{"id":1951675,"date":"2025-08-09T17:51:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T17:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1951675"},"modified":"2025-08-09T17:51:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T17:51:25","slug":"music-on-the-house-how-living-rooms-are-becoming-indias-newest-concert-halls-lifestyle-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/music-on-the-house-how-living-rooms-are-becoming-indias-newest-concert-halls-lifestyle-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Music on the House: How living rooms are becoming India\u2019s newest concert halls – Lifestyle News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2018Mahaul over money\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Deepika Seth, 28, Mumbai<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to music, Deepika Seth prefers \u201cmahaul <\/em>(environment) over money<\/a>\u201d. This explains why the Mumbai resident\u2019s (she originally hails from Delhi) love affair with home concerts began when she attended a gig on somebody\u2019s terrace, complete with charpais and fairy lights. \u201cThe vibe of the show and the place can be a dealbreaker when it comes to the audience going back home happy or not,\u201d says Seth, 28, whose initial career was in artiste management, and later at an organisation that conducts home concerts across the country.<\/p>\n

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After scouting for venues and setting up concerts for other artistes, Seth now runs The Grapevine Sessions, a \u201ccommunity-driven social experiment\u201d that organises home concerts. \u201cMy last baithak <\/em>was two weeks ago in my living room for family and friends. My mom made the food, and we took care of the decor and every other detail,\u201d she offers. In her experience, \u201cit allows the artiste to really embody the music\u201d, and more importantly, \u201ccontrol the narrative of the show\u201d.<\/p>\n

Seth has performed at restaurants as well, but since the music <\/a>is not the focus there, the artiste is often distracted by the atmosphere of the room. \u201cPeople walk in and out, you can hear cutlery clanging on the tables, and people talking over the music,\u201d she says, highlighting the importance of the artiste to feel in control of the space, and orienting the audience to their needs or convenience. \u201cIn my baithaks<\/em>, there is much more scope of visibility and interaction with the audience,\u201d she says, adding: \u201cNot only can I look them in the eyes when I sing, but also ask them to put their mobile phones on \u2018silence\u2019 mode if I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her experience, going solo on putting together her own shows, along with her fellow musicians and friends and with the help of family, has and continues to be a struggle as the entire production and labour work is on the artiste \u201cwho is getting paid just about Rs 5,000 for a performance on a good day\u201d.<\/p>\n

Seth describes home concerts <\/a>as a completely different beast from stage shows, as everything, from the artiste\u2019s performance to the audience\u2019s reception and response, is different. \u201cAnd while it may not become a sustainable model any time soon, I believe this is now my purpose to keep on organising these house concerts and make more people discover the intimacy and vulnerability of experiencing music the same time and the same way as the artiste, in such close quarters,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Spaces to grow, and connect<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sarthak Karkare (Maqta), 29, Mumbai<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sarthak Karkare, better known as \u2018Maqta\u2019, has performed at over 40 home venues. They are the perfect spaces for him to authentically grow his audience, he says, as the spaces \u201clend themselves to attentive listening\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having started his musical career with an English rock band, the 29-year-old Mumbai resident has since been a part of many musical groups, but has grown his repertoire in Hindi music alongside his home audiences. In many ways, he says, home settings are better for him to introduce his audiences to his Hindi compositions.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI play so many original tracks and new compositions at these home concerts\u2014 with no demand for crowd favourites or cover songs,\u201d he shares. Apart from the ease of performance, he says, home concerts also have great potential for growing financially in the future. Where earlier he was able to charge around Rs 500 per ticket, now he charges almost Rs 900. The largest audience he has hosted at a home concert was a group of 37 to 40 attendees.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, home shows are largely volunteer-based and can often be erratic for that reason,\u201d he adds, hoping that a sustainable business model can be arrived at, which can make this a more financially reliable model for artistes in the near future.<\/p>\n

