Junaid Nazir: B-Schools Should Focus Not Only On Business But Also On Other Subjects

Returning home from his office in Gurgaon on a drab evening in 2018, Junaid Nazir took one of the toughest decisions of his life바카라�give up his corporate job with a six-figure salary at Google India and pursue his passion: music.

바카라�I thought it was the biggest mistake of my life,바카라� Nazir tells Outlook.

He wanted to use his education바카라�a postgraduate degree in business administration바카라�and five years of experience in marketing and advertising to explore the world of arts. 바카라�I am an art lover, and I am especially fond of music,바카라� he says. 바카라�From my days at Google, I learned what sells and what does not, and what makes a good piece of music popular.바카라�  

In 2019, Nazir met Ayan Joe, a guitarist, and Srinath Kumar, a drummer. And, soon Nazir launched Sabbath, a music company that was incorporated in 2021. It is not yet making any profits, but they plan to break even by mid-2023. Now, they produce music compopsed by young artists from Kashmir. One of the popular tracks they have released is 바카라�Khatima바카라� by rapper Ayaz. Another song they will release soon is 바카라�Madano바카라� by debutant Mehreen Muneer. 바카라�We spot young musicians and artists, produce their music, create their videos and distribute them, and market them on social media,바카라� he said. 바카라�Four years since I took the decision to quit, I feel blessed to do something of my own.바카라�

Music in the Valley

An aspiring musician needs a lot of resources to put out their music. They need to rent a studio to record their music, hire musicians, produce a video, and eventually market their music. This is an expensive process that most aspiring musicians cannot afford.

Nazir offers all these services for free. He also markets their music, giving them visibility and providing them with a base of listeners. So how does he do it while making Sabbath a viable business? Through his training in marketing. 바카라�I have studied hardcore marketing,바카라� says Nazir, who has got his MBA from the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, New Delhi, in 2012.

바카라�At Google, I put my academic knowledge to practical application. However, I later realised I can do more than managerial stuff, and pursue something out of the box.바카라�

Teach them some humanities

But Nazir regrets not starting his venture earlier. 바카라�This was because of the rigid syllabi and statutes at my alma mater,바카라� he says. 바카라�My institution taught hardcore business. If I was exposed to music as an art form during my MBA days, I would have immediately started doing what I like instead of working at a corporate giant for five years.바카라� Nazir feels B-schools should focus not only on business but also on other subjects. 바카라�Fine and liberal arts, history, literature바카라�these should also be taught rigorously,바카라� he says. 바카라�This will increase choices of the students when they look at different careers.바카라�

Learning to market music

When Nazir quit his job, he knew how to market music. But he did not know how to make it. In his pursuit to learn about it, he met and connected with people from all walks of life, especially musicians, to learn the tricks of the trade. Now, Sabbath바카라�s music production is led by a talented group of musicians. Guitarist Joe and drummer Kumar often travel to Srinagar, Nazir바카라�s hometown, to collaborate.

Nazir has taken upon himself other responsibilities such as marketing, advertising, strategy, artiste management and scouting for talent. 바카라�A month back, I was reading a study about the dynamics of employment in the post-pandemic world,바카라� says Nazir, 바카라�The article claimed that creating content바카라�art, music or writing바카라�is among the five career choices that will see a boom in the coming decades. Is it fair to keep business schools restricted to business studies only?바카라� For him, the question is rhetorical.

(This appeared in the print edition as "Giving up Google for Gigs")