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Tag: Artists

  • WPP and Universal Music partner for brands and bands

    WPP and Universal Music partner for brands and bands

    MUMBAI: This could be music to WPP’s  clients’ ears.  The creative transformation company and  music-based entertainment  powerhouse Universal Music group (UMG)  announced on 12 December that they are planning to work in harmony with each other.

    The duo has got into a strategic partnership that will provide clients’ brands with cutting-edge audience engagement strategies leveraging the power of music. The new alliance  brings together UMG’s family of artists and labels, and its global data and insights team, with WPP’s creative scale and extensive client network, giving brands new opportunities to connect with audiences through music. 

    The collaborative partnership offers WPP clients’ new opportunities to connect with some of the world’s most popular artists and their music, and unique access to UMG’s iconic music catalogue to unlock additional areas of amplification through data-driven and technological innovation. In addition, WPP and UMG will work together to responsibly explore new ways that AI can better help brands and artists connect and create authentic cultural moments.

    The announcement builds upon the history of successful collaboration between WPP and UMG for Brands (UMGB), as exemplified by their ongoing partnership with The Coca-Cola Co. Working together, WPP and UMG have collaborated on global initiatives such as the award-winning Coke Studio and Sprite Limelight music platforms. Through these programmes, a diverse array of established and emerging artists have amplified brand messaging, galvanising fan communities worldwide while expanding their audiences. 

    “Music is becoming an even more powerful cultural force, and technology is rewriting how we experience it,” said WPP chief technology officer Stephan Pretorius. “This partnership with UMG will allow us to leverage emerging technologies and data insights to create truly innovative music-driven campaigns for our clients, shaping the future of brand engagement.”

    “This collaboration provides benefits to stakeholders of each company. On  the one hand, combining innovative new technologies with UMG’s industry-leading data insights, we can create significant new commercial opportunities for our artists and songwriters,” added  UMG chief digital officer & EVP Michael Nash. “In addition, working together with WPP, we will harness and amplify the unmatched power and reach of music for WPP’s clients and brands through new strategic initiatives and programmes.”

    This initiative is part of WPP’s larger strategy to invest in data and technology-driven solutions and partnerships with the world’s leading companies to drive value for its clients. Hopefully, WPP’s clients have their headphones on and are listening. 

  • Guest article: OTT in India and the endless possibilities

    Guest article: OTT in India and the endless possibilities

    Mumbai; Since 2008, when OTT (Over-the-top) was introduced in India, it has flourished and grown. Starting from BIGFlix, nexGtv to Hotstar, Ditto TV by Zee, and Sony LIV, there are enormous numbers of OTT platforms in the market currently. The number is increasing, and it is not going to stop any sooner.  

    The OTT market scenario in India is nothing but impressive, with a revenue of $3,666 million in 2023 and a projection of $5,586 million by 2028. India is going to witness an immense growth rate of 8.79 per cent annually over the years. There are currently 481 million OTT subscribers in India, and the number is projected to increase at a rate of 37.3 per cent by the year 2028.    

    Indian OTT industry is booming with high potential and possibilities for both consumers and creators. Let’s delve deep into the revolution through continuous transformation.  

    Change of viewing habit through OTT

    Do you remember the long wait, regret of missing out on a show, skipping meals, fighting for the remote, and many such nuisances over your favorite television program? Many of us have gone through such days that bring back nostalgia.    

    Thankfully, those days are gone. We live in a world of 5G, with a wide availability of smart gadgets and affordable internet connectivity. Entertainment is in the palm of our hands, and we can access content at our own time and convenience.  

    OTT has transformed how we consume content and introduced us to on-demand over-the-top content. Along with the quality and variety of content, OTT brings flexibility and affordability to content consumption, which was hardly possible in traditional media.  

    All it takes is just one subscription, and all the content is available at your convenience. Watch one episode per day or binge-watch your favorite show; the choice is yours. Apart from flexibility and availability, quality content, interactivity, engagements, and many such technological additions make OTT booming in India and rising every day.  

    A platform for creators and artists  

    The rise of OTT also comes with the availability of the platform for independent creators. Those days are gone when artists used to struggle for years to get a break. Streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Sony LIV, and others ensured every talented individual got a chance to showcase their talent.  

    The opportunity not only brings light to the unsung heroes but also provides valuable content to the consumers. To the Bone, Sir, The Lift Boy, and Beasts of No Nation are a few examples of what talented individuals can do and offer to viewers around the world.  

    OTT provides exposure to these talented creators and allows them to build a fan base. Creators get recognition; they get to experiment across formats and genres and tell stories that resonate with the audience.  

