ITV

Category: Music and Youth

  • Believe buys out Think Music to boost South India position

    Believe buys out Think Music to boost South India position

    Mumbai: Digital music company Believe has acquired Think Music, a South India-based music label. With this acquisition, the company wants to further strengthen its position in South India. “The acquisition will help Think Music accelerate the growth and monetisation of its whole catalogue by leveraging Believe’s digital-first approach, back catalogue optimisation know-how, and technological expertise,” Believe said in a statement on Monday.

    The deal will enable Think Music to access Believe’s innovative technologies and expertise to drive video audience development and monetisation short-form video format and leverage Believe’s financial support to expand further its soundtrack acquisition strategy as well, Believe said in a media statement. With the combined subscriber base of both the partners’ YouTube channels, artists will also be able to reach an audience of more than 60 million YouTube subscribers, it added.

    “I am confident that we will work together to accelerate Think Music digital growth and provides artists with shared expertise and innovation,” stated Believe India managing director Vivek Raina on the new development.

    Founded in 2017, Think Music claims to have launched over 40 debut composers including Santhosh Narayanan, Ghibran, and hip-hop Tamizha. The current management team at Think Music led by Swaroop Reddy will continue to operate after the acquisition and focus on building the catalogue under Think Music Label and overseeing the backend integration.

    The acquisition will also expand Believe’s local coverage and as a result, it becomes more organised to help South Indian artists to diversify monetisation sources and grow their audiences at every stage of their career. “Believe’s wide array of innovative, digital-first solutions combined with think Music’s relentless focus on providing the best platform to film, non-film and independent artists soundtracks, will create significant value for all stakeholders,” said Think Music founder Swaroop Reddy.

  • Spotify to track music listening across 16 Indian cities with ‘Charts’

    Spotify to track music listening across 16 Indian cities with ‘Charts’

    Mumbai:  Audio streaming platform Spotify will offer city-wise ‘Charts’ across 16 cities in India to track the most popular songs in each city individually. The idea behind ‘Charts’ is to create a destination for fans to see who is trending in their area, and to give artists the opportunity to go deep on all the data and see what music is moving listeners around the world, said Spotify in a statement.

    Each week on Friday, the music streaming app will update the charts for Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Ernakulam, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Patna, and Pune based on activity from listeners in that city.

    Spotify will also be launching ‘Local Pulse’ charts that rank the most uniquely popular songs each week in every city, compared to its popularity around the world to show the distinct taste of local listeners.

  • Create Music Group enters India, acquires Nirvana Digital

    Create Music Group enters India, acquires Nirvana Digital

    Mumbai: The US-based privately held music and media company Create Music Group announced on Wednesday that it will expand the global footprint with the acquisition of Nirvana Digital, a Mumbai-based YouTube Enterprise partner company. The company has acquired a 100 per cent stake in Nirvana Digital to strengthen its offerings to a larger and wider audience, worldwide.

    As part of the acquisition, Nirvana Digital co-founders Manu Kaushish and Pinakin Thakkar have been named Create Music Group India president and Create Music Group India chief operating officer, respectively.

    This is the first of a planned $50 million investment Create Music Group is making in India and the broader region in Asia over the next few years, said the company in a statement. The market potential for online music and media in India is staggering – more than 50 per cent of India’s 1.3 billion population is under the age of 25 and more than 94 per cent of online consumers in India listen to music. As wireless coverage and data consumption become more prevalent, those metrics are set to grow even more.

    Established in 2015, Create Music Group, is a data-driven media and technology company focused on empowering artists and creators. It handles the content and monetisation strategies for many artists and record labels in the world including JLo, Deadmau5, and Tory Lanez. Additionally, the company has made substantial investments in content properties on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, where they own non-influencer brands, Flighthouse which has more than 28 million followers, said the company.

    “India is without a doubt one of the most exciting growth territories in the global music and media market,” said Create founder and CEO Jonathan Strauss. “We have been looking for the right way to build our business in India for some time now, and after being introduced to the Nirvana Digital’s co-founders and seeing the parallels between our two companies, we felt the right move was to acquire them and supercharge our entry into India with one of its most forward-thinking new media companies.”

    “Create works with the most recognizable artists and record labels in the world,” said Nirvana Digital co-founder Manu Kaushish, who is based in San Francisco. “Create’s relationships, technology and capital will help us fuel growth for Indian artists and record labels who will gain access to a global distribution and monetization on major platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music as well as Indian platforms like JioSaavn and Gaana.”

