In Conversation With Mourjo Chatterjee On His Agency On Stage Talents!

Mourjo Chatterjee is one of the leading talent managers in India. His premier talent management agency 'On Stage Talents' exclusively manages artists like Ram Sampat, Akhil Sachdeva (Nasha), Shirley Setia, Amaal Mallik, DJ Aqeel, Lost Stories, DJ Chetas, Nina and Malika and also does brand amplification for International Artist KSHMR in India. Mourjo along with his partners Gaurav Chawla and Ayushman Sinha started OST in October 2016 and within this short time frame, they have created a brand name for themselves in the industry. Specializing in Artist Management, OST also does curation for events, IP's, International Bookings and Tour Management. [caption id="attachment_5179" align="alignright" width="300"] Mourjo Chatterjee with Ayushman Sinha and Gaurav Chawla[/caption] Mourjo Chatterjee, has had quite a journey starting with working as a Business Analyst at Genpact then as an Assistant Manager at Accenture, producing content for MTV and Sony, being a VFX Line Producer for Prime Focus, working on Celebrity Cricket League and then getting into Artist Management at Tarasme Mittal Talent Agency. His life changed in a way after getting into Artist Management and he has not looked back since. Mourjo garnered invaluable experience under Tarsame's guidance and finally decided to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur and starting his own agency. I had a chat with Mourjo Chatterjee where he talks about his Agency, how it all started, his journey as an Artist Manager and how to keep on learning from your mistakes. Mourjo also shares some valuable insights on how to deal with Artists, equal pay for Artists and most importantly the need to know your brand and Artist.

[caption id="attachment_5175" align="alignleft" width="199"] Team OST - Gaurav, Mourjo and Ayush[/caption]

L: What made you jump into entrepreneurship and start your own Agency?

M: Well, It was always there in the back of my mind. Wanted to be an Entrepreneur all my life. Who doesn't wanna be?! But yea, the transition from working with someone to opening my own venture happened quite quickly. A couple of weeks to be precise. I had worked with TMTM as the business head for 5 years, and I have had a fantastic time thereafter which I decided to start my own baby naming it On Stage Talents (OST). Two like-minded friends Gaurav Chawla and Aayushman Sinha joined in as my other 2 partners and that's how the journey started.

L: Over the years you have done all sorts of work as a business analyst, assistant manager, line producer to name a few, at which instance did you realize that you are meant to get into artist management.

M: Again, nothing planned. Artist management happened to me more than me happening to it. Lol. While I was on a sabbatical from my corporate job I met this absolute genius called Tarsame Mittal who owns Tarsame Mittal Talent Management. He was a one-man army and was looking for people to join him. We met through a friend and started working together. It was a fantastic journey at TMTM, I have learned life there. I have learned work there. I think I have made myself there. From handling Artists to Gigs, to World Tours, to shoots to a gala time always with the TMTM family. It was pure magic. The time I have spent there, the brand who made me an Artist Manager, to people know me as nowadays, haha!  [caption id="attachment_5174" align="alignright" width="401"] OST roster From L-R: DJ Aqeel, Neha Kakar, DJ Chetas, Amaal Mallik, Shirley Setia, Lost Stories[/caption]

L: Your clientele includes some of the biggest mainstream acts in India. As an agency what are the certain requirements you want from your potential clients and how would you categorize your artists?

M: I don't categorize my Artists. at ON STAGE TALENTS it's a Fam! We are One! Everyone's the same, treated the same, dealt the same. No one's Big or Small, no Work Big or Small. Well, Yes there are the Live Acts and DJs who have different requirements and their individual space of work is different, but that's about it. We are open to working with everyone, but never compromising on the quality of Shows. We sternly believe that an Artists true performance can only happen if we provide them with the best of Rigs, Gears and Tech. So fulfillment of our riders are a must that we look at from clients, The monetary angle and of course an interpersonal relationship with our clients! They are our Best friends! hehe! [caption id="attachment_5182" align="alignleft" width="326"] Team OST with Neha Kakkar and Shirley Setia[/caption]

L: Tells us about your journey while forming your own agency, your first signing, how much have you changed as an Artist Manager since you first started and what mistakes you would not like to repeat.

M: Trust me it all happened in a jiffy! It’s was more like the right time, things fell into place, met the right people at the right time.  However, journey has been splendid so far. With all the exceptional Artists we have in our family. I'm learning every day. So evolving as An Artist Manager every day. When a company is 1.5yrs old your sure of making mistakes but for us Mistakes aren’t considered as mistakes cause it’s an everyday thing. We learn from our mistakes and move on and try not to repeat it. Its a cycle. So for me it’s more like learning than making mistakes. My family, Mom, Dad and My Sister. My Partners Gaurav and Aayushmaan. Friends like Family Jyotika, Mayur, Rio and all our well-wishers, God has been kind. It’s been actually phenomenal so far. [caption id="attachment_5178" align="alignright" width="153"] Mourjo with Shirley[/caption]

L: What is the most important factor when it comes to dealing with artist fees in India and how much progress has the entertainment industry made when it comes to equal pay for both male and female artists?

M: The Entertainment Industry is making progress day by day I feel. Things are looking up for Artists in All space from mainstream to Indie. Labels have become more patient and open to ideas. Audience are open to new music, new thoughts, new content which is really nice for the growth of the entertainment industry. As far as Artist fees are concerned, Industry has progressed a lot from where it used to be in 80-90’s but equality still lacks, a male artist is paid more than the female counterpart even today! But there’s a significant increase of work for females artists which has only grown over from the past! Also, the digital era has helped this cause in a big way where females artists are more popular than male artists. The most important factor I think is to gauge every artist individually and price them accordingly.

L: Apart from your existing roster of artists, which market would you like to branch out to?

M: Well, Music is what we live for so we manage and work in Music. If a new avenue you ask, I guess it has to Sports! I'm a Sports buff myself. So would be fantastic working with Players for sure, and have already taken the first step towards the same. In time to come I shall announce the same.

L: Who is your inspiration or that one person you look up to when it comes to artist management?

M: Has to be Scooter Braun from School Boy Records and Raymond-Braun Media Group. That man is a pure inspiration. This guy is a gem as handling the likes of Usher, Martin Garrix, Justin Beiber, Ariana Grande to name a few. I love the way he works towards each of his artists growth and also love the fact how every Artists of his surrenders themselves to him! In India, it’s still a missing factor. [caption id="attachment_5183" align="aligncenter" width="571"] International Act KSHMR performing at Sunburn India[/caption]

L: Do you think that we have a fair system when it comes to categorizing an artist based on artist fees and the revenue generated through artist fees

M: System, doesn’t categorize an artist based on fee’s but releases or the amount of content you have. For a Singer, it can be Playbacks. More the releases more the fee’s, but accordingly to me that shouldn’t be the case. My outlook towards this is more like making the artist grow as a brand than increasing markets price for greater revenues! If the artist grows, the revenue will increase automatically, also the artist would sustain for a longer time. 

L: Any suggestions for up and coming artists managers

M: Well, yes. To all budding Artist Talent Managers, I one most Important advice would be to know your Artist well. The Artist is your End product which you are selling/promoting and working for. You need to know your Artist at the back of the hand. From their Strengths to their Weaknesses. Have noticed some artist managers off late who don't really have a fair idea of the product which they are selling. So that's an area budding Artist Managers should work on.