Multiple mini-festivals within a large event to make Vh1 Supersonic 2023 special: Gaurav Mashruwala of Viacom18 Live

The multi-genre music and lifestyle festival, Vh1 Supersonic edition 2023, is returning after three years with an aim to give a new experience to all music lovers and lifestyle enthusiasts. 

It is slated to be held between February 24-26 at Pune's Mahalakshmi Lawns. 

Gaurav Mashruwala

In an exclusive conversation with BestMediaInfo.com, Gaurav Mashruwala, Business Head, Viacom18 Live (Integrated Network Solutions), said that since Supersonic is making a comeback after three years, it is going to have multiple mini-festivals within a large festival and transcend genres, cuisines, artists and experiences.

What’s new in Vh1 Supersonic edition 2023?

Artist line-up

Mashruwala said that Vh1 Supersonic is returning after a long gap and, therefore, it was very essential to keep its soul the same as earlier editions.

“However, over the last two-and-a-half years the way people are consuming content has changed dramatically. So, keeping all these things in mind, we have done a few things. One is our artist line-up, people today are discovering music through a lot of social media platforms be it Instagram, TikTok or others, so we have brought in our headliners who are excellent with their music and are also very popular on social media,” Mashruwala stated. 

“Which is why you see Tyga, Anne-Marie, and CKay as some of our headliners for this festival. Along with that, as the trend in music is changing and we are seeing that a lot of people are now listening to hip-hop music, we have also added some big Indian hip-hop/ rap names like Divine, ‘Seedhe Maut’ and obviously, Tyga is also a hip-hop sensation. Keeping this in mind we keep evolving music-wise to be on point and keep up with the trend,” he added. 

BUDX Spectrum Stage-House of techno music

Furthermore, he went on to say that there has been a change in the way people are consuming electronic dance music (EDM) and the change is moving towards house and techno. 

“So, we are launching a stage in collaboration with Budweiser - called the BUDX Spectrum Stage. This will be our house of techno music where people can enjoy techno music as well as the house and dance music that people like to enjoy these days. Therein, we have brought in our headliners like CamelPhat and Bob Moses which go to the tune of our spectrum phenomena,” Mashruwala added.

3D stage show

“We have also seen that people are interested in immersive experiences. Innellea, one of the artists, will actually be doing a 3D show on stage. This will be a really good experience for most people who come to the festival,” Mashruwala said.

Super Street on a larger scale

Mashruwala said, “Continuing on the line of experiences, in our last edition we launched Super Street which is our fashion and art experience. In the last edition, it was small, we had close to about 35-40 young and upcoming artists and designers showcasing. This time we have tied up with Sunday Soul Sante to be our fashion partner on Super Street and NRYTA to be our art partner. Together they will bring over 100 young and upcoming designers both in the art and fashion space to showcase their wear.”

Food and beverages

“Besides that, for food and drinks, we have tied up with Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality. They will be now curating our entire super flea. They will bring in the best of the restaurant pop-ups. They will also bring in their professional bartenders who will curate cocktails,” Mashruwala said.

He continued by saying that this has now become a multi-genre music and lifestyle festival and people will also see smaller festivals within a large festival – be it a fashion festival or art festival, or even a food and beverage festival. 

“So, I would say we have one plus three kinds of experience now at Supersonic,” he added.

Challenges faced in bringing back Vh1 Supersonic post-pandemic

According to Mashruwala, the biggest challenge to bringing back Vh1 Supersonic has been the pandemic itself.

“During the pandemic both India, as well as different countries, had their own ups and downs. Each country came up with their own rules and regulations. Now bringing cultures together from different countries a year in advance when you don't know what is going to happen in the next 30-45 days, from a pandemic point of view, was the biggest challenge,” he added. 

Property has grown over the years 

As per Mashruwala, Supersonic has grown in the style of music and it has also grown from an EDM and techno festival to a multi-genre music festival. 

“We have added some fantastic experiences and in 2020 we just tried our hand at that and saw that the feedback was amazing. So, the festival has grown into a multi-genre music and lifestyle festival and also has mini-festivals within the festivals itself,” he added.

In addition to the brands on-boarded, Vh1 Supersonic 2023 has also tied up with Ajio as the fashion partner.

Marketing of the property 

“We market the festival as a digital-first property. So, all our marketing efforts are primarily digital. Along with that, because we are an experiential festival, we have partnered with a whole bunch of outlets that have a similar vibe to ours. For example, you will see our marketing in all Impresario clubs, restaurants, and bars across the country because their ethos on music and lifestyle matches ours. We have also partnered with JCB, they have a big say in the fashion and beauty space,” Mashruwala said.

Audience’s response as Vh1 Supersonic returns after three years

Mashruwala said that Supersonic has always had a loyal fanbase and the moment Vh1 Supersonic edition 2023 was announced, they saw an explosion from their fanbase saying they are so happy to have it back. 

“Along with that, the moment we announced all our new experiences, we saw a whole vast variety of people who want to visit Vh1 Supersonic now. In terms of response, in the last three months it's been fantastic,” Mashruwala added.

“The way we have been working on the ticket pricing has been such that it becomes accessible to everyone who would like to enjoy the festival,” Mashruwala said. 

The ticket prices begin from Rs 999 for Day 1 to Rs 4,999 for the VIP for Day 3. Three-day and weekend passes for the event are also being made available.

Tickets can be purchased at - https://www.gosupersonic.in/.

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