It is a bewildering feeling to speculate whether Stupid Ditties is a small effort on a big scale or a big effort at a small scale. It is not either. This is definitely huge, both effort and scale. There are 20 bands on the compilation and each of them has sound and feel of its own and banded together under the aegis of Indie music. Let’s welcome this year’s Stupid Ditties: Awesome Foursome, a compilation that Mumbai gives out to the rest of the world yearly and demonstrates the Indie music potential India harbours.
Rishu Singh, the man behind the Stupid Ditties (SD) concept, says, “The idea behind launching SD was to unify the Indie music scene. There are other genres which are unified and have a dedicated following. Take metal music for instance. It has a fraternity. There weren’t many things happening for Indie music, it needed a circumstance, a platform to come together. SD does just that.” No wonder it is popularly known as the unmetal compilation.
Stupid Ditties has immensely profited from Rishu’s prior experience with other projects of the same nature. Where others faltered, SD emerged a winner. “Stupidities is basically about free music, free CDs, free downloads and free gigs. SD has immensely gained from the experience of previous less ambitious compilations,” adds Rishu. SD works because India is a compilation-hit nation. Still, absence of multiple survival methods and alternatives gnaw at the grand tree trunk of the great Indian music scene. When asked about survival models available to bands, Rishu poignantly replies, “It is definitely playing music live. A band can’t survive through only making music. They must go out and play. Making music isn’t making money anymore.” “In today’s scenario, myriad new things are happening. There are competitions where huge prize money is involved. A band needs to do its homework, go out and perform well. If they win, the money can be used to record their songs and for other promotion,” he adds.
According to him, everything a band does is a medium to the end: playing live. And so, the main arena of earning, learning and satisfaction for an artiste remains performance. “We had 110 entries this year, mostly bands which play alternative and punk rock. We select a band on the basis of its sense of originality and innovativeness. We don’t want a song which sounds like a rip-off. The song should feel like it is coming from one’s heart.” According to Rishu, anyone and everyone can listen to SD4 if they appro-ach it with an open mind: “There is no injustice greater than a verdict without listening.”
SD had its share of criticism and Rishu willingly admits it. “SD is usually criticised for its poor quality of recording. This should be considered an occupational hazard. There are bands who do not have access to well-produced sound on the basis of their experience and good equipment. When you put both of these sides together in one compilation, there are bound to be disparities.” Rishu has bartered SD criticism for focus and happily hops forward. He wants SD to have the same vibe as the Khadi Gram Udhyog and Lijjat Papad where each paisa earned is equally shared. Rishu is protective of his brainchild. “I am never going to sell out Stupid Ditties. I need a like-minded sponsor and who believes in the whole vibe. If and when SD makes money, musicians will have the first right to take share in it,” Rishu says. The response to the compilation is more than fabulous. Bands with a formidable reputation are vying for space on its tracklist. Split, Emperor Minge & Sridhar/Thayil, Ska Vengers, Pinknoise and Shaa’ir & Func are to name a few. SD hasn’t lost on its novelty factor and promises lots more.