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Anthony Gomes is the Director of the Furtados group of companies, which is in the forefront of musical instruments retail and distribution, music book publishing and music schools.
He is also the Regional Coordinator for Western India for Trinity College London, the international music, drama and language examinations board. The Mumbai Centre of Trinity, under his direct responsibility, is the single largest centre in the world outside of the UK for Trinity examinations in the Performing Arts.
Anthony plays the violin and is a former member of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra. He studied at Campion School and St Xavier's College in Mumbai.
ET: What are the latest trends that cater to the growing demands of the music industry?
AG: The music industry in India is still evolving and at present is quite small in comparison to other developing and developed markets with large demographics like ours. Several factors have facilitated the development and growth of the industry over the past decade or so. One major contributor is reality shows - however, these are producing singers, as opposed to musical instrumentalists.
The institutionalization of music education - Furtados School of Music, True School of Music, Musee Musical School of Music, K M Conservatory, Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, to name a few, have made available quality music education on a larger and more organized scale, including at a professional level, which was otherwise restricted to individuals in the private teaching practice with varying degrees of proficiency.
Mainstream schools, too, are now increasingly incorporating music into their curriculum. Hitherto, a music lesson in school comprised of just singing songs. Many schools now teach music theory and the playing of musical instruments as part of their curricular offering, and this is exposing many new students to the wonders of music, thereby significantly adding to the numbers who then pursue the subject more seriously.
ET: In the digital economy, has E-commerce played an important role in the retail music segment and what are the challenges of your industry?
AG: E-commerce is playing a significant role. At the present juncture, it is regrettably causing divisiveness and confusion. As in many segments (not just music), marketplaces have enabled all and sundry to sell a variety of products, with price being the over-riding consideration. Traders are indiscriminately discounting to their own detriment, and after mounting losses are unable to sustain their presence even after a few months.
The other challenge is the free returns policy that many marketplaces offer, which regrettably has resulted in rampant abuse of this privilege (as in many other segments), with people using products and returning them used/soiled and even unusable.
Higher value products sell only if they are boxed items (like keyboards and the like) - high-end guitars and other instruments which buyers would like to try and select, sell less frequently for this reason.
Nevertheless, e-commerce affords unrestricted reach to the whole population and with the prospect of improved and seamless logistics (with the advent of GST) enables our industry to reach consumers far and wide. This is particularly beneficial to the music retail industry as the number of brick-and-mortar shops/showrooms are concentrated only in Tier 1 and 2 cities/towns and that too with relatively low density.
www.furtadosonline.com is an important vertical for us and provides the entire Furtados catalogue throughout the length and breadth of our country. We are constantly investing and enhancing this e-commerce platform, as we fully appreciate that this is the way forward, now and in the future.
ET: It is believed that the boundaries between traditional music and electronic music are blurred. With electronic/digital music taking center stage, what is the future of the music industry, in your opinion?
AG: The traditional music industry continues to thrive. While electronic music in Bollywood has put paid to the "orchestra" and rendered many musicians out of jobs, opportunities have opened up in education and live performances. As more and more young people learn musical instruments (this is a noticeable and an undeniable trend), there is a dramatic increase in live performances at school and college festivals, private and corporate events and public performances.
Traditional Indian music continues to enjoy good patronage among the middle-aged and senior generation, but it is true that there are concerns for the future as many youngsters do not consider learning a traditional Indian instrument as enticing and exciting as the comparative western equivalent - i.e., sitar vs guitar, tabla vs drum set.
ET: As a family business, Furtados has come a long way. What are the benefits and challenges of handling a business that has been passed on from one generation to the other?
AG:
While Furtados is very much a family-owned business, it is now as professionally run and structured as any mid-sized corporate. As it is for any family, it was a challenge to make the move from a family-run set up to a professional corporate set-up and to relinquish micro-control and responsibilities. Some of the changes were forced upon us due to our expansion and growth in size and operations.
Our greatest asset is our brand value which the family has carefully nurtured and supported without compromise. Music is an industry and a business in which personal relationships are of paramount importance. Successive generations of the family have upheld this tradition and much of our goodwill stems from the strong personal contact we have with performers, teachers and parents who themselves have frequented our shops and transacted/interacted with us for generations.
This is also a challenge. As we expand and grow, we simply cannot replicate or clone ourselves in all territories and outlets. Training therefore assumes importance as we empower senior and mid-management to engage similarly with clientele in all our locations. Retention of human resources assumes greater significance because our team needs special training however experienced they may otherwise be in the retail sector, as knowledge of musical instruments and proper advice is crucial in the creating and sustaining of personal relationships with customers. Although the internet today provides a wealth of information, our customers still want balanced advice and support from us, and this training is vitally important. I do not deny, we are regrettably sometimes found wanting in this respect.
ET: Can you please tell us more about your chain of Furtados music school?
AG: Furtados School of Music - FSM (www.fsm.net.in), was launched in June 2011 and is today the largest instrument music education provider in the country. Within 6 years, we have over 15,000 students learning piano, keyboard, guitar, drums and singing across 50 K-12 schools and 9 standalone centres.
The bedrock of the quality education provided by FSM is our exclusive international curriculum which helps impart lessons in a fun and motivating manner. FSM has recently ventured into the digital education business with its "High" mobile app which helps customers avail private lessons at home at their convenience with Furtados-trained and certified teachers. With our pioneering "MusicBuddy" technology every child can now practise and get online digital assessment on how s/he is practising and/or playing.
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