Category: iWorld

Bajaao & Hard Rock café come together for artist management

MUMBAI: BAJAAO Music Pvt Ltd (BMPL), India’s first and leading online retailer of music instruments and theirevents division in BAJAAO Consulting and Events Pvt Ltd (BCEPL) today announcedtheir partnership with Hard Rock Café to curate artistes performing at various venues from across the country. Currently, Hard Rock Café is present in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune & Delhi, and Hyderabad which will in turn allow BAJAAO to service the crux of metropolitan cities across the country.

Given the current state of the live music industry in India, which is experiencing young talent mushrooming in the country, BAJAAO Consulting and Events Pvt Ltd will have an opportunity to encourage a number of acts to center stage where this talent can continue their journey to higher levels in the music industry while they build a promising career.Hard Rock Café has been one of the first venues to consistently promote talent across the board in India & looks to strengthen its focus on the same.BAJAAO will be handling the artiste’s management for over 52 weeks i.e. approximately over a year for Hard Rock Café.

Thanks to its deep roots in the Indian music scene the company has also expanded the events division to include and execute bigger, better musical events and partnerships, which include associations with Jack Daniels Rock Awards,International Jazz Festival, Ragasthan, Red Bull Tour Bus & brands like Superdry, Diesel, Converse etc.

Speaking on the association,Ashutosh Pande, Founder-CEO, BAJAAO commented: “I look forward to unearthing amazing talent & providing them with the platform to perform. These young musicians are passionately driven with a burning desire to perform, and we would like to expose them to the industry as much as we can.Music is indispensable and will always be a part of our world. India is only now expanding its idea of live music by going beyond Bollywood and other classical forms.We are honored to work with one of the world’s most iconic brands for music& also to promote the abundant talent this country possesses.”

Also commenting on the development,Mr.AkashSharma, Manager for Marketing & Events at Hard Rock Café said: “The BAJAAOteam has worked with innumerable talented musicians since their humble beginnings from the Jam room to the live sound company. This has provided them with a level of trust & insights in this industry which few possess. Hence we are looking forward to this association with them andfor some great music at Hard Rock Café.”

BAJAAO has been encouraging young talent to be successful in the music industry for years.They have recently tied up with the prestigious True School of Musicas their gear partner powering any and all of their musical needs. The school is affiliated to the Manhattan School of Music in New York and the Academy of Contemporary Music in the UK. The firm is realizing its vision to be the one point source for all musical needs for musiciansacross the country.
There is a constant rise in independent DJs, musicians, organisersetc which willsee this industry grow exponentially in the coming years. BAJAAO will continue to provide an opportunity for many to chase their passions inorder to set the stage for music in India.

February 24, 2014
TRAI wants auction of 800 MHz spectrum in 1.25 MHz block sizes

NEW DELHI: While noting that the entire available spectrum in the 800 MHz band should be put to auction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said Spectrum in the 800 MHz band should be auctioned in a block size of 1.25 MHz.

In its recommendations on the ‘Reserve Price for Auction of Spectrum in the 800 MHz Band’, TRAI said at least one chunk of contiguous 5 MHz spectrum (that is, four carriers) should be carved out before the auction. The carrier reassignment, if required, may be carried out amongst the existing TSPs in the 800 MHz band to make at least four contiguous carriers available.

Alternatively, the NIA for the auction may clearly stipulate that only contiguous blocks of 5 MHz will be sold. However, the reconfiguration of the frequencies should be worked out while auction is underway so that the reassignment is possible to be effected on completion of the auction.

The Department of Telecommunications in a letter on 12 December had sought TRAI’s recommendations on reserve price for 800 MHz band in all the service areas. In this context, TRAI had issued a Consultation Paper on 30 December on “Valuation and Reserve Price of Spectrum” raising specific issues for consideration of stakeholders. The key issues raised were quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, spectrum block-size and methods to be used for valuation and estimation of reserve price of spectrum. Written comments and counter comments were invited from the stakeholders by 15 January and 22 January respectively.

The comments and counter comments received from the stakeholders were placed on TRAI’s website www.trai.gov.in. An Open House Discussion was conducted by TRAI with all the stakeholders on 27 January at New Delhi.

A new entrant (that is, a TSP) that does not have any spectrum holding in the 800 MHz band must bid for a minimum of four carriers. However, an existing TSP – a TSP having some spectrum holding in the 800 MHz band – should be permitted to bid for a minimum one block of spectrum. New entrants must be assigned the earmarked contiguous carriers only.

