Any form of the arts that functions in the absence of solid infrastructural or financial backing develops its own support system of like-minded people, who make up for the lack of funds with will. That's how theatre survives, and the field of independent music is no different. So, while it is the musicians who take the centrestage at a performance, a network of non-music talent, including filmmakers, photographers, artists and designers, are responsible for creating the right kind of noise before a gig, so it isn't just attended by fans but also piques the interest of new listeners.

Posters play a key role in this. But Mumbai-based designer Mohini Mukherjee realised that once a gig is over, the visuals created for it seldom take off from the bands' social media pages. The edgy artwork on gig posters, however, isn't just a date-time-venue announcement, but an encapsulation of the band's ethos. And to ensure that these works of art don't fade into insignificance, Mukherjee launched the Indian Gig Poster Archive last week, which is an online repository of around 300 posters created for independent music, sourced through social media from all over India.