Control ALT Delete 11 - Establishing A New Festival Model

In the past decade or so, the 'Festival' has certainly arrived in India! We'll all heard and some of us have been lucky to go outside and witness massive Music Festivals - a gathering of like minded people who like the same music and come together for a completely unique experience. With the rise of the Independent Music Industry in India, the number of Music Festivals offering this experience have now become a staple. Festivals like the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, VH1 Supersonic, Magnetic Fields etc have become huge with their lineups of International and Domestic artists. But at the same time, many small, DIY festivals have started coming up and at the forefront of this is Control ALT Delete and this year, see's the 11th edition of their festival take place in Mumbai starting from this coming Saturday.

CROWD FUNDING FESTIVALS?

CAD has been taking place for the last 8 years across 3 cities, featuring more than 100+ artists. But here's the interesting thing. It's all crowd funded. What do you mean crowd funded? Don't you just buy your tickets? Well, mostly all the big festivals or even smaller festivals are sponsored by various brands that provide the organisers the with the base foundation economically. Control ALT Delete works entirely on not just a crowd funding model but also a 'Pay What You Want' model. This means that even if you can't go to the festival, you can still fund upto Rs. 799 in support of the festival. This model is really important for the organisers of the festival who say,

A pay what you want model has been the bedrock of Control ALT Delete’s philosophy since its existence. This is the outlook that has allowed us to be an inclusive and safe space for music fans from all walks of life irrespective of their economic status, sexual orientation or musical preference. We don’t discriminate ever. Everyone who believes that music and the work of musicians has value and wants to experience cultural and musical freedom is welcome. We have a no logo policy and all our sponsors are the contributors, actual people and bot brands, who make this happen year on year. We have been blessed to grow from a small gig to a two day, multi-stage showcase year on year. That trust is solely because of our curation and transparency when it comes to financials.

Not only that, but all the accounts of the festival are shared in the public forum. People can evaluate the data and get the information that could probably help them to set up their own DIY festival. Talk about transparency. They believe in the contributions of real people and not 'bot brands'. [caption id="attachment_8476" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Komorebi at Control Alt Delete 10[/caption]

IT'S ALL INDIE

As mentioned earlier, the festival across 8 years has given over a 100+ artists a platform to showcase their music. The one aspect where CAD is different from the rest is that every single artist on the festival is a Domestic Independent Artist. It's a festival by the Independent Music Scene, for the Independent Music Scene and of the Independent Music Scene. Not only is it entirely Indie, the lineup is insanely well thought out and full of absolutely insane acts. The same has been organised according to 5 different stages namely the Sidestand, Synth & Strings, Electric Jungle, Mumbai 95 and the Survive This Stage. If the titles of these stages don't give something away, here's the full lineup below:

CAMP AT CONTROL ALT DELETE 11!

Camping is an essential part of the Festival experience outside of India and besides Magnetic Fields, no festival offers the organic Festival experience with a camp site. This time, Control Alt Delete is bring that to the masses as well! As the area of the festival is spread across 6 acres, the organisers have come up with a solid Campsite that includes both Tent and 'Bring Your Own Tent' offers! It's the campsites where the real festival culture is seen, and it'll be interesting to see how that turns out. So if you're a fan of camp fires and late night singalongs of Classic songs, you're in for a treat!

A MODEL WORTH CONSIDERING

The biggest takeaway from this festival along with everything else is the DIY, Crowd Funded model. it's surprising that other small scale festivals haven't done something like this considering how Crowd Funding has taken the Music Industry by storm. At the same time, it seems a bit unrealistic to carry on with the same model once the level of the Festivals keep going up. It's not as clear cut as festivals not needing sponsorship from brands, there is certainly a place for them, but this concept is certainly something that can be introduced into the workings of Festivals to promote this alternate business model that is highly democratic at it's core. At this stage, the festival has met its intended goal of Rs. 500,000. But that doesn't mean you can't contribute anymore. Go on and help the organisers for the future! Contribute here: http://www.controlaltdelete.in/contribute/control-alt-delete-11/ For any further information, go to www.controlaltdelete.in