    Nirvana Digital co-founder Pinakin Thakkar commented, “We are glad to join hands with Create and enter into the next phase of our growth with such a strong global leadership. This deal opens the doors for Create’s US clients to access India’s market of nearly 700 million young people and bring Create’s globally recognized brands including Flighthouse, which is the most followed creator channel on TikTok, to India. We look forward to our journey with Create.”

    Manu Kaushish has more than 20 years of experience in entertainment and technology, founding two digital media companies and working on the first Indian music content deals for Real Networks and Apple iTunes, the first monetized Bollywood channel on YouTube and the first Bollywood SVOD Channel on US Cable.  Pinakin Thakkar, who is based in Mumbai, has worked in the advertising and technology space for over 15 years, including at such companies as Percept Holdings and Ogilvy and Mather and has deep connections in the media industry in India.

    Nirvana Digital serves over 20 billion minutes of video each month and has a subscriber base north of 200 million, the company said. It provides monetisation, distribution, and rights management services to artists, labels, film and television, and other content owners including the spiritual organisation The Art of Living, rap/hip hop superstar – Bohemia, and regional music powerhouses – Vats Records and Team Films. 

    Together, the two companies now exceed 25 billion streams per month, making Create one of the world’s largest media companies by viewership, said the company. 

  • Music listening time through audio streaming up 51 per cent: IFPI

    Music listening time through audio streaming up 51 per cent: IFPI

    Mumbai: The pandemic has taken a severe toll on people’s lives, and impacted their media consumption patterns in more ways than one. According to a new study, it has also led to an increase in the time spent listening to music across the world. People are enjoying more music today than ever before, on an average spending 18.4 hours a week (up from 18 hours in 2019) – the equivalent of listening to 368 three-minute tracks.

    The findings are part of a new study – ‘Engaging with Music 2021’ conducted by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), representing the recording industry worldwide.

    Driven in part by record labels’ investment, engagement with streaming – particularly subscription audio streaming – also continued to grow, demonstrating increasing value to fans. Time spent listening to music through subscription audio streaming grew 51 per cent, as music fans continue to embrace it for the access and autonomy it provides to choose the artists and the music that they love.

    The report measures how people engage with music across 21 countries, and found that fans make their own listening choices, thanks to streaming. The main reasons behind their engagement with streaming were being able to choose their favourite songs, artists, and their own playlists. 68 per cent searched for specific songs and 62 per cent listened to playlists they created more than once a week.

    Around the world, music fans are enjoying a rich and diverse mix of genres. In addition to popular genres, well over 300 different ones were named by at least one person in the 43,000-person study as the music they typically listen to, including gqom, axé, and hokkien song.

    Engagement is fuelled by listeners’ increasingly rich experiences, with music driving innovations such as short-form video, live streaming, and in-game experiences. 68 per cent of the time spent on short-form video apps involved music-dependent videos such as lip-syncing and dance challenges. Furthermore, one in three (29 per cent) said they had watched a music live stream such as a concert in the last 12 months.

    Music makes a powerful contribution to wellbeing, providing comfort and healing to many, especially younger people, in challenging times. 87 per cent said that music provided enjoyment and happiness during the pandemic. 68 per cent of 16-19s said new releases from their favourite artists helped them during the pandemic.

    Music is central to what people enjoy about listening to the radio. 74 per cent listen to it mainly for the music and 73 per cent tune in to their favourite radio station because of the music it plays.

    The availability of unlicensed music remains an issue for the music ecosystem and the threat continues to evolve. Almost one in three (29 per cent) of people had used illegal or unlicensed methods to listen to or download music, and 14.4 per cent had used unlicensed social media platforms for it.

    The data is based on fieldwork conducted in June and July 2021 with 43000 respondents aged between 16 and 64. Panels were nationally representative in each country.

    IFPI chief executive Frances Moore, said, ‘Engaging with Music 2021’ tells the story of how fans around the globe are connecting with the artists and music they love in ways never before imagined.

    “Record companies have enabled artists to develop their vision, licensed an abundance of music tracks to a multitude of platforms, and harnessed new technologies to pave the way for music fans around the world to connect with artists in these growing, and exciting ways. The freedom of record labels to license music to these new and immersive experiences is crucial to the future growth of the entire music ecosystem.  We are campaigning worldwide to ensure governments maintain or implement a fair environment in which such commercial deals can be made,” said Moore.

