Red FM is evolving into a cultural celebration evangelist: Nisha Narayanan on 'South Side Story'

As Red FM gears up for the fifth season of the 'South Side Story' - a festival honouring the cultural richness of Southern India - Nisha Narayanan, Director and COO of Red FM and Magic FM underscored the festival's core mission. With the event scheduled to be held in Mumbai and Delhi next month, she reaffirmed that the channel’s goal is to transport the flavours of South India to the North, primarily through music.

Narayanan also pointed out that the channel has a history of celebrating local cultures and ethos, mainly within local regions. However, the realisation dawned that their unique content and intellectual properties (IP) could transcend state boundaries. This realisation served as the foundation for the inception of South Side Story, aiming to extend these cultural narratives to a broader audience beyond their home state.

The event will be hosted in Mumbai on September 2 at Richardson and Cruddas, followed by September 16 in Delhi at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The evolution of the South Side Story festival

Narayanan emphasised that Red FM has been focusing on building communities while striving for inclusivity. While pointing out that Red FM is a national yet local (NAT-local) brand, she said that while she speaks of inclusivity, she also aims to infuse the brand with a wide spectrum of diversity.

"We have always celebrated local cultures and ethos. This has primarily been done in the local areas but we decided to take our IPs to spaces outside the state. This is how South Side Story was born. We felt that there is a need for South Indian communities living in markets like Delhi and Mumbai to experience their culture. There are also many North Indians who want to experience the South. Our goal is to bring the South of India, primarily through music, to the North in whatever way we can,” Narayanan said.

She highlighted, “Red FM is becoming an evangelist towards cultural celebration as a mass media. We are spearheading this movement and we have the geographical reach to do so.”

In addition to South Side Story, Red FM also organises a variety of other events, such as the Punjabi musical festival ‘Swag Fest’, the classical music festival ‘Dugga Dugga’ in Kolkata and the ‘Riders Music Festival’.

“We invest in a number of community-building initiatives and IP. Due to COVID-19, we moved South Side Story online for two years. Last year, we held it in Delhi and the response was so positive that we decided to hold it in Mumbai as well because there are commercial considerations as well,” Narayanan added. 

Speaking about the challenges specific to the South Indian market for organising such a cultural event, Narayanan acknowledged that it is unfamiliar territory and the challenges of making it popular would always remain. Therefore, the marketing, ticketing and outreach efforts would need to be much greater in such cases.

"For South Side Story, we need to introduce the artists to the audience. These artists may be well-known in the South but they may not be as familiar to audiences in the North. We need to make sure that people are aware of the festival and the talent that it has to offer. This is a lot more challenging than organising a regular festival, as we are essentially introducing people to a new cultural experience,” she said.

Revenue generation and appeal for brands at the South Side Story

Narayanan said that revenue from sponsorship accounts for around 70% of the total revenue generated by the South Side Story festival, while ticket sales and F&B contribute the remaining 30%. While highlighting that the South Side Story is a win-win for brands, she said sales, programming, and marketing all benefit from the event.

“We have always taken a 360-degree approach to business, with multiple touchpoints on the ground, online and on radio. The challenge with any IP is consistency but we have been able to extend South Side Story year after year. We believe that building communities is essential and this has been successful for Red FM. We will continue to build on this momentum,” Narayanan added. 

She recounted that South Side Story had a modest beginning. When they came up with the idea for the festival five years ago, they only started with two bands: Thaikkudam Bridge and Agam the Band. However, they received an overwhelmingly positive response, which led to the inclusion of more bands. As a result, this season of the festival will feature 11 artists, including the two bands that have been with the channel for all five seasons.

According to her, the festival is all about providing enriching experiences to its attendees. She believes that there is more to Southern Indian culture than just music and dance and Red FM wants to showcase all aspects of it through this festival.

“We are encouraged by the fact that many sponsors have come on board to support us and we hope to take the festival to markets outside of Delhi and Mumbai,” Narayanan said. 

“As a NAT-local brand, we never neglect the cultural or local ethos. Sometimes, an IP gains popularity simply because it has been around for a while. For example, if Dugga Dugga continues for a few more years, it will likely reach the same scale as South Side Story. There is no bias towards any particular sound. We celebrate all cultures and are an inclusive brand.” she added. 

While emphasising that the goal is to bring these events outside of their home states, Narayanan also explained that the benefit of a festival that takes place in a metropolitan city is that it resonates more loudly than something that only happens in one state. 

She also highlighted that a wide range of brands from various sectors, including automobile, BFSI and FMCG have been supporting Red FM. The absence of an age restriction for the audience makes such festivals an attractive advertising platform for brands who find it easier to reach their target audience at such events.

While explaining Red FM’s business model for the South Side Story, she said, “It is largely based on sponsorships, in addition to ticket sales. South Indian advertisers are quite interested in this event, as it provides them with an opportunity to immediately target the community directly. We have had some great brands partner with us for South Side Story.”

Artist line-up for season 5 of South Side Story

Narayanan said that Red FM has brought together a diverse lineup of independent artists to celebrate the cultural richness of Southern India for the fifth season of South Side Story.

In the Mumbai event, artists such as Maalvika Sundar, Aattam Kalasamithi, Arivu, Sean Roldan and Friends, Agam the Band and Thaikkudam Bridge will be performing. Artists including Thirumali, All Ok, Hanumankind, Arivu with Band Ambasa, Neeraj Madhav and Sithara's Project Malabaricus will be a part of the Delhi event.

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