Phalguna Somraj of ZEPHYR MUSIC AGENCY

Great Companies:  What is the main objective of the Zephyr Music Agency? 

Phalguna Somraj: Zephyr Music Agency (ZMA) was started with the intention of providing an out of the world experience through quality music, amazing performers, artists: live acts, or DJs, or any artist redefining sounds in their genre; who can add value to the partying or the music experience of the audience. With this objective in mind, we've ensured that we are successful in having the best DJs and artists who have given us the best of sound experience. It could be in terms of the equipment they use, tunes that they play, the venue, or be it anything. We have ensured that the audience gets the best experience.

Great Companies: What are the services provided by the Zephyr Music Agency to its clients?

Phalguna Somraj: When it comes to the services offered by ZMA, we follow a 360-degree approach. That is, we are a one-stop place for all solutions when it comes to music, right from music production, programming, or the events that are carried out seamlessly. So, right from managing a small venue to a big-ticket music festival with big artists or it could be social media promotions for events or artists’ personal branding, we do it all. That's about events and gigs. We have partnered with a lot of corporates clients for their flagship events, corporate anthems, brand jingles, etc. They get what is desired which is in line with their vision.

Great Companies:  What is your management style?

Phalguna Somraj: I’d like to call myself a positive authoritarian. In the area that we operate in, while it’s good to have a long term vision, it needs to be achieved through short term goals and objectives. In order to achieve these short term goals in an industry which is very volatile and that operates in high levels of creativity, it is necessary for us to adapt to changes or client or regulatory requirements accordingly. What helps in such an environment is setting some directions, some pace, and some controls to ensure that we achieve them. The work and events we do are highly time-bound and there are a lot of boundaries in terms of resources. Ensuring certain processes and controls in place really helps and I am sure my colleagues agree with it.

Great Companies: What makes Zephyr Music Agency different from others?

Phalguna Somraj: ZMA, as mentioned earlier, is a one-stop place for all requirements, be it a club, arena, or to host a music festival, or any corporation that wants us to curate events for their huge yearly gathering functions, we have highly experienced professionals who are a part of this. Some of the factors that set us apart are that we are just not an end to end solution provider but our main focus is on the quality of the outcome.  Having decades of experience in music and as a DJ, music producer, as someone who's been engineering sound for venues and being the curator of a music festival: Fields of Love. All this experience adds to it, so that our client/ partners can be rest assured when it comes to music being future-proofed. I think it’s the experience that sets us apart from it and the results can be seen in the quality of output of the music or the kind of the events we do or the kind of artists that we get.

Great Companies: Where do you see your Zephyr Music Agency in the next year?

Phalguna Somraj: In these COVID-19 times, when times are uncertain, we at ZMA are trying to pivot our model to ensure continuity in operations. While we are socially responsible and resume back on the ground once it is absolutely safe (wishful thinking), we are also glad that the much-needed pathway for Digital Transformation of the music industry is taking place rapidly. With people banking on various tools and apps for live streaming and releasing new music, there is an upsurge in listenership. We are working on various collaborations with artists and organizations, and newer concepts in releasing music online for our audience to enjoy.

While we will be open up to take up events and bookings: big and small in the near future from a sustainability perspective, we are glad that we have set on a path to explore wonderful collaborations with inspiring artists through online mediums.