The Authority recommends that the reserve price for the forthcoming auction of 800 MHz spectrum should be fixed at 80% of the average valuation.

The recommended reserve prices for the forthcoming auction are tabulated below:

Table Reserve Price per MHz in 800 MHz Band

February 24, 2014
SureWaves wins BCS Ratna Award

BANGALORE: SureWaves MediaTech Pvt Ltd, a next-generation media convergence company was awarded ”Best Innovative Technology” for its groundbreaking technology at the 5th BCS Ratna Awards 2014 held yesterday at New Delhi. The awards honored organizations that have been playing the role of a catalyst in Broadcasting, Media, DTH, Technology Providers & Cable TV industry in all areas. Founded in 2006, SureWaves, with over 30 technology patents, is one of the most innovative Indian start-up in recent times based out of Bangalore.

SureWaves’ ground-breaking technology enables large scale aggregation of audiences across multiple television channels and offers a single window interface to large national advertisers to effectively reach out to mass audiences on a market by market basis. The SureWaves Spot TV Network, one of the largest connected television networks of its kind anywhere in the world spans across 28 states and 7 union territories in India through partnerships with over 280 local TV channels that reach more than 80 million households and 400 million viewers.

On receiving the award Mr. Mandar Patwardhan – Chief Operating Officer, SureWaves said “We are extremely delighted and on behalf of SureWaves, I thank BCS Ratna Awards and Aavishkar Media Group for having recognized us with this award. For us, to win the Best Innovative Technology award is, of course, very motivating. We pride ourselves on our innovative flagship product – SureWaves Spot TV Network, which has made advertising on local channels accountable, measurable and is enabling national advertisers to reach out to a hitherto untapped audience.”

Since its inception in 2010, BCS Ratna Awards have become a symbol of excellence in the broadcasting and Distribution industry. This year, the awards focused not only on the excellence in the traditional media but also on path breaking initiatives in the case of new media as well. It was a one of its kind opportunity for Broadcasters, MSOs, LCOs, Technology & Content Providers, DTH stakeholders to come together on a single platform.

February 22, 2014
Facebook buys WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion

MUMBAI: WhatsApp is an application that has seen exponential growth in the five years since its launch and it has become the most popular means of communication through mobile phones. In a deal announced today, popular social media website Facebook has acquired the messaging application for a whopping $19 billion.

As per the terms of the transaction, $4 billion will be paid in cash to WhatsApp shareholders, $12 billion in Facebook shares and $3 billion in restricted stock units that will vest in the owners and employers of WhatsApp over four years after the deal is completed after regulatory approvals. WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will be joining the Facebook board of directors.

After the acquisition, WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and will continue its policy of no advertising. Currently, the application has 450 million users and is adding a million users each day. A release from Facebook says that the acquisition supports Facebook’s and WhatsApp’s shared mission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world by delivering core internet services efficiently and affordably.

“WhatsApp is a company of really hardcore engineers who are obsessing over perfecting messaging, not adding a lot of bloated features into a messaging app. Over time, I think people are going to pay for that,” said Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook was advised by Allen & Company LLC and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and WhatsApp was advised by Morgan Stanley and Fenwick & West, LLP.

Koum said, “WhatsApp’s extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide. We’re excited and honored to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world.”

February 20, 2014
starsports.com witnesses huge traffic during IPL 7 auction

MUMBAI: The digital arm of Star Sports – starsports.com – seems to be living up to its claim of being known as the YouTube of sports in India. The portal witnessed a huge traffic when it streamed the two day auction of the Pepsi Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2014 with five-minute delay.

The reach of the auction managed to outmatch Sony Six’s 2013 Pepsi IPL player auction numbers, claims the website as it attracted close to 680,000 visits over the two days.

Last year, the IPL auction on Sony Six witnessed traffic of 404,000 viewers with average time spent being 25 minutes in the male SEC ABC 15+ demographic.

In comparison, starsports.com reached 387,000 viewers with average time spent on the web being 31 minutes on each day.

Star India EVP and head new media Ajit Mohan said: “We had decided to produce a high quality show around the auctions, with commentary and analysis from Harsha Bhogle and Sourav Ganguly. This is a vindication of our approach. The Indian consumer is evolving fast and more and more consumers want to catch action while on the move. We are convinced that this year, the mobile screen will be where the action will be for IPL.”

