Tag: Devraj Sanyal

Colors Infinity looks to push the envelope with ‘The Stage’

MUMBAI: Viacom18’s English entertainment channel Colors Infinity is poised to take Indian content to newer heights with the launch of The Stage, which is the first ever home grown English language singing show.

Slated to launch on 10 October, 2015, The Stage will be aired on weekends at 9 pm.

Colors Infinity is looking to push the envelop with the launch of this show. What’s more the channel has put its marketing might in extensively promoting the show across digital and on-ground platforms. From broadcast to print, a buzz has been created about the new reality show in the country.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We know there is a huge amount of talent in the English space across the country. This is just not a Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore show. We are pushing the envelope heavily by going into the reality space in the English entertainment genre, which has never been done before. The talent will be grown and taken forward.”

When asked whether original English entertainment content like The Stage would work in India, a senior media planner opined, “Somebody had to push the envelope. I don’t see any reason why original English entertainment content should not work in India. It might not get success immediately, but eventually, in the long run, I see it tasting enormous success.”

With a jury comprising Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal, The Stage will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

The show will provide a platform to 20 raw talent from around the country in a quest to find India’s best English language singer. The winner of the title will bag a record deal with Universal Music, which would be released globally, a 10 city tour, a mentorship program and a Renault Duster. Viacom18’s marketing muscle will also be used to back the winner’s career across all platforms.

The Stage is produced by SOL. Speaking about the show’s unique format, SOL producer Fazila Allana says, “The show clearly depicts how talented Indian artists are. We looked for some great singers who will bring something new for the people and whose voices will stand above the rest. The contestants have their own individuality.”

“The Stage has given me a chance to reveal the hidden gems of our nation. It marks a landmark in the music and entertainment industry,” asserts Universal Music Group South Asia MD and CEO Devraj Sanyal.

Throwing light on the expectation from the show, Palia says, “We are happy with the show getting a good response. Whenever someone pushes the envelope and does something different, you see the entire society talking about it and that was our objective. There is great talent sitting out there and they don’t have a platform to showcase it.”

Not running after ratings, Palia says that the channel’s objective was to come up with something unique for the Indian audience. “We don’t sell according to the ratings and we didn’t think about the expenses while doing the show,” he informs.

October 9, 2015
Colors Infinity experiments with locally developed English reality show ‘The Stage’

MUMBAI: Ever since its launch a little more than a month back, Viacom 18’s new English Entertainment channel Colors Infinity has been invading untouched territories. Continuing to tread on the same path, the channel is now set to launch a locally curated English musical reality show called The Stage.

The one of a kind reality show will premiere on 10 October and will be aired on weekends from 9 – 10 pm. The channel has roped in celebrated names from the music world like Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal as judges. The show will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

The Stage unlike other reality shows will not limit its exposure to the on-air episodes. “We will have on ground activities, live concerts, the winner will get a contract with Universal and a musical single will also be released. Hence its not just about 20 on-air episodes. We will go beyond and will leave no stones unturned,” said Viacom 18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia.

The talent in the show will be nurtured by a group of experienced musicians. “We have contestants from across the country, and they are highly talented. The Stage will provide them with the platform to become popular and then nurture them to grow as professionals. The Stage will be a show where the winning contestant will be remembered for a long, long time. It is the most real reality show with very little edit,” Palia added.

“It is not true that English content is consumed only by people in metros. Close to 62 – 65 per cent of English music viewership comes from non-metro areas. So English as a language is spreading across the country and that’s one of the primary reason why we decided to experiment with The Stage. We will target VH1’s audience with the show,” informs Palia.

The Stage is presented by Renault and powered by the dating app Trulymadly. SOL is the production company on board.

Renault India marketing head Virat Khullar said, “As a company, we at Renault stand for innovation and passion and The Stage is a fresh new concept in Indian television, which is bound to change the scope of entertainment in this country. This belief in the show is the foundation of our partnership with Colors Infinity. We are glad that we can be a part of this huge transformation of English entertainment in India.”

Filmmaker and Colors Infinity co-curator Karan Johar said, “When I first heard about The Stage, I was amazed at the introduction of such a novel concept for Indian television. I can see a paradigm shift in the reality TV shows in India.”

Actor and channel co-curator Alia Bhatt added, “English music is such an important part of our playlists but we don’t get to see it anywhere on our music platforms. So The Stage is an idea whose time has come.”