    So, all the creative minds out there can get wings for their creativity with the accessibility of OTT platforms.  

    Transforming ad viewing through hyper-personalisation

    In 2023, OTT made $1.41 billion from its advertising revenue model, a.k.a. AVOD. It is projected to be $2.73 billion by 2028, with an annual rate of 14.13 per cent. Advertisement segments in India proliferate with OTT technology, making them hyper-personalised and target based.

    Unlike traditional media, the ads are limited to the target audience, adding to their relevancy. Advanced analytics helps advertisers know the target segment through demographics, age, gender, viewing habits, etc. All the technology and latest formats not only make OTT ads relevant to the viewers but also make them cost-effective for the advertisers.

    Hasn’t the OTT made everything about entertainment so perfect? OTT solves minor inconveniences, from viewing experience to useful content and relevant ads. Over-the-top streaming is undoubtedly the best thing that has happened to the entertainment industry. The affordability, accessibility, and availability are just unmatched.

    But that’s not all. Have you thought about the troubles leading to the excessive availability of OTT? Let’s talk!  

    OTT accessibility leading to content fatigue  

    Ever got agitated searching for what content to watch and ended up watching nothing? Many of us have experienced the same, which resulted in fatigue and exhaustion.  

    Yes, content fatigue is real, and believe it or not, this is one of the reasons OTT subscribers around the world opt out of their subscription plans. Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar lost around 1.2 million and 3.8 million subscribers in 2023, respectively. Among many other reasons, like their subscription model, sharing option, and so on, content fatigue is another significant reason for losing subscribers.  

    Well, FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) has been introduced to fight this fatigue. FAST is the online version of linear television content where viewers watch the scheduled content without choosing anything of themselves. The model has already been popular among viewers, while experts think FAST will be India’s most consumable model in the near future.  

    Popular Indian media entities such as Zee News, NDTV, ABP, and QYOU’s success in the FAST arena depict the future of OTT consumption through the model.  

    Environmental impacts of OTT  

    This top-notch infrastructure provided by technology also has some negative impacts, which we can’t ignore. Millions of servers, devices, and other equipment are being used for uninterrupted services, resulting in carbon emissions. An average of 54 grams of carbon emission happens for one hour of video streaming. Netflix has reported the maximum carbon emission in a report, which is 1.6 kg of CO2 every 30 minutes of streaming.

    Considering the emission rate, the OTT platforms use renewable energies, optimise videos, minimise power, and reduce internet consumption. New technologies and strategies are being developed to lessen our environment’s carbon footprint. These careful measures can save us from future environmental hazards interrupting OTT consumption.

    What the future holds  

    The future of OTT is immense and uncertain but positive. The growth is to be continued with technological innovation, creativity, and affordability.  

    Technology such as generative AI, AI/ML, video analytics, and AR/VR is immensely used and evolving towards unapologetic innovation beyond our imagination. Imagine sitting beside Shah Rukh Khan and Talking to him in real-time through those VR headsets, or having same Shah Rukh Khan voice being heard in all different Indian languages Crazy, right? But, possible. Logituit is working on some of the cutting-edge use cases for the media industry.  

    The roller coaster of adventure has just started. We are heading to a super sophisticated streaming technology with hyper-personalised content, interactivity, and high engagement.  

    The future is here, where virtual interaction will be a norm, and what we all watch in a sci-fi movie might soon become a reality. So, brace yourself for all the streaming uncertainty soon to become a reality!

    The article has been authored by Logituit co-founder and CEO Sandeep Chandak.

  • “AI is better than humans at many things but feels no emotions”: Silk Road Communications’ Achille Forler

    “AI is better than humans at many things but feels no emotions”: Silk Road Communications’ Achille Forler

    Mumbai: On 5 December 2023, the International Music Creators Seminar was organised by the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) in collaboration with CISAC and the Asia Pacific Music Creators Alliance (APMA). The seminar comprised informative panel discussions, each focused on delving into various aspects of the music industry. Particularly, the inaugural panel centered on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the music industry.

    On the sidelines of the event, Indiantelevision.com caught up with music industry veteran and Silk Road Communications founder Achille Forler, to gain valuable insights on the topic…

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the use of AI causing a potential threat to the music industry and artists’ creative processes, with the rising use of AI tools to make dubbed versions of a song in different artists or people’s voices

    Any technology, be it atoms or bioengineering, can be applied for good or bad. Deepfaking, impersonation, and plagiarism are the negative aspects of AI. They pose a greater risk to music creators than piracy ever did.

