“We Are Looking Forward To Creating Brand Anthems, Jingles And Real Songs”-Hamza Kazi,Head In Music Division DCA

Hamza Kazi brings a unique blend of technical expertise and creative prowess to his role as the Head of the Music Division at Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA). With an educational background in Automobile Engineering and an MBA in Marketing & E-commerce, kazi has amassed over 14 years of experience in business development and marketing across various industries, including engineering goods, consumer durables, official merchandise, and edtech products.

A professional musician since 2005, Kazi has drummed for bands releasing albums through Universal Music, Sony, EMI Music, and T-Series. He is a brand ambassador for seven leading drum gear brands and has performed as a live session drummer for Bollywood artists like Armaan Malik, Jonita Gandhi, Vidya Vox, Naezy, and Aayushman Khurrana.

His extensive experience and passion for music and marketing make him an invaluable asset to DCA's music division.In an exclusive interview with Loudest.in Power People, kazi shares insights into his remarkable journey and the intricacies of music business branding.

Here are edited excerpts:

Q1.Can you tell us about your journey in the music industry and how you became the Head of the Music Division at Dharma Cornerstone Agency?

Firstly, I've been a musician for over 22 years. For context, I play drums and started playing in 2002.

I've played in various metal bands and, as you can see from my T-shirt, I'm still a metal fan at heart. I've performed in the non-film circuit, the Bollywood circuit, and currently, I play for Armaan Malik. I used to play with Jonita Gandhi, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Jasleen Matharu, among others. Music has been a significant part of my life for 22 years and counting.

Music has always been at the forefront, but on the other end, I'm also an automobile engineer with an MBA in marketing. I used to work in the construction industry, balancing music and business side by side. A few years ago, I realized it made sense to merge my expertise in both fields. Despite my rich history in music, people often doubted my abilities because of my construction industry background. However, my friend  recognized my passion, drive, and capability.

I joined DCA as the General Manager of Branding and Marketing Partnerships, leveraging my marketing background. My role was to integrate brands with music and work on the branding aspects of our music talents. After about four months, my friend called me to his cabin and asked me to put together an organizational chart and develop a 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year plan. I presented this to him, and he set up a meeting with Apurva Mehta, the CEO of Dharma Productions. This is how I landed my current job, which I love dearly.

Q2.How does Dharma Cornerstone Agency differentiate itself from other music agencies?

People often claim they own or run management agencies, but in reality, these are booking agencies doubling up as management agencies. What I really wanted to do was create a distinct identity for DCA Music. Being a musician for so long actually helped because I understand exactly what artists are looking for in a management agency.

First, we established our own identity by defining what we do. We realized through self-reflection that we are a management agency that also offers value-added services like booking for brands and live events. Additionally, because we are closely associated with Dharma Productions, we work on content creation as well.

So, we defined our services and our unique proposition. We have a clear vision and the strong backing of Dharma Productions, enabling us to deliver on various fronts in the music industry.

Q3.Recently Neha Kakkar, welcome to Dharma Cornerstone Agency! What excites you the most about joining DCA?And what more artists do you cater to?

Great question. First of all, we're very glad to have someone like Neha Kakkar on our roster. In fact, the day she joined, she sent me a screenshot of the top 10 female artists from a few years ago, where she was ranked number 2 after Nicki Minaj.

Having an artist with such a rich legacy is a huge honor for us. To clarify, our roster includes a diverse group of artists. We have Neha Kakkar, Jubin Nautiyal, Neeti Mohan, Amaal Malik, Nikita Gandhi, Nakash Aziz from the mainstream Bollywood side. We also recently signed Arjun Kanungo, Vidya Vox, DJ Sanjoy, Shreya Jain, and Celina Sharma. We have artists at various stages of their careers, from hardcore Bollywood to completely indie.

Our goal is to have a good mix of artists and partner with them to execute their vision. For instance, Nikita has achieved a lot in the Indian context, so we need to find what excites her next. We start by having the artist write down a mission statement for the next year, which we then internalize.

