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New Delhi, Sep 09: Soundscapes of India (SOI) Season 3, the country’s premier showcase music festival and global music exchange, concluded after three days of curated music showcases, panel discussions, workshops, pitching sessions and industry meetings held from August 29 to 31 at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The third edition of the showcase festival organised by The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd (IPRS) in association with MusiConnect India brought together more than 150 artists from more than 15 Indian states, alongside international delegates from over 20 countries across Europe, Africa, Australia, North America and Asia-Pacific.
THREE DAYS OF CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING
Across the three days, the conference highlighted how Indian music can grow as an export category through panels, roundtables and workshops. Sessions included ‘Cultural Export as an Economic Driver: Building India‘s Global Music Presence,’ with tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh and Serendipity Arts Foundation Director Smriti Rajgarhia; ‘Country focus sessions covering the UK’s Live Music Industry with representatives of Celtic Connections, and Export Lessons from Africa featuring industry leaders from Tanzania, Eswatini, Egypt and South Africa.
Dedicated roundtables- on cultural diplomacy and international festival partnerships, on collaboratively mapping India‘s music ecosystem, and on music tourism and the festival economy- brought together delegates, festival programmers and policy voices to work through practical frameworks rather than open discussion alone.
Philip Grefer, Founder & CEO at WISE, shared his experience: “I was really looking forward to exploring India’s independent music scene. Since this was my first time at Soundscapes of India, I wanted to understand how India’s diverse music ecosystem works -and I found exactly what I was looking for at this event.”
Riju Tuladhar, Co-Founder of the folk music festival (Echoes in the Valley), mentioned, “ It was interesting to witness diversity in Indian music, to meet music colleagues from different countries and within India too.”
Marc Dube, Producer and A&R, Wandering Entertainment, Canada, added, “My experience was fantabulous, and events like this are a necessity. I quite discovered new talent at the event.”
Stani Goma, Founder, Beats of Any Nation Downunder (BAND), Australia shared, “I was at SOI to experience the diversity of Indian music, discover talented artists, and explore opportunities to collaborate with them. I’d love to bring some of these artists to Australia, introduce their music to new audiences, and help promote Indian music on the Australian music scene.”
During the Music Festivals as Engines of Place: Tourism, Local Economies & Cultural Identity, key government-side speakers emphasised the strategic role of state-backed cultural initiatives. Theja Meru, Chairman, TAFMA, Govt. of Nagaland, detailed how bodies like TAFMA position music and cultural festivals to drive local economic growth, foster creative entrepreneurship, and strengthen regional identity. Complementing this perspective, Koji Sato, Director General, Japan Foundation highlighted the impact of international cultural exchange, demonstrating how government-backed institutions can partner with festivals to propel cultural tourism and build sustainable, long-term place-making strategies.
Workshops covered export-readiness, grant and residency applications, artist branding and how festival programmers actually book talent, while a closing conversation, “India‘s Many Sounds– Programming India for Global Stages,” brought together international curators to discuss what makes Indian artists stand out internationally.
One of the workshop attendees reflected on the experience, saying, “Initially, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. But one of the best parts of the experience was the opportunity to connect with so many people from outside India who are looking to engage with the Indian talent. I believe this will open doors for future collaborations.”
Running alongside the conference sessions, SOI hosted one-on-one pitching sessions connecting Indian artists directly with festival programmers, bookers, agents, labels, publishers and talent managers from across the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Japan, Nepal, Africa and beyond. “In the Spotlight” sessions, across all three days, introduced participants to festivals and organisations including Ethno Port Festival – Poland, Fuji Rock Festival – Japan, Bushfire Festival in Eswatini and the Hong Kong Arts Festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), Iceland Airwaves, The Great Escape, MAMA Festival, WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo), among others, along with leading, widening the network of partners engaging with Indian artists.