    We are at the very beginning of the revolution, but now is the time to ensure its developments occur within the boundaries of the common good. Copyright protects an original expression of a self. AI-generated works can never qualify for copyright protection. It is a good time to ask ourselves, what is a human being? How can technology prove that a creation has a human, and not AI, origin? We must create tools that will fingerprint human creations and filter out AI productions. A working group has been set up on this topic by IPRS and some sister societies.

    On the steps that regulatory bodies like IPRS should take to shape the guidelines for the ethical and legal use of AI in music composition and production

    The good news is that creators have taken up the issue. The International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies (CISAC), representing five million creators worldwide, and of which IPRS is a member, is very clear on AI and its potential to work for or against creativity. It has proposed guidelines to be followed. https://bit.ly/4a2VCsp WIPO also has a comprehensive page on AI and intellectual property in general: https://bit.ly/484ZXtf

    A significant portion of the Conference on Asia-Pacific Collective Management Organizations, which IPRS organised in Jaipur, was focused on this subject.

    On the positives of AI that you see

    Music is born of deep emotions. AI is better than humans at many things but feels no emotions. It can write poems about love but never pined for the beloved, felt the fire of love tingle through its bones, or suffered a heartbreak. On the other hand, we can already see how AI can help Copyright Societies increase compliance by users, improve their collection capacity through smarter licensing, collect royalties that are impossible to collect today, and speed up the distribution of these monies to music creators.

    I already use AI tools on my music licensing platform, SyncMama, to help clients find the right tracks for their videos within minutes simply by uploading a reference track or pasting a YouTube link. We released version two of this audio similarity search tool, Maya. The next version will enable search by prompts like.

    We experiment with the use of prompts, but they have a learning curve because they require more precision—and more attempts—before you find what you’re looking for.

    Our top priority today is video preview. You upload your video on SyncMama and add a track of your choice. Maya analyses the video and matches the audio track to the video by giving you up to three edit options. If the selected audio section is one or two seconds longer or shorter than the video, Maya will time-stretch the audio to fit exactly your video. Click download, and your video will be ready for broadcast.

    We believe that AI tools like these will greatly facilitate the work of promo producers, advertising agencies, and anyone who needs music for their videos.

    On the music industry better supporting and nurturing the growth of amateur talents who are just beginning their journey, ensuring they have opportunities to shine and develop their unique voices

    Budding talent needs a helping hand. The report on music publishing released last week by E&Y shows that the economic value of music to corporate users is at least 12,000 crores. What value would radio, television, films, or games have without music? If corporate users of music were to carry out their legal duty to pay the IPRS, that money would go a long way to nurture and support new talent.

    On ensuring that artists remain at the forefront of decision-making processes to safeguard their interests and maintain the spirit of artistic expression, in a world increasingly influenced by AI

    The answer is in this video:

    SyncMama Valentine

  • Warner Music India artists dominate major streaming platforms’ 2023 year-end roundup

    Warner Music India artists dominate major streaming platforms’ 2023 year-end roundup

    Mumbai: Warner Music India’s artists have risen to the top on India’s major streaming platforms, showcasing unbeatable dominance across charts and playlists with their musical excellence. The year 2023 bore witness to an unparalleled surge in the popularity of these artists, marking their presence across Spotify, Wynk, and Apple Music.

    The highly anticipated ‘Spotify Wrapped 2023’ recently unveiled its results, with Warner Music India taking the crown as King’s “Maan Meri Jaan” claimed the prestigious Top Spot as the Most Streamed Track of 2023 in India. Jasleen Royal’s “Heeriye,” King’s “Tu Aake Dekh Le,” and Darshan Raval’s “Mahiye Jinna Sohna” commanded their positions in the Top 50 Most Streamed Tracks and Top Hindi Tracks of 2023.

    Internationally acclaimed, Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” stood tall as one of the three English tracks in the Top 50 Most Streamed Tracks of 2023 in India. Darshan Raval, Karan Aujla, and King made a lasting impact on India’s music scene, securing their positions on the Top 50 Artists List of 2023.

    This wave of success reverberated across other streaming platforms within the country. “Heeriye” continued its victorious journey on Wynk, reigning supreme in categories like Best Hindi Songs. Karan Aujla emerged as the undeniable leader in the Punjabi music scene, with a remarkable five songs in the Top 50 and claiming the title of Top Punjabi Artist of 2023.

    King’s unstoppable momentum swept the nation and all streaming platforms, with “Maan Meri Jaan” securing the second spot as the most streamed song on Apple Music in 2023, further solidifying Warner Music India’s influence across platforms.

    Warner Music India’s dedication to fostering great talent and creating music for all is clear. Their success on Spotify, Wynk, and Apple Music shows how popular and talented their artists are across the country!