The highest growth in traffic was seen in the first session of the auction on 12 February when marquee players like Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen were going under the hammer. The traffic peaked at 3 pm on 12 February. And almost 60 per cent of the traffic was from sports fans between the age of 18-24 years, and almost all of the traffic was in the coveted male demographics.

starsports.com is India’s first multi-sports digital service with availability across the web and mobile. Powered by live and video rights, it covers the best of world sports including major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey and tennis. This year, for the first time, all IPL matches will be available on the portal after it won the online streaming rights from Indiatimes.com this time around.

February 19, 2014
Amazon’s Prime Instant Video strengthens its library

MUMBAI: Amazon and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) are getting into a content licensing partnership that will see Prime Instant Video streaming past seasons of MTV’s Teen Wolf, along with a host of old classics.

The popular series will air exclusively on Amazon’s online-only subscription home. The deal will also make available for streaming past MGM movies such as The Usual Suspects, Raging Bull and Thelma and Louise. More movies are set to be available on Prime later this year.

The company is glad to add more MGM classic films such as Raging Bull and Thelma and Louise to Prime Instant Video; and is confident that its customers will love these great films.

Teen Wolf is an exciting addition to the library of MGM content available for instant streaming exclusively to Amazon Prime customers. The company strives to deliver its most popular TV shows and movies on a variety of platforms which its audiences can access from anywhere.

February 19, 2014
Game4u launches its new property – ‘Game4u PlayPad’

MUMBAI: Game4u, the specialist retailer of videogame products and the retail arm of Milestone Interactive Group has launched its new property – ‘Game4u PlayPad’. The property which is parties for gamers will take place on a regular basis, where enthusiasts come together to enjoy the latest games. The first PlayPad Night took place on 15^th February, 2014 in Mumbai, with a turnout of 45 casual gamers.

Hosted by Game4u, the PlayPad gaming nights are designed with the objective of spreading the brand message of making gaming a primary medium of entertainment and recreation amongst the young adults. Game4u will host customized gaming parties, wherein a group of 20 gamers can come together at one place and play various single player or multiplayer games. The parties will be executed with specialized themes across different venues.

For the PlayPad Nights, Game4u has got on board energy drink ‘Red Bull’ and ‘Debonairs Pizza’ as brand partners. Game4u will also be conducting an online and offline gaming competition to find out the most eligible gamer amongst all.

Contests across social media will be held, where the fans get a chance to have a gaming party thrown at their place. As a part of giveaways, Game4u will be offering gaming merchandise, partner merchandise, Team Elite memberships, and discount coupons.

Commenting on the launch of Game4u PlayPad, Mr. Jayont R Sharma, Chairman and CEO, Milestone Interactive Group said, “We are very excited to bring the Game4u PlayPad concept to our consumers. With this initiative we are looking to spread awareness about gaming and build an extensive gaming community across all age groups. We are hoping to interact with our consumers at a more personal level and are looking make gaming a cult phenomenon, like it is in some of the other countries.”

He further added, “We are starting Game4u PlayPad with Mumbai and will soon take it to other cities in the coming months.”

On partnering with Game4u, Mr. Yogesh Parekh, Director, Diwa Hospitalty said, “”Debonairs Pizza is sporty and targeted to the youth of India as much as families. We at Debonairs Pizza believe that pizza brings us together and is, in itself, a reason to celebrate with those we love by simply Tucking in! Gaming and sport also share the same vein of achievement and unity as Debonairs Pizza, hence the association with Game4u was a complete harmony!”

February 19, 2014
Over a million telephones of telemarketers disconnected till January: Deora

NEW DELHI: While the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has so far received Rs 1.52 crore as penalty from registered telemarketers, the government has admitted that Unsolicited Commercial Communications (SMSs or calls) from persons not registered as telemarketers has not ceased.

Such individuals deliberately masquerade themselves as “normal subscribers” even though their primary purpose for obtaining telecom resources is for telemarketing activities, according to Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora. However, he felt TRAI’s regulatory interventions have largely tempered the menace of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).

A total of 1.4 million telephones of unregistered telemarketers have been disconnected till 31 January and 1,80,000 Unregistered Telemarketers were blacklisted for two years till 31 January.