Since the IP remains exclusively with Colors Infinity, it is highly possible that the channel will later syndicate the format to a different platform or other territories. “Syndication can be a possibility in the long run but at this stage our focus is to establish The Stage and innovate with other locally created English content,” summed up Palia.

September 14, 2015
Universal Music re-launches EMI Records in India with Mohit Suri

MUMBAI: Universal Music Group has joined hands with Indian film director Mohit Suri to re-launch the EMI Record label in India.

EMI Records India will cut across film and non-film musical genres.

Universal Music and Suri will jointly identify both new and established talent to join EMI Records India.

The label will provide its artists with a multi-faceted platform for creative development, giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent and build a successful career in music.

“We’re immensely proud of our new partnership with Mohit Suri to bring EMI Records back to India. Mohit has been responsible for some of the biggest Bollywood hits of all time and A&R is right at the heart of Universal Music so this collaboration is the perfect platform for blending our complementary strengths and our shared love of music,” said Universal Music Group South Asia managing director and CEO Devraj Sanyal.

“Too often in India there has been a huge gulf between film and non-film music but now with EMI Records India we are creating a new label to bridge that divide and invest in artists across all areas of their careers from mainstream Bollywood cinema through to Universal Music India’s rapidly growing live, branded content, endorsements and merchandising businesses,” he added.

Suri added, “Music and independent artists have been the backbone of my career ever since I started 10 years back. I strongly believe that the music composers, lyricists and singers that I have worked with from all over the world have been the stars of my life. This collaboration with Devraj and his team at Universal Music is the most organic synergy of like-minded people that allows me to continue exploring my love for music on a larger scale.”

EMI Records India will be home to a wide spectrum of musical talent, including singers, musicians and other performers as well as composers, lyricists, producers and DJs.

“Culturally, music has always played an integral role in our lives, particularly through the Indian film industry popularly known as Bollywood. Now, armed with expertise in both businesses – music and film, EMI Records India will soon carve out its own space in the world of music and entertainment,” said Suri.

May 27, 2015
Universal Music and Ten Sports launch cricket song for World Cup

MUMBAI: Music label Universal Music India in association with Ten Sports Network has launched a song that celebrates cricket, titled Heroes (We Could Be).

With the cricket World Cup craze taking over the country; the song echoes the sentiments of a nation reeling with cricket fever.

The original song of the same name by Grammy-nominated Swedish DJ/producer Alesso featured the vocals of Tove Lo and is a global hit. The Indian version has been sung by Kanika Kapoor, who has sung songs like ‘Baby Doll’ (Ragini MMS2) and ‘Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan’ (Roy).

The song is in Hinglish with lyrics written by Manoj Yadav. Kapoor has also shot a video for the song, which reflects the passion and excitement of the sport and features some great cricket action from the various cricket series that have been telecast on Ten Sports Network.

Kapoor said, “I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting sporting project. It’s unlike anything I’ve done before and in India it can’t get any bigger than the sport of cricket besides the fact that it’s backed by a leading sports network – Ten Sports. I’m extremely grateful to Universal Music for giving me this opportunity as I eagerly look forward to my fan’s reactions to this song and video created for the sport we all love so much – cricket!”

Universal Music / EMI Music managing director South Asia Devraj Sanyal said, “We all know that cricket and Bollywood are considered religions in India and we are ecstatic to bring together the two with Heroes (We Could Be) – a song celebrating the sport of cricket sung by the current #1 female voice in Bollywood playback Kanika Kapoor, who has done an exceptional job on the song by capturing the passion of the sport. And then to have the Ten Sport Network as our partner on this project, who being part of the Zee Network, have an incredible reach pan-India, we are confident that this song will soon become synonymous with the sport of cricket.”

Ten Sports Global CEO Rajesh Sethi added, “Ten Sports Network, leader in sports entertainment with rights of five Cricket Boards believes in exploring innovative and unique ways to reach out to its audiences. Heroes (We Could Be) in collaboration with Universal Music India is one of the initiatives to celebrate the sport of cricket.”

February 26, 2015
Idea is to get one star in the next three years from ‘The Dharavi Project’: Devraj Sanyal

MUMBAI: Universal Music Group and multi channel network Qyuki recently launched the ‘Dharavi Project’ as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). With the initiative, the music group will fund the expansion of the project that was helmed by Qyuki.

Speaking to Indiatelevision.com about the school, Universal Music Group India and South Asia managing director Devraj Sanyal says that the idea is to get at least one star out in the next three years who is able to cross international markets. “All the money that comes out of it will go back to the artiste while the administration fees will go back to the project. We will not retain a single rupee,” says Sanyal.