  • Podcast consumption on Gaana jumped 40 % YoY in 2021: CMO Shashwat Goswami

    Podcast consumption on Gaana jumped 40 % YoY in 2021: CMO Shashwat Goswami

    Mumbai: If the digital revolution paved the way for the OTT boom, it also provided a fresh impetus to the audio industry to evolve with the changing times. As the habit of consuming content on the go became a lifestyle for people, audio emerged as the most convenient option to keep one entertained and informed without any hassles.

    According to the data released by the UK-based agency MIDia Research, worldwide music streaming subscriptions grew 26.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2021. The total number of subscribers currently stands at 521.3 million – an increase of 109.5 million from the year before.

    The rise of podcasts

    “Not just the musical content, but we saw a massive traction on our non-music content,” said Gaana head of marketing Shaswat Goswami in an exclusive conversation with Indiantelevision.com. Launched in 2010, the Times Internet-owned platform currently has around 180 million active listeners and finds its place among the top three streaming platforms in the country. The platform aspires to double its growth numbers by the end of 2022.

    Discussing the increasing popularity of podcasts, Goswami said, “The overall consumption of podcasts on Gaana increased by ~40 per cent YoY, while we expanded our library to nearly 40K podcasts. This not only includes exclusive Gaana Originals but also a catalogue of national and international podcasts hosted in collaboration with different associations to keep pace with the rising demand.”

    As people’s appetite for screen-free entertainment grew during the pandemic, the demand for podcasts also rose, especially from regional markets which witnessed a jump of 32 per cent in 2021. Podcasts of diverse genres such as music, motivation, stories and devotional ruled the non-music content. 

    Competition heats up, as new players jump in

    Audio streaming has seen a global boom with a host of streaming apps flooding the market during the last few years. India too witnessed a surge in popularity of music apps like Gaana, Spotify, JioSaavn, and Amazon music which stamped their impact on the country’s audio streaming scene.

    Talking about the increasing competition and entry of new players, Goswami said, “Unlike any other industry, we don’t lose a user simply because they have downloaded a new streaming app. Instead of uninstalling one as against the other new one, they usually continue using both apps. This kind of usage is the ‘new normal’ in music streaming – where there will be multiple apps on the phone.”

    More opportunities for diverse, independent artists

    With an increasing appetite for new content, Indians did not shy away from exploring a plethora of independent and diverse artists. The rise of streaming also empowered artists from all backgrounds to build a new fan base around the world and make successful careers in music. Streaming companies also provided the investment and support needed for the talent to thrive and reach a truly global audience.

    “Gaana too worked closely with regional artists like Deepak Medatwal, Rajnish Kaushik, and Abhay Maheshwari,. We also plan to onboard more content creators including independent artists and established names in 2022 by further expanding our partner network and supporting individual podcasters in content creation and broadcasting,” said Goswami.

    The Gaana CMO also expects regional language music and independent music to pick up in the coming months. “We are working with a lot of artists, and are constantly in touch with our label partners, artist partners for collaborations and to understand what support they are looking for on a new release and helping them,” added Goswami, who joined the audio streamer in October 2021 after moving on from grofers.

    Focus on content marketing

    The audio industry heavily relied on content marketing especially digital, along with traditional media like television, print to connect with their customers. Gaana launched most of its campaigns on digital and has been consistently growing its media spend in line with the business.

    The audio platform’s marketing campaigns have also become more and more contextual and tailored to its user interests. The audio streamer has increasingly moved from mass campaigns to more segmented and personalised campaigns on the basis of language, user profile etc, and reported a 48-50 per cent jump in user retention over the last quarter.

    The ambitious vision is to get to a billion users and ensure that it’s current consumer demographic represents the country’s internet penetrated demographic at large. “You cannot have 180 million users and not be representative of the country’s population,” said Goswami. “So be it in terms of language or metro vs non-metro there’s no conscious targeting on the brand’s part. However, we do see a lot of traction coming from the smaller towns, because that’s where the internet expansion is happening.”

    With the battle of audio streaming apps heating up, Gaana CMO said the brand has been going all out to ensure it stays top of mind for its user base, as well as strengthening its main product – the app. “The bulk of our energies and innovations have been on that product- on how we can give our users an experience that’s glitch-free. Having great music content is our foremost priority, along with having a well-performing, quality product that guarantees a great user experience. That’s one major checkmark in Gaana’s favour, which we are constantly working on to better, along with the brand reach and awareness.”

