Are you a fan of Indian Ocean? Dive into this immersive experience to learn more

The music industry is a fertile ground for innovationmdashfrom vinyl records to digital downloads to streaming platforms and now to digital immersive experiences the industry has continuously adapted to changing technologies to reach audiences in new ways Indian Ocean has been a pioneer for the rock scene in India with their first release in 1993 with an eponymous album and with subsequent hits such as Ma Rewa and Kandisa and film collaborations such as Bandeh Black Friday 2006 and Tu Kisi Rail Si Masaan 2015In light of their 35th anniversary in collaboration with Metastar Media Indian Ocean brings a cuttingedge platform for fan interactionmdashtheir own Artisteverse In this digital immersive experience fans can deep dive into the legacy of the band plumped with exclusive content such as documentaries and tutorials their entire discography and even a karaoke roomAll the members of Indian Oceanmdashfrom left Amit Kilam drums and vocals Tuheen Chakravorty tabla and percussion Himanshu Joshi lead vocals Rahul Ram bass guitar and vocals and Nikhil Rao lead guitaristAmit Kilam drummer tells us the inspiration behind the collaboration ldquoWhen new things emerge sometimes you just try them out for the experiencerdquo he says ldquoIt felt like a fun and fresh way to interact with fans especially for those who want more immersive content It also happened to be something Shatadru Sarkar was passionate about so we decided to give it a shotrdquoSarkar founder of Metastar Media a company that empowers independent musicians by providing them with technological innovations like immersive experiences has been in the music industry for about two decades ldquoIrsquom older than I lookrdquo he jokes ldquoMy background is in working with record labels and Irsquove identified a few gaps in the industry over the years Despite living in a digital world artistesmdashwhether dancers performers or musiciansmdashstill depend heavily on live performances to earn a living They need to tour rigorously no matter if theyrsquore sick or exhausted because thatrsquos when they make most of their money So we wanted to create alternative sources of income for themrdquoShatadru SarkarAs one enters the digital verse itrsquos almost like walking into a brickandmortar space dedicated to Indian Ocean It is complete with a theatre where one can enjoy exclusive films from the band a studio that plays their entire discography an ecommerce store for exclusive merchandise and even a karaoke roomIndian Ocean has a cult following of dedicated fans across the nation ldquoFrom their perspective we noticed another gaprdquo says Sarkar ldquoSocial media can be superficial it doesnrsquot allow fans to dive deep into an artistersquos legacy or get to know them well If fans want to engage fully they have to hop between platformsmdashwatching videos on YouTube listening to music on streaming services and shopping on separate ecommerce sites This scattershot approach spreads fan bases across multiple thirdparty websites none of it controlled by the artiste They donrsquot own the platforms the data or have direct access to their fan baserdquoThe lounge room offers exclusive content and stories from each of the band membersldquoPostCOVIDrdquo continues Kilam ldquowe realised we could reach people virtually in ways we hadnrsquot before This platform offers a unique space for fans who might not be able to attend concerts in person While it wonrsquot replace live shows or social media it offers an intimate experiencerdquoThe process of creating these immersive spaces is highly collaborative with the artistes playing a crucial role in defining their virtual spaces Metastarrsquos team worked closely with Indian Ocean gathering inputs on their vision and integrating it into a 3D virtual space that reflects their brand ldquoIndian Ocean has an earthy grounded vibe so they wanted an outdoorsy villalike feel for their spacerdquo says Sarkar ldquoWe took inspiration from their album coversmdashif you go to the outdoors section of the space yoursquoll see a blue tree which was part of their last album cover We also visited their studio in Delhi to capture their aestheticsmdashartwork wall colours and window styles So it was a mix of creating something new while drawing from their current spacesrdquo This level of attention to detail creates for fans a world that feels familiar and true to the artistersquos identitySarkar shines some light on future plans ldquoWersquore building community features like a chatbox and a community wall where fans can interact with the band members The musicians will also start offering tutorials for the Indian Ocean style which blends Western and Indian influences Nikhil Rao the guitarist will teach fusion guitar with both prerecorded and live master classesrdquo ldquoInitiallyrdquo elaborates Kilam ldquowersquoll release some new videos merchandise and live show experiencesrdquo They will be gauging fan engagement to see what resonatesldquoThis is a new world for us so wersquore learning as we gordquo reflects Kilam ldquoIn a few months we may roll out more content based on fan responserdquo A mobile app is in the pipeline allowing fans to access all the same features from their palmsIndian Ocean themselves are quite fascinated with the concept ldquoTheyrsquore thrilledrdquo says Sarkar ldquoEvery artiste wersquove worked with loves it because itrsquos so new and immersive Theyrsquore not just seeing the end productmdashtheyrsquore deeply involved in building it giving constant feedback and new ideas Itrsquos a very collaborative longterm investment for themrdquoThe designing process has been an exciting venture ldquoUnlike a typical thirdparty setuprdquo says Sarkar ldquowhere artiste involvement might be minimal here theyrsquore reaching out at all hours with ideas because theyrsquore so invested in the outcome Itrsquos something that not only connects them to fans now but can grow into a sustainable model for engagement over the next few yearsrdquoThe fan response has also been quite promising ldquoWe did a showcase recently at a concert in Gurgaonrdquo Sarkar tells us ldquowhere fans could explore the space using VR headsets which fans really enjoyedrdquoMetastar started their journey with Bickram Ghosh a revered Indian classical tabla player Theyrsquove also worked with artistes like Purbayan Chatterjee a sitar maestro who is part of a band called Classicool whose immersive experience is designed like a spaceship and even acclaimed Bharatnaytam dancer Priyadarsini Govind who also offers live tutorials in her immersive experience