Sennheiser Top 50 gives impetus to Independent Music in India
Strengthening its commitment of building a platform for independent music in India, Sennheiser has
announced the third edition of Sennheiser Top 50 which is a battle of Indian bands to compete and
make their way to the coveted list of Top 50 best bands in India. Sennheiser Top 50 season 3 will
hold an on ground battle amongst four zones, North-Delhi, South-Bangalore, East-Shilong and West-Pune.
Sennheiser is further raising the stakes this year with a credible jury in the music fraternity.
The winning bands will win prizes worth INR 20 lacs and a 2 year endorsement deal with Sennheiser.
The jury this year constitutes of– Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Raghu Dixit and Papon.
Vipin Pungalia, Director, Sennheiser Professional Segment India, commented, “The great response from
the last two editions has encouraged us to come back with yet another season of Sennheiser Top 50 in
helping in bands recognition across various genres. There is great talent in the country and we want
to offer them the right platform to showcase it. We are very excited to bring the credible jury on
board to recognize our Top 50 and we believe that we will be witnessing great potential and talent
through this journey. We are also hoping for a great response from different zones, as there is enormous
talent everywhere but not enough platforms to showcase it. We thereby encourage having zonal finales
along with the grand finale this year. “
Sennheiser Top 50 Season 3 will conclude with a grand finale in Mumbai where the top 4 bands will battle
it out live to find their way to the top rank. The event provides a platform for Indian bands to
showcase their talent and helps create a place for them in the competitive and growing music
industry.
Saahil Kumar, Head Marketing, Sennheiser India, commented, “As a company, we are known for innovations
and shaping the future of audio. Hence, it is obvious that our marketing efforts are also aligned to
the same. We see Sennheiser Top 50 as a platform for young talented musicians, semi-professional bands
who have the grit and guts to pursue music as a career but might lack the right support and resources.
Our every endeavour is to help these bands scale up, get known better and produce or create better
music with the help of quality equipment. We started as an only digital leader board – the first ever
in India and this year, we have scaled it up to 4 zonal finales to be able to reach bands in every
nook and corner of India. Our strategy is simple – to support the emerging independent music scene
in India and enable these bands to explore their talent. We only plan to scale it up further from
here.”
The last two editions of Sennheiser Top 50 saw good response and engagement. Over 2000 musicians
from 75 cities across all genres - pop, rock, fusion, classic, metal, jazz and blues were engaged
in this initiative by Sennheiser.
Renowned composer and singer trio, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy said, “We are very excited to be a part of this
innovative hunt for India’s best bands for the third time in a row! It is a great initiative by
Sennheiser in providing a platform for budding musicians to not just showcase their talent but also
start their journey to become the next big thing in the music industry. We are expecting diverse
talent across genres and can’t wait to start this journey!”
Internationally reputed Singer - Songwriter, Raghu Dixit, said, “It is a good effort by Sennheiser of
bringing the Independent music scene to the forefront! In the previous editions also the bands have
showcased great potential and zeal to make it big in the professional music industry. I wish all the
bands luck and hope to see more bands coming ahead and using platforms like Sennheiser Top 50.”
Popular Singer & Composer, Papon said, “Music is an integral part of the fabric of India and the North
East is no exception. Assam, where I was born and a place I proudly call home, has a lot of talented
musicians and bands waiting for the right platform to help them turn their dreams into reality.
Sennheiser as a brand has always focused on revolutionising the music industry, which is something I
appreciate. And I really hope that all the talent out there in North East gets recognised and we have
a winner from my region!”
The registration period for the most coveted trophy was from 1 June 2017 till 1st July 2017.
The top 100 shortlist was announced on 12 July. The basis of selection was both by internal as well as
external jury from the entries submitted. The next phase will involve voting within zones to choose
top 3 bands from each zone, who will then battle out at regional finales to get into top 4 as well as
revealing ranks from 5 to 50 basis 70% jury decision and 30% public voting. The winners of each zone
will be announced followed by a grand finale in Mumbai where the top 4 bands will battle out in front
of the jury for the number 1 spot.