  • Producers’ association appeals to pay dues to workers, artists

    Producers’ association appeals to pay dues to workers, artists

    MUMBAI: Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) has requested its members to pay the dues to their employees, workers, artists and technicians as soon as possible to enable them to survive in these difficult times. 

    The association reminded all its members of the situation of the workers, technicians and artists who have not yet been paid the dues. Their condition has become very serious due to further extension of the lockdown by the government, said an IMPPA statement.

    “We are aware that our members are also having liquidity crunch and are facing difficulties, but on humanitarian ground we request all our members who have taken work from any of their employees, workers, artists and technicians for any of their productions to clear their dues,” said the statement.

    The association said that the unpaid workers are more vulnerable in these trying times and that paying the dues will ensure that they get enough money to fulfill their daily needs.

  • #StageBadlega – For Arts, Artists and the Audiences

    #StageBadlega – For Arts, Artists and the Audiences

    It was in the early days of the lockdown when a few arts and media organisations came together to face the COVID-19 crisis and its impact of the live arts space. 50 days later, this group has ideated, debated and created stayIN aLIVE – an artist support platform – which will launch its first event on 16th May 2020. Over 60 artists, 24 hours of non-stop content, across multiple platforms!

    #StageBadlega has never been truer than today. The ‘stage’ is no longer the wood panelled, sprawling space with clear entry/ exit points and synchronised lighting. It is now a soothing cosy corner of the library or a neatly organised living room dotted with personal photos. New trends are currently being witnessed but what happens once this lockdown is lifted? What is the long-term solution for freelancing artists and the live events industry to become self-sufficient and holistically support itself?

    ‘StayIN aLIVE’ aims to build this long-term, sustainable platform for artists to nurture, support and strengthen each other in the coming years. Fuelled with a deep love and admiration for the live arts and performance industry, this is a collective of organisations and individuals, hoping to create a movement of awareness and self-sufficiency for the live industry. The aim is to educate, inspire and support artists and at the forefront of that aim and vision is a commitment to cultivate best practices, encourage thought leadership and become a compassionate, yet impactful and sustained, voice of advocacy for government policies related to the live arts industry.

    The stayIN aLIVE foundation, a collective between Kommune, Big Bang Music, Tabhrasa, Priyanka Khimani, KWAN, OML, The ArtX Company, Alok Parande, Paytm Insider, Shark & Ink, Tape A Tale, Artist Aadmi, Unmute, Women of India, Gully Gang and Tarsame Mittal Talent Management – promises that 16th May is only the beginning of a long and solid journey of the foundation.

    On 16th May, performing artists from various fields will  cover a range of topics, such as, ‘How does one deal with a creator’s block’; or ‘Know your digital rights as an artist’; or even jam with fellow artists on your screen! We are talking of artists including Uday Benegal, Naezy, Kubbra Sait, Tanmay Bhat, Shilpa Rao, Nakash Aziz, Dualist Inquiry, Nikhita Gandhi, Suhani Singh, Nikhil D’souza, Tejas Menon who will be sharing their stories, learnings and art, all through the day.

    You can connect with stayIN aLIVE on any of these social media platforms:
    Facebook – www.facebook.com/stayinaliveorg
    Instagram – www.instagram.com/stayinaliveorg
    Twitter –  www.twitter.com/stayinaliveorg

  • Vodafone ushers in ‘Durgotsab’ with 13th edition of ,Aagomoni’

    Vodafone ushers in ‘Durgotsab’ with 13th edition of ,Aagomoni’

    KOLKATA: Vodafone India has announced the 13th edition of ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’, a nightlong grand musical extravaganza to usher in Durgotsab 2013 to be held on 3 October, at Science City Auditorium, in Kolkata.

     Featuring performances by eminent artists from diverse fields, ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’ is an eagerly awaited annual ritual for the citizens of the city of joy, as they get set to welcome Goddess Durga for the five day Puja festival.

     Some of the noted performers for this year’s ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’ are – filmmaker and actress Aparna Sen, musicians Purbayan Chatterjee, Soumyojit, Sourendra and Anubrata Chatterjee; Bangla band Chandrabindoo, Rupankar Bagchi, Bickram Ghosh, Vocalists Jolly Mukherjee and Shailaja Subramaniam with RD Burman’s original musician Nitin Shankar, Kishore Sodha, Raj Sodha, Suraj Sathe, Franco Vaz and others.

    Vodafone India business head – Kolkata and West Bengal Anand Sahai said: “It is one of Vodafone’s special initiatives to engage and touch the lives and hearts of customers in West Bengal.”

    Additionally, Vodafone is also running a singing contest – ‘Vodafone Shera Voice’, added Sahai.