You are currently browsing the archives for the RM Journal category.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Jul | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
July 4, 2009 by Michael.
Hey all,
Rhythm Mandir has taken several trips to India, New York, and other locations to discuss the business of the band with our contacts in the industry. I kept a journal for several of these trips. They’ll be published a piece at a time here, on the Rhythm Mandir blog. To start off, here is an entry from a trip Arnie B and I took to Mumbai. More to follow…
Michael
April 2, 2007
I woke up in Mumbai this morning. This is my first time to India, and the reasons for my coming are not those of the typical American tourist. Arnie B met me at the airport last night. Him and Eddie’s driver. Eddie is our ‘manager’ here. He is a 30 or 40-something Indian, dressed-down but stylish, and constantly taking calls from other artists.We were told we had an appointment with our first record label at 4:00 today. Arnie B and I get lunch at the restaurant downstairs in the hotel, and take a walk on the beach.About 3:00, Eddie shows up at our room. It’s my first time to meet him. He’s not a hand-shaking kind of guy. He prefers that fist-to-fist style greeting and calls everyone ‘bro’. I always wondered where it was that people really do that, and I guess I have my answer - Mumbai.We both finish getting ready with our pop-star clothes to go meet the label - basically jeans and designer shirts. I didn’t own any designer shirts before this trip, and wasn’t quite sure what to look for. I don’t think the employees at Dillard’s were quite prepared for helping me pick out shirts that would impress Indian record labels.
The first company deals with releases in India, pretty much. Nothing international. Still, it’s a big label (there are no small labels in India), and when we walk in, we are directed to the CEO’s desk. While it may be a big label, it appears to have a small staff, and the company head takes interviews of potential acts himself. The meeting appears to go well. He plays all five tracks on the CD we brought, at an extremely high volume, and listens to each one almost all the way through. Judging by his body language, and the way he sways his head to the music, I’d say he’s impressed. Most of the meeting takes place in Hindi, so I say and understand very little. Eddie carries on the whole meeting, trying to sell us as an international act, which I suppose we are.
After the meeting, Arnie B and I wait outside while Eddie and the CEO meet with a traditional Bhangra group, and I’m sure discuss Rhythm Mandir’s prospects as well. When Eddie emerges, so do the first recommended changes. It seems the vocals and arrangements are great, “Too good, man”, but the lyrics need improvement. But no worries, because he knows just the lyricist we need. He’ll be coming to meet at our hotel room at 9:00 tonight. Arnie B suggests that we might want to wait until we speak with other labels, but Eddie dismisses this. They’ll all want lyric improvements, he says. See you at 9:00. You’re going to be big stars.
Posted in RM Journal | 6 Comments »