Renowned composer and producer Abhijit Vaghani hosted dynamic creative sessions in The Discovery Room, where artists came together to collaborate, experiment, and create music live.
“My advice to all the artists and independent musicians here is simple: the one thing you should never lose is hope, and the one thing you don’t have is time. So, keep hope alive and make the most of your time. You need resilience and consistency. And most importantly, keep trying to collaborate with other musicians,” shared Abhijit.
MUSIC SHOWCASES ACROSS THREE NIGHTS
The evening showcases at SOI spanned classical, folk, tribal, Hindustani and Carnatic Classical, Pop, Rock and fusion repertoires. Day One featured Abhijeet Pohankar’s The Global Varkari, Meghalaya’s Da-La-Riti, Hindustani tabla artist Anuradha Pal, the Isheeta Chakravarty Collective, Carnatic-jazz act Lakkshya and Arunachal Pradesh’s Dobom Doji Collective.
Day Two showcased West Bengal folk artist Dipannita Acharya, Naga collective Seyie Intrepid, the Tamil Jazz Collective, Kerala’s Tribemama Marykali, Hindustani-progressive-rock act Param and Nagaland pop-punk band Street Stories.
The festival closed on Day Three with Desert Kats from the deserts of Barmer, Ladakh’s Da Shugs, The Ravi Iyer Fusion Experience, the sitar-santoor duo Wahane Sisters, Carnatic-jazz vocalist Varijashree Venugopal and Tamil Nadu’s Jatayu, before sitar virtuoso Purbayan Chatterjee brought SOI 2026 to a grand closure with the festival’s finale performance.
International performances were also witnessed- names including Egyptian-Arabic jazz artist Noha Fekri, Egypt; Indonesian guzheng and pipa performer Ngartini Huang; Zhuma Limbu from Nepal; and London-based Carnatic-rock guitarist Kapil Seshasayee.
Abhijit Pohankar, of Global Varkari Project, who showcased their music at SOI, shared his experience: “This is a fantastic platform that brings together traditional bands and artists from different parts of India and gives them a space to showcase their music. I don’t think a platform like this has been created in India before. It’s a great initiative that opens new opportunities for artists to connect, collaborate, and reach wider audiences in India and beyond.”
Purbayan Chatterjee, along with his band, who performed at the SOI Music Showcase, shared, “We presented a classic concluding act, and it was a beautiful reminder that music is an experience that transcends language. SOI is a wonderful example of this universal power of music. It is inspiring to see so many stakeholders come together and invest in this IP. As an Indian artist, I feel truly proud to be part of such a vibrant and inclusive music community.”
JOURNEY THROUGH THE LIVING ROOTS
A highlight of the closing day was ‘Journey through the Living Roots,’ a 60-minute curated presentation bringing musicians from four indigenous communities- the Jenu Kuruba of Coorg, the Ho of Jharkhand’s Kolhan region, the Koch-Rajbanshi of North Bengal and the Chakhesang Naga of Nagaland- to the SOI stage, many performing for an unfamiliar audience for the first time. Curated by Chief Mentor and Music Producer -Dr. Upali Chattopadhyay, the session paired oral traditions and hand-crafted instruments with storytelling, framing India‘s tribal music not as archival material but as a living practice still carried forward by the communities that created it.
LOOKING AHEAD
Now in its third year, Soundscapes of India has evolved from a showcase festival into a dynamic platform for music exchange, discovery, and global connection. At the heart of this journey is the #JoyofDiscovery-the joy of discovering new sounds, new talent, new collaborations, and new possibilities for Indian music on the world stage. These initiatives reflect IPRS’s continued efforts to create clear and sustainable opportunities for Indian artists to access international touring, collaboration, and festival circuits. The programme also builds on the success of past participants, who have gone on to perform at festivals such as Fuji Rock Festival – Japan, Rainforest World Music Festival – Malaysia, Sziget Festival – Hungary, and Gwangju Busking World Cup – South Korea.