Are Carnatic Musicians actually selling themselves short?

I was at a gathering today where a conversation took place over coffee and snacks in a well known coffee shop, which was followed by an interactive session between the audience and the speakers. One of the questions that came up was whether Carnatic Musicians are doing enough to promote themselves or whether they are selling themselves short in today's fast paced world. At that point, my mind went to the usual stereotypes; that it might not be worthwhile unless one actually has the talent and the ability, that Carnatic music doesn't actually require such an approach, and that Carnatic music is an art form for a niche audience.

While I was going through my Facebook timeline for my customary fifteen minutes before I went to sleep, I came across a few posts by indie rock bands, contemporary artistes and 'independent' musicians (a term I don't fully comprehend), who were promoting their upcoming performances, album releases and foreign tours. Embellished profiles, glamorous photo shoots, testimonials from fans, photos with celebrity guest musicians, the works! There is nothing subtle in the way they put themselves out there, irrespective of their popularity, quality of music or age. At this point, I wondered if maybe Carnatic musicians were a few steps behind in effectively reaching out to sections of the population who haven't taken equal notice of the classical arts. In today's scenario where enough and more attention is given to the media, maybe just being good at what you do isn't purely enough anymore. So, what is the benchmark based on which an artiste is gauged; the quality of the music, the amount of money they make, the number of concerts they sing, the number of followers they have on their twitter handle and their Facebook page, the number of likes they get for every single one of their posts? Social media plays a huge role in today's world, and though limited in number, there are many established classical and contemporary artistes who have warmly embraced it and tread this line with ease.

Will Carnatic Music actually benefit from such an approach and help bringing in a wider audience into its realm? Will the purists be open to such a methodology or will there be harsh criticism for being an unconventional sell out? Can one survive on being an extraordinary musician with just the hope that everything else will follow?

Are Carnatic Musicians actually selling themselves short?