copyrights and royalties, and the complex world of streaming. They have added workshops on mental wellbeing, consultations with stylists to define an artist’s persona, and one-on-one mentorship to help artists with content and release strategies.
According to Tanish Thakker, the founder of AMI, they are always learning and improving the program based on feedback from artists. This year, they have focused on wellbeing with workshops on topics like grounding in the creative space, yoga, meditation, intuitive art therapy, and dance therapy.
AMI has seen an increase in participation from the music industry, which Thakker finds encouraging. The industry now views knowledge sharing and artist development differently and is more proactive in supporting initiatives like Amplify.
In addition, AMI has partnered with the not-for-profit organization ‘Music Mulakatein’ for a series of shows called Music Mulakatein Live. These shows will take place in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore and will be organized in collaboration with local NGOs to provide access to live music for people from disadvantaged communities. The shows will feature selected artists from all editions of AMI.
Amplify Music Incubator receives support from Institut Français, Canada’s Music Incubator, and Believe, a leading digital music company.