Karkare\u2019s sets are usually about 90 minutes long, and since home venues do not have sound systems, he has to set up all the equipment on his own. \u201cWith time, I have experienced random people opening up their homes for a concert, and they become fairly regular hosts,\u201d he says. He recalls one such event where the homeowners had even made and provided the food for the attendees, with a cover charge for the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of the more recent shows, I have even been able to get food sponsors for the venues,\u201d shares Karkare. Going into the brass tacks of the process, he says that one has to be very careful about publicity and marketing when the venue is a private home. \u201cIn that situation I publish the posters and ask people to reach out to me personally for bookings\u2014once they have made the ticket payment to my account, only then do I share the location of the show with that particular person,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouse concerts are just the beginning,\u201d says Karkare, who has been in the music industry for over eight years and does home and stage shows in the approximate ratio of 70:30. \u201cWe are slowly seeing more and more spaces open up as venues for artistes to perform, not just for entertainment<\/a>, but for full-fledged performances with the artiste as the focus,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Maqta prefers the intimate setting of a home far more than that of a stage because it allows him to build his own community, and be physically close to them, rather than be connected via screens, online fanbases, or ticket sales. With his run of house concerts, he has seen packed rooms and terraces with repeat audiences who have returned with friends \u201cbecause they connected with my performance and brought back friends to share in this experience\u201d. It makes the artiste accessible to his or her audience in a way that was not possible before, he adds.<\/p>\n

Intimate & invested crowds<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mahesh Raghunandan, 33, Bengaluru<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bengaluru-based Mahesh Raghunandan, a singer and songwriter, has recently completed an eight-city tour with Sofar, an organisation that finds home venues for independent artistes. While he still plays at pubs, music festivals and concerts \u201csince a musical artiste cannot sustain only on house concerts\u201d, he admits that home spaces are undeniably far more nerve-wracking than a larger stage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen the audience is small, and I am the only performer in front of them, sans band and fancy sound systems, I know all of their attention is entirely on me, and that definitely adds to the pressure as well as the adrenaline rush,\u201d says Raghunandan, 33. As a solo artiste and a singer-songwriter, house concerts do take up a larger chunk of his performance roster. Moreover, he says his music is far better suited to these intimate settings.<\/p>\n

Raghunandan notes a difference in the kind of audience members that show up at home concerts as opposed to other venues, saying that the former offers a much more honest and invested crowd. When performing at pubs or similar spaces, he says \u201cthere is an element of the music being a part of the entertainment act, or adding to the already prescribed \u2018vibe\u2019 of the venue\u201d. \u201cAt home concerts, however, the performer knows that they are the only focus, and audience members behave as such,\u201d he says. However, when the audience is louder than the musical act, which happens often at such venues, according to Raghunandan, \u201cit is the most disheartening thing for an artiste\u201d.<\/p>\n

Further, he says, house concerts help to build a local community not just for artistes but also for audiences. Speaking specifically about his hometown Bengaluru, he says, \u201cThe traffic here is not just a stereotype but a real challenge\u2014even people who want to watch live performances will opt out of making plans to go to a venue as it takes 1.5-2 hours to reach anywhere.\u201d He explains that having spaces in homes as live music venues might encourage these people to go out and enjoy ticketed performances as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies and their children show up to my house concerts, which is not a sight I get to see very often at pubs or other venues,\u201d he says. \u201cWith house concerts, it\u2019s unlike any other live performance,\u201d he muses, when speaking about the financial downside to house concerts. He admits that even if at a point in his career, stage shows were proving enough to sustain himself in the music industry, he would keep going back to performing at home venues nonetheless. \u201cIn house concerts, more often than not, the equipment is minimal, the instruments you are using are mostly acoustic, so there is an organic, bare and raw experience of sitting with an artiste and listening to them perform\u2014it is an incredible stage for any artiste,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Small gigs, big impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jeremiah de Rozario, 29, Kochi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeremiah de Rozario has just broken into the scene of home concerts, hosting his first ever in his living room. \u201cI have always wanted to perform my music for an audience in the same space that I compose it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old Kochi-based banker turned musician set up his living room with dim lights, passed around ghee biscuits made by his sister during the set, and put up a small merchandise stall as well. \u201cI circulated a Google document for people interested to attend, with a \u2018pay what you want\u2019 model, and after the entry of the first 30, we had to close off the list, as my living room would not hold so many people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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For Rozario, playing his songs in the comfort of his own home was a long-held dream. He says the home concert was more for him, than for his audience\u2014it was to satisfy a creative experience he wanted to have. \u201cWhen I write my songs, it\u2019s always been in this home, surrounded by these walls. So I wanted my audience to feel it the same way I felt when I composed it\u2026 These small gigs have always been very special,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