  • Red FM launches ‘Totka Chalao, India Ko Jeetao’ campaign for World Cup

    Red FM launches ‘Totka Chalao, India Ko Jeetao’ campaign for World Cup

    Mumbai: Radio and entertainment network 93.5 Red FM has kick-started its World Cup campaign called ‘Totka Chalao, India Ko Jeetao.’ The campaign will be rolled out in 40 key markets across the country.

    Capturing the passion and craze of fans, Red FM will celebrate the ‘totkas’ and will have RJ’s follow some of these tricks shared by listeners as part of the campaign, said the company in a statement.

    ‘Nand Kishore Bairagi’ aka RJ Kisna will take a spin on the ‘totkas’ in his unique style. The campaign will also have Bauaa aka RJ Raunac calling up opponent teams as part of his prank calls series. Keeping the passion of the World Cup alive, Red FM will also launch the anthem ‘Totka Wala Gana’ capturing the craze of cricket fans across the country, it added.

    “Over the years, cricket has united fans and radio has been a crucial part in bringing them together. There’s no denying that luck and superstitions go hand in hand with a cricket fan and this year we are bringing some of those practices the fans have subconsciously picked up over the years and now cannot let go,” said Red FM and Magic FM director and COO Nisha Narayanan. “Our campaign, ‘Totka Chalao, India ko Jeetao’ will highlight some of the crazy ‘totkas’ that cricket fans follow across the country.”

  • Warner Music India unveils new record label ‘Maati’

    Warner Music India unveils new record label ‘Maati’

    Mumbai: As part of its ongoing efforts to provide a mainstream platform for indigenous talent, Warner Music India on Monday announced the launch of a new record label, Maati.

    The label will feature artists from across the length and breadth of the country, who have been discovered by Warner Music India and represent their regions’ local music fused with their unique styles, said the company in a statement.

    “In India, folk music emerges from local culture and reflects the local way of life. Pop music inspired by folk melodies has arguably created some of the best music in recent years. Yet original folk artists rarely receive any recognition for their great work,” stated Warner Music India managing director Jay Mehta. “With Maati, we aim to provide a national platform for Indian folk music, its purest forms, and its artists, in a sustainable ecosystem where they can showcase their raw, unadulterated talent. The rustic authenticity of their music is an amazing experience that we’d like to bring to more mainstream audiences,” Mehta added.

    The label’s first single ‘Runak Jhunak’ is a Rajasthani folk fusion song from emerging artist Kanika that will be released on 22 October. It will be followed by a Pahadi track ‘Phul Khilala,’ performed by Garhwali singer Priyanka Maher, shared the music company.

  • Mirchi’s ‘Proudly Local’ campaign nudges brands to go local

    Mirchi’s ‘Proudly Local’ campaign nudges brands to go local

    Mumbai: Music and entertainment company Mirchi has launched its latest campaign called ‘Proudly Local’ with an aim to build awareness around the importance of being ‘multi-local’ for brands and marketers.

    The campaign is based on the findings of the last government census (2011) according to which over 500 million people in India do not speak Hindi and over one billion people do not speak English. Through this campaign, Mirchi aims to create an understanding of India’s linguistic diversity and the need for brands to integrate local language, insights, and nuances in their communication across platforms in order to connect with their audience.

    Mirchi took to print and digital formats releasing 12 advertisements across three cities in foreign languages including Amharic, Chinese and Korean. This cheeky campaign is intended to put marketers in the shoes of local consumers who do not connect with the Hindi or English marketing initiatives targeted towards them.

    “We are the largest hyperlocal music and entertainment brands in the country. Over the years we have grown to cater to numerous markets within India, in their local language, through a multitude of our offerings—radio, digital content, original content and on-ground activations. We understand the importance of speaking in the consumers’ language and the power it holds to connect with them,” stated Mirchi executive president Nandan Srinath.

    Through these incomprehensible ad copies, Mirchi piqued the interest of marketers across India, and subsequently redirected them to its microsite highlighting the diversity of India’s lingual ecosystem and the need for ‘multi-localisation’. As part of the campaign, Mirchi is also providing access to a white paper on ‘Marketing to the real India in post-pandemic times’ which delves into the intricacies of strategising for Indian markets in the new normal, shares case studies, and provides an understanding of impactful hyperlocal solutions.