We aim to understand what the artist wants because if the management agency isn't in sync with the artist, it can lead to a disconnect. Our agenda is to help artists, regardless of their size, achieve their goals and dreams. We set small milestones to achieve these big dreams. As we raise the price point of an artist, we also benefit, making it a collaborative partnership.

Dreams can vary from wanting to perform at Lollapalooza, prestigious colleges, going on an India or world tour, or collaborating with someone like Ed Sheeran. We pen down these dreams and plan the steps to achieve them.In simple terms, that's what we strive to do.

Q4.Are there any innovative revenue models or streams you are exploring or have recently implemented?How do collaborations and partnerships contribute to the agency's revenue?

That's a great question. First of all, there are multiple revenue streams available in music. Let me outline these for the audience. Firstly, there’s revenue from live performances, which constitutes a significant portion of what Indian artists earn. Non-film artists also earn revenue from streaming their content. When you own the rights to your songs, you can enter sync deals with brands, production houses, or OTT platforms, licensing your song for some time. There’s also branded content, where you create songs specifically for brands.

Another revenue stream is from brand endorsements, as well as from one-off digital deals like influencer campaigns. Merchandising is yet another potential source of income.

In India, I believe there is a lot of untapped potential, especially in integrating with brands more seamlessly. Often, brand collaborations in music are somewhat superficial, with brands merely wanting to leverage an artist's audience. However, for these partnerships to be truly effective, there needs to be a logical and seamless connection between the brand's target audience and the artist's audience. When this happens organically, it can be very powerful.

For example, we did a lot of brand integrations, one being the Jasleen Royal Hide music video where we integrated with Boat. We are proud of that project. In fact, I personally delivered Boat products to Jasleen’s driver the night before, as the schedule was so tight. There are many such opportunities, and we’re working to tap into them. This is a vast, greenfield opportunity.

We've also done significant branded content, such as the Royal Stag Boombox properties last year and this year, featuring artists like Nikita Gandhi and Neeti Mohan. We also collaborated with McDonald’s on the 'I’m Lovin’ It' campaign, which included artists like Lisa Mishra and Nikita Gandhi. Although a planned collaboration with Jasleen didn’t materialize, the potential remains.

The key is to approach these opportunities smartly and creatively. Having a musician involved can be invaluable, as they can advise brands on what is authentic for the artist. This is a unique strength we possess and intend to leverage.

Q5.Lastly What are the upcoming projects for DCA and how do you see the Music Business industry in the next 5 years?

We are really excited about the brand solutions wing that we've recently set up. We're looking at a lot of conceptual music IPs that we're developing. The advantage we have is that we possess a combination of brands, talents, and innovative brand solutions, along with the know-how to create hit songs. With Azim Diani, the best music supervisor in the country, on our team, we can present a comprehensive package to brands.

This gives us a significant advantage. We are looking forward to creating brand anthems, jingles, and real songs. Additionally, we are entering the ticketing model, not by starting a ticketing website, but by partnering with ticketing agencies to explore ticketed tours. There are a few exciting collaborations in the works, which I can't disclose right now, but a lot of interesting things are coming up in the next five years.

There has been a shift towards artists focusing on building communities. Merchandising plays a crucial role here. From my own experience with my band, Koshish, we were able to sell 100,000 t-shirts and DVD box sets. This potential is largely untapped today. Building a community of hardcore fans is key, as it ensures a paying audience. It's not just about having 15 million listeners, but about how many of those listeners will stream your song 20 times a day, spam their friends to check out your music, buy tickets to your shows, and purchase merchandise.

This kind of fandom helps grow an artist's career significantly. In the next five years, artists will likely focus on this aspect to achieve growth. Diljit Dosanjh is a great example. For his Australia and New Zealand tour, he was able to sell out tickets in pre-sale before they officially went on sale. He sold out tickets in Canada in record time, but this success is the result of consistent effort over the years.

This is the overall strategy for the next five years.