He shares that the production cost came to about Rs15,000-Rs20,000, of which he made back less than Rs10,000. However, Jeremiah is not looking for monetary payoff from his home concerts just yet. \u201cAs an independent artiste, I have to acknowledge that this cannot be a sole source of income,\u201d he says, adding: \u201cAs a banker, I\u2019ve found ways to be smart with money and income even with the home concerts. Having had many years to think about this, I had the time to plan it smartly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI only recorded my first concert as a memory, I do not intend to make recordings of every living room performance,\u201d he says, adding that he is not aiming for these shows to be a marketing tool either.<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent parts of my home are where I make my music, and so I feel most comfortable performing it in the same setting,\u201d says Rozario. Performing in such settings, he says, also allows for storytelling. \u201cMany from my audience did not know the back stories to some of my songs, but learned about it for the first time,\u201d he recalls, adding: \u201cThe feedback overwhelmingly was that now that they know what the song is about, it hits deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rozario also intends to use his home for testing his original music on audiences before the release. \u201cI played some songs from my EP (extended play) which is releasing next month, to gauge the audience reaction, and I plan to host another after its release,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Concerts held in such places also help Rozario to find his audience, and gauge the people who resonate with his sound specifically. As of now, he is not looking for a financial payoff from the concerts held in his living room. \u201cAs long as it can take care of 80% of the production cost, I am happy with it,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Homing in on theatre<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tanvi Shah, 31, Mumbai<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mumbai-based theatre director Tanvi Shah, 31, and her team have performed across Mumbai in various homes that invite and co-host her immersive performance Unshared Childhoods<\/em>. Her theatre company, Jaan Theatre, was born out of her desire to make theatre and plays more accessible and relatable for the general public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Shah\u2019s theatre journey began 12 years ago, when she worked as a documenter, writer, theatre apprentice, and dramaturg before receiving training with Indian Ensemble\u2019s Directors\u2019 Training Programme in Bengaluru, after which she went to pursue her Masters in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. \u201cWe have done 44 performances of Unshared Childhoods<\/em> so far with the most unexpected audiences showing up to watch us perform,\u201d she says. The idea is to bring \u2018non theatre-goers\u2019 to the theatre, by \u201cbringing it home to them\u201d. On one occasion, she had a roomful of 51 audience members. The first show of this performance was held at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Shah, \u201call the big things in our life happen in the home\u2014be it celebration, love, loss, or anything else\u201d, which is why she also felt that homes are more than ideal to stage dramatic performances for an audience. \u201cI want to make people more comfortable with foreign and unfamiliar concepts and ideas through my theatre in a familiar and intimate space,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

The performances are immersive and interactive and supported by live music and movement with the audience participating. \u201cWe visit the homes for a recce, before finalising them for a performance. We take pictures and make notes, and then rehearse accordingly for that particular venue,\u201d she says.\u201cWe have to keep in mind the locality, the family members of the host and take stock of their house rules when we work with a venue, very often using their furniture and articles available in the space as our props,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Another interesting aspect of Shah\u2019s use of the home space is the concept of open rehearsals. She opens her team\u2019s rehearsals for audience members as well\u2014 giving theatre-curious people a much more easygoing and intimate opening into the theatre world.<\/p>\n

Shah imagines her theatre practice\u2014 most consummately experienced through Unshared Childhoods<\/em>, and continued with Jaan Theatre\u2019s work at large\u2014as one that encourages vulnerability. It has audiences experience art in one another\u2019s company in intimate and non-judgemental settings, and explores myriad definitions of theatre and their own relationship to and stakes in the cultural ecosystem of their city, not as consumers but as co-hosts.<\/p>\n

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\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.financialexpress.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Mahaul over money\u2019 Deepika Seth, 28, Mumbai When it comes to music, Deepika Seth prefers \u201cmahaul (environment) over money\u201d. This explains why the Mumbai resident\u2019s (she originally hails from Delhi) love affair with home concerts began when she attended a gig on somebody\u2019s terrace, complete with charpais and fairy lights. \u201cThe vibe of the show […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1951676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[341674,21741,341675,21818,21800,23072],"class_list":["post-1951675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-audiences","tag-entertainment","tag-fe-leisure","tag-lifestyle","tag-music","tag-theatre"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Music-on-the-House-How-living-rooms-are-becoming-Indias.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1951675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1951676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1951675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1951675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1951675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}