With the implementation of these measures, the number of complaints regarding receipt of UCC from unregistered telemarketers has come down from around 45,000 per month in the month of August 2012 to around 12,000 per month in January 2014.

The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation 2010 has laid down a revised framework for UCC. These regulations came into force with effect from 27 September 2011. The National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC) has been renamed National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). The Telemarketers after registration from TRAI get permission to access the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR).

TRAI has been continuously reviewing this regulation and accordingly issued fourteen amendments to the regulation and a number of directions to make the regulatory framework more effective and stringent. The regulation provides for imposition of penalty against registered telemarketers, to be recovered from the security deposit with the service provider.

The regulator has been taking various steps to rein in unregistered telemarketers from sending unsolicited commercial communications to customers registered in the National Customer Preference Register.

The recent initiatives taken by TRAI under this regulation include preventing unregistered telemarketers from misusing concessional SMS packs or tariff plans for sending bulk promotional SMSs, a price restraint has been placed on sending of more than one hundred SMS per day per SIM. The subscriber is free to send SMSs beyond this number, however, all such SMSs sent beyond one hundred SMS per day per SIM shall be charged at a rate not lower than 50 ‘paise’ per SMS.

To restrict unregistered telemarketers from sending bulk promotional SMSs using software applications, Access Providers have been mandated to put in place a solution, which will ensure that no commercial SMSs are sent having same or similar characters or strings or variants from any source or number. The solution will ensure that no more than 200 SMSs with such similar ‘signature’ are sent in an hour.

For increasing consumer awareness and to caution against misuse, Access Providers have been mandated to send SMS to all customers on periodic basis, advising them not to send any commercial communications and informing them about the consequences of misuse.

The unregistered telemarketer’s number will be disconnected and his name and address will be blacklisted for a period of two years. No telecom resources shall be provided to such subscribers for two years.

February 18, 2014
Separate Copyright Board soon for authors, performers and creators of various works

NEW DELHI: A separate Copyright office and a permanent Copyright Board is being set up to provide better services to the authors, performers and creators of various works.

This was stated by Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju here while unveiling the logo of the Copyright Office and launching the web portal with e-filing facility for Copyright Registration.

The website of the Ministry of Human Resources Development’s IPR Chairs was also launched. Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur was also present.

Dr. Raju said the logo for the Copyright office will establish a unique identity for this office and will create a distinct relationship with the public. The interactive copyright web portal having facility of e-filing of applications with payment gateway is going to be the major step in delivering public services in a more efficient and effective manner.

He added that the Ministry has already initiated the process for ‘online search facility’ for the users to see the details of works registered since 1958. This will eliminate wasteful expenditure and will save time and energy on long travels to come to Copyright Office in Delhi to search the Copyright register.

Similarly, e-filing facility for registration of ISBN numbers is going to be operational in the current year and will assist the authors and publishers in getting prompt services.

February 18, 2014
Interim Budget: Communications and Information Technology Ministry

NEW DELHI: The budgetary allocation in the vote-on-account for 2014-15 for convergence, communications and strategic electronics in the Communications and Information Technology Ministry has gone up to Rs 27 crore.

In the interim budget (vote-on-account) for 2014-15 presented in Parliament for the first four months of the new year 2014-15 in view of the general elections later this year, the amount set aside in this sector which includes broadband and broadcast convergence has gone up from Rs 15.75 crore in the revised estimates but is marginally lower than the budgetary allocation of Rs 28 crore in the 2013-14 budget.

An explanatory note says this includes supporting research and development in convergence communications, broadband technologies and strategic electronics. The indigenous efforts are aimed at facilitating developments in emerging, next generation convergence communication, broadband, broadcast and strategic technologies for inclusive and sustainable growth in the country.

In addition, there is budgetary allocation of Rs 7 crore for Media Lab Asia, which is far less than the revised estimates of Rs 12.75 crore for 2013-14. Media Lab Asia is a Section 25 company aimed at bringing the benefits of the most advanced information and communication technologies to the common man and the needy people.

Keeping in view large-scale incidents of hacking or damaging websites, the budget for cyber security has gone up three times from Rs 36.87 crore in the revised estimates for 2013-14 to Rs 114 crore.

The explanatory note says that cyber security is gaining adoption in all types of products for a variety of reasons including national security and appreciation of the consequences of insecurity, and the grants to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-in)

February 18, 2014