Music Inc. 2019: Join Groove of Mahindra Blues

Jay Shah, VP, Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. comes on stage with a cheeky line, to begin with, that following Brian Tellis, Fountainhead has made his job much more comfortable to explain Mahindra Blues to the audience. He comes forth to give a corporate perspective about why they do events and especially Mahindra blues, how it came about in the company and what are the success factors that have garnered so much of support from the people. The idea of Mahindra Blues started a decade ago, hilariously during a strategy meeting of a farm equipment sector.  Finding resistance in the sales in the Mississippi Delta in the U.S, the company sought out to do more than just sales and marketing.  After doing their groundwork research in Nashville and other cities to see what would interest the demographic. Noting that the decreasing prevalence of blues was occurring, they decided to address the situation in hand and immediately jumped to the opportunity, which would help them connect with the farmer population. Instead of rolling out the event in Nashville (the home of blues), they decided to come down to India and support their cause in a land far away. The Mahindra Blues festival helped pave the way for the company to become the third largest seller of tractors in the US. SUCCESS FACTORS

• All the IPs are owned by the company. This includes the other five festivals that they organise as well. This helps them maintain the consistency of the product that is delivered.
• The curation is carefully done, Mr Mahindra takes a keen interest in the workings of the event, and particular importance is given to the quality of the content that is put out that is considerate of gender, age, ethnic backgrounds of the musicians and more to ensure a wholesome experience is provided on their end.
• Line-up is diverse and within the budget.
• True to the blues, no other genre is addressed.
• The vibe of the venue is essential, hence Mehboob Studios works very well. Different sets for different settings. The ambience is crucial.
• Brian conducts the festival and he does so in his style and with finesse!
• Radio Show is on throughout the year to keep the purpose and culture alive.
• Want to make it accessible for everyone. Student tickets, Seating for the elderly.
• Now, Mahindra Blues is taking place in Chicago and New Orleans.
• Black Band Hut is a platform for upcoming blues artists/bands during the festival.
• The digital team does an outstanding job of not only promoting the festival but also the meaning and culture of blues.
• All of these factors have created a tribe of fans/followers and has helped in building the culture that has not only solved the problem for the farmers but also entertained people all over the world.