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MARKETING & PARTNERSHIPS LEAD, Visva Records Kartik's role at Visva Records primarily involves heading the content, creative and marketing strategy behind OutStation, a newly launched boy band from India. As well as working with Dhee on her India releases. Prior to joining Visva Records, Kartik had a stunt at Spotify managing the hip-hop vertical and multiple other IPs within the company. He started his career working at Big Bang Music, a subsidiary of Sony Music, wherein he worked on brand partnerships and monetisation for the label. Kartik also had a brief sting at Imaginary Frnds, the management agency behind HanumanKind. |
Heritage: Malayali - Tamilian |
Location: Mumbai (India)
Connect: Instagram
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Tell us a bit about your role
It’s really about trying to foster a community of fans while showcasing who OutStation really is. A large portion of what we do is continuous storytelling — creating content pieces that hint at who each member is, showcasing their camaraderie in multiple ways, and making sure that through it all we keep fans front and centre. We also strongly believe in pushing on ground activations wherever available, making sure that the boys travel across the country and meet fans face to face. We view marketing at Visva as more about creating long term fans around artists rather than building it around the product (a single song). If we can get people invested in the journey of an artist, then the rest will follow.
What does your average day look like?
Frankly impossible to tie this down into something consistent because it’s always so different. We run a really small ship here so everyone works on everything in some way or the other. Some days are spent entirely in a studio figuring out songs, others are spent in a conference room brainstorming ideas for hours on end, and others have us flying across the country playing a show and coming back all within the span of 24 hours.
What is a common misconception about your role?
That there’s a clear path to any of it. It’s infinitely iterative and what worked today is definitely not going to work two weeks from now. We have to constantly be able to shift and mould so that we’re cutting through clutter.
What is your most & least favourite part of the job?
There’s definitely something uniquely special about being in the studio when a special song is being made, where you instantly know that something magical has happened. I also really enjoy ideating on how we’re going to do something absurd. We have the liberty to execute anything within our means so it’s almost about picking the most outlandish idea each time. You kind of also have to take the good with the bad so one can’t complain.
An important skill/trait for success in your role
Being willing and capable to think outside of references, being hyper aware of market dynamics, and being able to visualise/structure things long term.
Tell us a bit about your industry journey
I started off briefly in tech and finance for a year before quitting on a whim when I realised that any success I found there would be meaningless. The very moment I quit, I met an artist I had interviewed in college right downstairs in my office building. I found out that he was leading his own label and he offered me an opportunity to join. Since then, I’ve always been curious about different verticals and I’ve managed to work at labels, agencies, platforms, and distributors. Working at Visva is definitely a culmination of those experiences as the agency we operate with here is quite rewarding
How does your heritage affect your experience within the industry?
I frankly don’t see too much of it although being a Malayali I am always especially proud when artists who I’ve worked with like HanumanKind or artists who our extended label works with like Aksomaniac start to gain success. There was definitely a bias against music from the South’s capacity to break the mainstream for the longest time, but we’re increasingly seeing that being Pan India today is less and less dependent on language as we start to break down those barriers.
What is something you are particularly proud of in your journey?
It’s not an easy industry for most people. Professionalism isn’t as serious, compensation doesn’t match effort, and the lifestyle is gruelling. Genuinely I’m just proud that I’ve stuck around for so long and that my passion for it has outweighed all the negatives. If there’s one thing in particular, it would definitely be the fanbase we’ve cultivated for OutStation and hearing stories of so many people around India tell us just how much we’ve done for them.
What are your ambitions for the year ahead?
The ambition behind OutStation is massive so it’s really just fuelling that rocketship to the point where we’re able to break through whatever ceilings people think this group has. We want to be on the charts, we want to be in stadiums, we want to be a cultural moment in this country that the youth of India haven’t had for decades.
Your advice for someone entering the industry
Don’t expect instant gratification and don’t get too attached to art or artists. Not everyone lines up the way you want it to, but people notice the hustlers who can take a hit and keep moving more than anything else. Anyone can be lucky enough to ride a viral wave, not everyone can sustain it and fewer can come back from setbacks.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?
Professionalism in many ways can be improved. We’re severely tech backward as an industry and there are many tools that can streamline the way we work. WhatsApp is still the primary mode of communication and it’s a bit baffling that we allow it to continue that way.
Your community shout out
My friend and first real mentor who got me into all of this Raghav Meattle (@raghavmeattle). Not just for me alone, but for hundreds of artists and aspiring executives, he has been the person to push good people and good music forward more than anyone else.
5 artists from the community you are currently listening to
Besides OutStation & Dhee — Bombay Bandook, Aries, Aksomaniac, Rashmeet Kaur, and Dhanji