    “Through the launch of our Proudly Local campaign we want to create awareness about not just the language barriers that are still prevalent in the marketing community, but also the need to examine local nuance and insights, local knowledge, local mediums and local action. Our client’s brands perform differently in each of their markets, and we help craft solutions across multiple media based on our local teams’ local insights,” Srinath further said.

    Throughout the course of the campaign, Mirchi aims to share its insights, platforms, content, and other curations with brands across India to help them connect and engage with their target audience.

  • FAB Market and Radio Zindagi celebrate one year of ‘Love You Zindagi’

    FAB Market and Radio Zindagi celebrate one year of ‘Love You Zindagi’

    Mumbai: FAB Market, India’s first B2B e-commerce marketplace for syndicated audio content, is elated to announce the one-year anniversary of “Love You Zindagi” and its unique partnership with Radio Zindagi.

    Radio Zindagi is America’s number one South Asian radio network, present in the USA, Canada, and South America. Fever FM established a partnership with Radio Zindagi Network a year ago, beginning with a newly launched breakfast show called “Love You Zindagi.”

    The show is specially developed and created to provide an entertaining and engaging segment exclusively for the popular South Asian diaspora in the United States, Canada, and South America. It is an exclusive doubleheader Bollywood-themed breakfast drive time show hosted by Fever FM’s rockstars RJ Manasa and RJ Yash.

    “Love You Zindagi has been one of our bestselling shows for a year now and attracts maximum listenership. We hope it can continue this outstanding performance in the future as well,” Radio Zindagi founder Sunil Hali.

    The show is an unconventional and fun take on life for the thriving South Asian community and is streamed live from Fever FM’s studio in India to Radio Zindagi’s frequencies in the East Coast (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Toronto between 8 and 11 am EST), Midwest (Chicago, Houston, Dallas, and Austin between 7 a.m and 10 a.m) and Northern California-San Francisco-San Jose DMA
    It is for the ‘desi’ fellows who crave and miss some ‘Indian-ness’ in their lives. This show has not only united the South Asian community abroad but has also opened up ventures in the international market. In an age, where people yearn for togetherness and a great start to their mornings, “Love You Zindagi” has been more than successful.

    “Our alliance with Radio Zindagi has been nothing short of a dream run. It has opened up various new avenues and synergies for both parties to explore. A lot more content and advertisement opportunities coming your way, stay tuned,” said HT Media Ltd and Next Mediaworks Ltd CEO – Radio and Entertainment Ramesh Menon.

    Along with content syndication, this partnership also boasts of an exclusive ad-alliance with the Radio Zindagi Network. This ad-alliance gives the Indian brands and advertisers an opportunity to connect directly with the South Asian and international community and establish their presence in the USA.

    “Love You Zindagi” goes live every weekday on Radio Zindagi’s frequencies WBWD 540 AM in New York, New Jersey & Connecticut; 96.7 FM Central-South New Jersey from Edison, WXMC 1310 AM in Central-North New Jersey and 92.3 FM HD2 in Northern California (San Francisco-San Jose). It is streamed across Toronto, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Chicago, Houston, Dallas & Austin.

  • MTV launches ‘Memory Karaoke’ to help people with Alzheimer’s

    MTV launches ‘Memory Karaoke’ to help people with Alzheimer’s

    Mumbai: MTV in collaboration with Ogilvy has launched ‘Memory Karaoke’ – an initiative to help those living with early Alzheimer’s cope with memory loss. 

    Emphasising how forgetting isn’t funny, ‘Memory Karaoke’ will feature four foot-tapping songs based on commonly forgotten information by those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. With these songs meant to be practiced daily along with caregivers, MTV hopes to ease their suffering and raise awareness about the progressive disease that presently has no cure, said the channel in a statement.

    “Music is nothing less than manna for one and all. MTV Memory Karaoke elevates this very role of music to a higher plane by making a small yet significant difference to the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. We at MTV are humbled by the opportunity to be a part of this initiative,” said Viacom18 head of youth music and English entertainmentAnshul Ailawadi.

    The sing-along songs will hold important details about the person suffering from Alzheimer’s such as their home address, name, and meals. His or her family and caregivers can also have access to them. The hummable lyrics appearing on the screen like in karaoke will enable the person to remember the information enjoyably and musically over time.

    The songs have been written by Ogilvy and composed by Komorebi, an alternative electronic act from New Delhi, and the musical baby of Tarana Marwah – an Indian composer, singer-producer, and instrumentalist who has also lent her voice for the tracks on ‘Memory Karaoke.’ Further, to uplift moods and maintain humour MTV has collaborated with a young comedian on the initiative.

