The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
The Backline ticks instruments column for artistes
Four young musicians have a huge collection of musical instruments, which artistes from India and abroad can use for their concerts and shows in south India. Their startup also takes care of the placement of instruments, tuning and sound
They are like the stylistic fouronthe floor beat on drums. With their unique entrepreneurial journey by launching a pioneering musical startup named The Backline, four enterprising musicians – Clincin Chacko, Gladson Raj, Anuraj Pattayil and P.C. Prasanth – have set a benchmark in providing a wide variety of flagship musical instruments to touring artistes in south India.
Over 30 concerts
“Our startup is equipped to arrange musical instruments and related sounds for 10 concerts at a time anywhere in south India. The Kozhikode and Bengaluru hubs have already facilitated over 30 concerts, attended by celebrity singers like
Sunidhi Chauhan, in different parts of south India,” says Clincin, an IT engineering graduate from Kozhikode who has over seven years of experience as a drummer with over 24 bands. He says the demand for musical instruments has been steadily on the rise as artistes require flagship instruments for their shows without worrying about their safe shipping.
“As we take care of the whole affair, including the placement of the instruments, tuning and sound, the musicians can focus more on the quality of their performance,” he adds.
For Gladson, the new business venture launched just three months ago is a part of his passion. This Bengalurubased Malayali is a drummer.
Anuraj, from Kozhikode, is a guitarist and runs a music school here to train youngsters. Prasanth has established himself as a professional singer and manages a music studio in Kozhikode city.
Low quality
The unique startup idea came to their mind after interacting with several touring artistes who were forced to use low quality musical instruments in stage shows in different parts of Kerala and Karnataka. The risk in transporting personal instruments to faraway locations was a big concern for them.
Well appreciated
A costeffective solution thus took the form of this startup, which is well appreciated by musicians.
The members say the cost of hiring instruments may vary based on the nature of shows and the pieces of instruments required by the artistes. According to them, some are very brandspecific and may not be happy with mediocre products or frequently used ones.
The only risk in this business is the safekeeping of the costly instruments, which are often returned in a damaged state, they add.