"Vh1 Supersonic has grown into a Multi-Genre Music and Lifestyle Festival"-Gaurav Mashruwala Business Head Viacom 18 LIVE

Gaurav Mashruwala, Business Head Viacom 18 LIVE ( Integrated Network Solutions)Business Head Viacom 18 LIVE ( Integrated Network Solutions),Gaurav Mashruwala is responsible for developing and executing various live experiences and entertainment projects. Vh1 Supersonic which began as a year-end music festival in its first year is now a marquee property with a humongous reach among consumers. Vh1 Supersonic is India’s definitive dance music experience to woo dance music lovers in the country.

Live events business was one of the worst-hit sectors in the media & entertainment industry during Covid. Unlike other sectors of the M&E industry, which recovered and touched pre-Covid levels in terms of revenues in the last two years, organized live events segment could recover only 20% revenues in 2021, as per the FICCI EY 2022 report.

While the category picked up momentum in 2022, 2023 is likely to speed up the segment's growth journey as there are several big live events that will take place this year, Vh1 Supersonic being one of them. The music festival is returning after a gap of three years. 

In the Exclusive Conversation with Loudest.in,Gaurav Mashruwala, Business Head, Viacom18 LIVE (Integrated Network Solutions) talks about shift in live events category post pandemic.Here are some edited excerpts:

Q1. How has this property grown over the years?

The consumption of music and the genres of music has seen a drastic change. Vh1 Supersonic has evolved from an EDM and techno festival to a multi-genre music festival. The main aspect of growth is that we are constantly adding various things through our different stages. The festival now covers various genres of music consisting of EDM and techno, and also has Rock hip-hop, Reggae, and Indie music. The other aspect is everyone loves music, but they also enjoy having great experiences with their friends and family and keeping that in mind, Vh1 Supersonic as a festival has grown into a multi-genre music and lifestyle festival.

Q2. Can you talk about the Artist line-up and ticket pricing?

Over the last two and a half years, the way people are consuming content has changed dramatically.The people who attend festival today are exploring music through social media platforms, etc., so we have brought in our headliners who are marvellous with their music and are famous on social media. Some of our event headliners for this festival include Tyga, Anne-Marie, and CKay.  As the trends in music is changing and the majority of people are now listening to hip-hop music, which is the reason we have added some big Indian hip-hop/ rap names like Divine, ‘Seedhe Maut’ and obviously, Tyga is also a hip-hop sensation. We have brought in our headliners like CamelPhat and Bob Moses which go to the tune of our spectrum phenomena. We also have Innellea, one of the artists, who will be doing a 3D show on stage. To make our festival accessible to everyone, we have been working on ticket pricing. The ticket prices start from Rs 999 for Day 1 to Rs 4,999 for the VIP for Day 3. Three-day and weekend passes for the event is also being made available.

Q3. Is there a shift in Live Events category post pandemic?

Rather than a shift, the live events category has expanded as we witness events happening across multiple areas across art, design, F&B, music, kids and family, etc. At Viacom18 Live, we position Vh1 Supersonic as a festival that has grown into a multi-genre music and lifestyle festival and also has mini-festivals within the festival itself. In live events space, to indulge kids and parents we are doing a musical show Peppa Pig Live. The show has already taken place in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Bangalore. 

Q4. How has been the audience interest as Vh1 Supersonic is returning after three years?

Over the years, Vh1 Supersonic has built an extremely large and loyal fan base. After the Vh1 Supersonic edition 2023 was announced, the response from the fan community was overwhelming, saying they are happy to have Vh1 Supersonic back. In terms of the previous editions, the audience interest has been excellent.