India, July 16 -- Sejal Ved came to Shillong for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

She expected music at the obvious places: the festival grounds of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, cafes and restaurants lining Laitumkhrah. What stayed with her happened somewhere else.

"The local buses also play music. Rock, jazz, you name it," she says. Sejal found it surprising. Most Shillongites wouldn't think twice about it.

That gap between what visitors notice and what locals take for granted sits at the heart of the city's music culture.

Beyond The Weekend Rush Festival weekends aren't really the test of a music city. Imti Kharkongar, founder of the Shillong-based creative company Emerdjence, explains, "the real strength lies in whether music can...