The tourism industry is all set to start shortly. An industry that plays a very important role in the state, from the taxis, hotels to the bands, they all survive in this industry. Music bands in play an important part in the tourism industry. Many of the bands add a distinct atmosphere to the entire experience of going to a restaurant in Goa with their music. With restaurants keep opening and closing, many after offering new experiences. Now with the new season set to start shortly, many musicians in the state are either waiting for calls from interested outlets or negotiating with the existing outlets.
For veteran singer Sigmund De Souza, the spectacle of artistes sending applications to the star restaurants was not for him. He never applied and prefers playing in restaurants and private parties. He says, “The restaurateurs don’t know how the season will pan out, so they are hesitant to commit. Once it is October, then the restaurants will start looking for musicians and then the good offers will come through. There are so many restaurants in Goa even the novices can perform. We get good offers. It can be per gig or slightly more than the average in the market.”
Natasha Abreu is part of a duo called Sancho e Tasha and already has the season planned. She says they are lucky because they have places who sign them on a regular basis and it works out well for them. The syste m works similar to a corporate where the payment would come at the end of the month. The sign up could be for a few months or could even be for six months. She says, “The business has changed. We get business through old and new contacts and those who love what we do. Some negotiate hard. There are a lot of technicalities involved in music. Today it is possible for anyone to create music thanks to new techniques and easy availability of backing tracks, it is possible for anyone to do it. Today, if you quote 10x some revert with X minus 2. Everyone plays hardball. We as a duo are doing well. We get what we quote. And we only perform where we get our numbers. We do a lot of private occasions. We also do parties hosted by outstation guests in houses. We get contracts with various establishments across Goa. It is tough but we
are doing fine.”
Another duo doing well is Retrolicious. Haydn D’Souza who is a singer and keyboardist says it all depends on the budget. He says, “New places are opening which are bigger and many of them want bands and after that they switch to a smaller setup or even use just a DJ. Some places are packed on Friday or Saturday and have a band. They are packed these days but then otherwise it is difficult. We have corporate gigs, it's been alright. Several bands have a few musicians going out as duos or soloists. All this is due to lower budgets. We are doing 5to 6 shows in a week. We get gigs as per our budget even though others in our category quote lower rates. I believe all the entertainers should come together and stick to one rate. There are ten duos in the north. They should be united. Otherwise the market will suffer.”
Another experienced singer Petula Colaco says the preference was for soloists and duos. It was cheaper for the hotelier and many of them could do what a band was doing. Once the singer had acquired a reputation then the establishment was willing to pay the price. The quotation he says would depend on the location, the outlet and whether it was for a long or a short period. A soloist she says could charge anywhere between Rs 7,000 and 15,000 per gig
and between
Rs 10,000 and 15,000.”
Lavine de Costa who is a composer and has a symphony says it was looking good for the season. He says. “There are a lot of enquiries for November, December and February. We have a fixed rate. We have rates for different audiences. We can offer a two piece or a 40-50 piece orchestra. It is looking good.”
The toughness of operating in the Goa market was articulated by Fedora Seixas, a singer who says the outlets did not want three or four piece bands. A soloist would also charge lower than a band. The prices were the same for five to six years. Fedora says, “I am paid around Rs 6000 per show and the situation is made worse by the outsiders. They are ready to sign even for Rs 2000. It has become sad. I am performing till December then I will go on the ship to join my husband.”
Agnelo Fernandes, another musician, says hotels were looking for cheap stuff because of budget constraints. He says, “When we quote our price they revert with something ridiculous. They want duos’ which should include a female. Since the hotels cannot predict the business they are not willing to commit. Some places have fixed musicians who have their own fan following who come to the outlet. These places are better known”.
The presence of outsiders was a problem. Nelly Pereira says restaurants wanted duets and many now wanted Hindi. She says everyone was cutting each other in cost and it was not easy. She says, “I am not willing to go running around at my age, we are surviving. I get private gigs through word of mouth.”
Rabin D’Pietro from Anjuna has a duo and a wedding band. He says certain places were looking for duos and others wanted bands. He says he was booked for the season and the rate was the same and they didn't come down. He says an increment can sometimes mean an increase of Rs 500. He says he was getting good rates.
Colin D’Cruz, a seasoned musician, bemoans the fact that most places advertise live music even when it’s a solo singer singing along with backing tracks. He says, “The magic of live music is when everything you hear is performed live. All the same, I do enjoy playing as a duo or trio where the music is partly live.”
The realities of the market means that everyone has to adapt to the market.