    “Music is a therapeutic tool for the mind, body and soul. Memory Karaoke will be an enjoyable, assistive aid for those with early Alzheimer’s to retain, reminisce and recall,” stated ARDSI  secretary-general and integrative therapist and dementia care specialist Vidya Shenoy.

    In an attempt to create a deeper impact, remove social stigma and reach out to a wider population, MTV has also joined forces with Alzheimer’s & Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) as knowledge partners for this initiative. ARDSI, an NGO affiliated with Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) is active pan India, and is recognised for providing specialised care services for those living with Alzheimer’s. MTV has also onboarded doctors for the initiative. The channel will leverage its widespread presence to initiate and empower professionals, students, and caregivers in Alzheimer’s month.

    “Growing up, we have all experienced how retaining new information would become easier whenever it was set to a tune. With the same being true for those with early Alzheimer’s, we wanted to create a platform where tracks could be customised by the family member by entering important information of the affected member as lyrics,” said Ogilvy Mumbai’s group creative director Akshay Seth and senior creative director Chinmay Raut. “Memory Karaoke offers personalised songs that can be practiced daily, resulting in better retention and recall over time. The mission is to introduce an enjoyable, daily ritual that takes away the frustration and helps the caregiver and the person with early Alzheimer’s to eventually sing in a manner comfortable to them.”

     The custom-made karaoke will be available on www.mtvmemorykaraoke.com.  

  • IPRS launches awareness drive on music licensing

    IPRS launches awareness drive on music licensing

    Mumbai: The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), India’s only copyright society representing authors, composers, and publishers of music is commencing a three-month-long campaign ‘License Liya Kya’ to educate music users on the different licensing needs and kinds of music licenses available.

    It will highlight the benefits of music licensing and the ease of procurement through a copyright society like the IPRS. Topics covered will include music licensing scenario in India, why music licensing matters, and the future of music licensing in the digital era. The campaign will witness talks with industry insiders and experts via virtual events, influencer programmes, and awareness-building initiatives.

    “We are glad to announce this campaign which will not only bring in awareness but will also highlight the importance of music licensing. We have always believed in creating a secure community for authors, composers, and music publishers,” said IPRS chairman Javed Akhtar. “Through this campaign, we aim to bring about gradual transformation and a mindset shift towards respecting and acknowledging ‘Fair Pay and Fair Play’ of Music. We have received a great response for our previous campaigns, and we look forward to receiving wholehearted support for this initiative as well.”

    According to the Music Consumer Study 2018, the old licensing process or the physical licensing process contributed only 10.7 per cent to the streaming revenue of the overall market. Only five per cent of the businesses took a license for the public performance of the music they play. However, after the introduction of digital licenses where people can take online licenses as well as can make online payments, digital sales began contributing 78.5 per cent to the revenue.

    As per a recent study by FICCI & EY Indian consumers spent 21.5 hours per week listening to music in 2020. While India’s average of 21.5 hours/week is higher than the global average of 17.8 hours/week, royalties to authors and composers make up only a small percentage of the media and entertainment industry’s total revenue.

    The objective of the IPRS with this campaign is to drive awareness towards Fair Pay and Fair Play in music by emphasising on the significance of abiding by licensing norms. The IPRS, registered under section 33 (3) of the Copyright Act, 1957 is entitled to grant licenses for usage of musical and literary works of its members for public performance and/or communication. There are different categories of tariffs depending on the premise, event, and medium – television, radio, internet streaming, etc where such musical work is used.  IPRS currently administers two types of licensing rights namely performing rights and mechanical rights.

    “With the launch of this campaign, we aim to create awareness on licensing and simultaneously felicitate our partners who have extended their support in endorsing fair trade music and upheld transparent and ethical value chain for authors, composers, and all music rights holders,” stated IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam. “Through this initiative, IPRS would educate, inform and reinstate the need to listen to licensed music, thereby paving the path towards a flourishing future for the music industry and its creators.”

    Some of the earlier campaigns executed by IPRS include ‘Credit The Creators’ (addressing the need to acknowledge and credit creators of music), ‘Know Your Music’ (an initiative to promote different genres of Indian music and initiate transformation in the way audience engage with music) and ‘Her Music’ (addressing lack of women representation in the music industry and creating a forum to empower, encourage and celebrate women in music).