He further added that the company, which has a strong global footprint on CSR, was very clear from day one to have a single initiative that would be large, impactful and actually effect change.

The school currently is a 25 feet by 25 feet room but plans are afoot to upgrade it over the next 30 days. It will have 5-D cameras, Apple Mac machines, a recording facility and engineers to help the students set up and record. “It will be like a mini Berkley. We have spent close to two per cent of our net revenue on the project,” Sanyal informs.

As of now, 35 to 40 children will avail facilities at the school and the target is to reach out to more than 300 children. On an average, some of these kids would earn a paltry sum of Rs 4000 a month by undertaking ‘Slumdog’ tours. Queried as to how the project will move ahead, Sanyal says, “This would not have been possible without two things – a deep intent and real money. When these two came together, the Dharavi Project was born.”

As part of its tie up with Qyuki, content which is created by Universal in the South Asia region, will be available on the network. Outlining some trends in the music industry in India, Sanyal concludes by saying, “Digital clearly is the future. Bollywood continues to be a very strong player. Independent, regional and international music is also growing from current share because the population share is increasing.”

January 24, 2015
Max Life Insurance launches ‘i-genius Young Singing Stars’

MUMBAI: In a bid to nurture young talent in the country, Universal Music India has partnered with Max Life Insurance to launch ‘i-genius Young Singing Stars’ aiming to recognise and reward young singing talent in the country.

Commenting on the collaboration, Universal Music & EMI Music, South Asia managing director Devraj Sanyal said, “The i-genius Young Singing Stars initiative from Max Life Insurance is one where the return on emotional quotient clearly outweighs the brand’s requirement for a return on investment. At Universal Music, nothing matters more to us than finding the right talent; the younger the better. This platform is backed by great mentors Salim Merchant & Shraddha Sharma, a technology layer by Sensibol Technologies and a robust platform by Hungama.”

Collaborating on the venture to discover music stars in the making, Universal Music and Max Life Insurance will scout talented children between the ages of 8-11 years (i-genius Junior) and 12-15 years (i-genius Senior). Salim Merchant and Shraddha Sharma will feature as brand ambassadors and jury of the talent hunt. Winners will get a chance to be signed on by Universal Music India.

Commenting on becoming a brand ambassador, Salim Merchant said, “It brings me great pride to be a part of an initiative like this. Working with kids brings me great joy, and I am absolutely looking forward to mentoring them”

Universal Music India will offer one lucky winner from each category an album contract. Also, four finalists from each category, win a singles contract with Universal Music for a compilation. Registrations to the talent contest are now open and will end on the 31 October 2014 , wherein those interested can register via IVR on 092500 32222 or visit the i-genius website www.igenius.org. The grand finale of Max Life Insurance i-genius Young Singing Stars is scheduled to take place in December.

Max Life Insurance CEO and managing director Rajesh Sud said, “We are glad that this property has become a legacy and reached out to over 20 lakh children across the country. The overwhelming response to all our i-genius initiatives in the past has prompted us to extend the programme in the field of music as well.”

September 4, 2014
Nokia MixRadio broadens the horizon for music lovers in India

MUMBAI: Nokia MixRadio, the popular global music streaming service today announced its collaboration with talented musician and popular artiste, Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Ustad Khan joins a long list of celebrated artistes such as Lady Gaga and India’s very own Priyanka Chopra to collaborate with the popular music app – Nokia MixRadio.

Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will also be exclusively curating playlists for Nokia MixRadio giving music lovers across 31 countries exclusive access and insight to the singer’s renditions and musical tastes. This service will be available across popular ranges such as the Nokia Lumia and the Nokia X family.

Mr. Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India Sales, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy says, “As Nokia MixRadio expands into the emerging market of digital global music streaming in developing markets, it is slated to see an upswing of growth resulting in one in every fifteen users coming from India. To cater to this rising user demographic we are slated to position Nokia MixRadio as the ultimate gateway to not only offer diversely curated domestic music but also the best of international music. Through our collaboration with an iconic artiste like Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan we look to give our consumers across different platforms the best music experience at their fingertips”

Speaking ahead of the occasion, Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan said, “It is great to experience what Mix Radio is all about and being part of such a project is overwhelming. I want my album “Back 2 Love” to reach out to the masses and global audience. Mix Radio is surely the best way forward for this. The producer of this album, Salman Ahmed and MD of UMI, Devraj Sanyal both have been instrumental in making this happen. There are two amazing videos as well which I am sure will be loved by all my music lovers”.

Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music/EMI Music, South Asia said; “The long awaited new album ‘Back 2 Love’ from the legend Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a collection of ten stunning new soulful songs and is easily his best work to date. Being his first new album in seven years, it needed a launch platform that will do justice on a global scale and we believe that there is no better place than to launch on MixRadio.”

“Nokia has been and continues to be one of our most valued partners. After just launching Priyanka Chopra’s new International single globally on MixRadio, we are now ready to take our partnership with MixRadio further with the launch of Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s new album ‘Back 2 Love’ to a worldwide audience”, concluded Sanyal.

MixRadio is also equipped with a unique PlayMe feature allowing users to discover 30 million tracks and at the touch of a button, taking playlists offline. When data connection is not available, the feature offers users the opportunity to enjoy music anytime anywhere, by taking hours of music and mixes offline, perfect for commuting and avoiding data costs.

As digital revenues show an increase of 43% in 2013 globally and are set to top $5.9 billion in 2014, MixRadio will deliver its personalized, unique listening experience, allowing listeners across the globe to access the most popular playlists created by musical experts and celebrities that are free of adverts, sign ups or subscriptions.

June 9, 2014
Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan signs with Universal Music India for ‘Back 2 Love’

MUMBAI: Maestro Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has signed up with Universal Music India for the release of his long awaited album ‘Back 2 Love’. This is his fourth album and the first in 7 years. The album will see a global release on 9 June 2014.

`Back 2 Love’ is a collection of 10 soulful melodies that aims at enthralling audiences, both new and existing. The album includes collaborations with Indian musicians including the music composer brother duo Salim- Sulaiman and a duet with play back singer Shreya Ghoshal.

This Ustaad of `Qawaali’ and `Sufi’ music, has an envious list of Bollywood hits to his credit including ‘Sajda’ (My Name is Khan), ‘Teri Ore’ (Singh is King), ‘O Re Piya’ (Aaja Nachle), and ‘Jiya Dhadak Dhadak’ (Kalyug) to name a few amongst his poignant works that have always tugged many a heart strings. This time round too, the world renowned musician is all set to mesmerize with his 10 new soulful and heart rendering compositions from `Back 2 Love’.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan said, “I am excited about my signing with Universal Music Group and look forward in creating magic with ‘Back2Love’ as it is perhaps my best solo effort so far. I feel honoured being part of a label like Universal Music as it represents some of the top most artists in this world. I look forward for a long lasting musical relationship with UMG and thank my Producer Salman Ahmed and Universal Music’s Devraj Sanyal for putting this deal together.”

Adding an Indian feel to his compositions is the much in love couple of `Big Boss’ fame Gauhar Khan and Kushal Tandon who feature in the music video shot for the lead track ‘Zaroori Tha’ that will break closer to the album release date.

Universal Music / EMI Music, South Asia managing director Devraj Sanyal said, “We are extremely proud to present the work of a legendary artist as Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Khan’s works being an inspiration and solace to many, have always been looked forward to by avid music lovers the world over. His new album `Back 2 Love’ is an all new extension to his already prolific body of work and is definitely his best work yet! Needless to say, we are rolling out a red carpet plan for this brilliant new album as we are confident of its impending success! We will ensure that this one reaches out and touches millions of hearts worldwide!”

May 20, 2014
Universal Music releases Priyanka Chopra’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”

MUMBAI:Universal Music via Interscope Geffen A&M is pleased to announce the release of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (ICMYLM), the brand new single off Priyanka Chopra’s much anticipated debut album. Chopra’s new track, a fresh and contemporary EDM ballad, was produced by German DJ / Producer Manual “Manian” Reuter and went `live’ across all digital outlets in India on 22nd April`14. Within 3 hours of it’s release, the single had climbed to #3 on the iTunes India overall `singles’ chart and subsequently peaked at #1 on a chart that includes `Bollywood’ music too. The physical CD single is scheduled for a 30th April`14 release and will feature two brilliant `remixes’ of the single.

The song’s video, set for release on May 1st, features actor Milo Ventimiglia (of NBC television series `Heroes’ fame) and chronicles mini moments from a now one-sided romantic relationship about to end. The video was conceptualized and directed by acclaimed duo Jeff Nicholas and Jonathan Craven of The Uprising Creative, whose credits include Rihanna’s “Take Care”, Justin Timberlake’s “Take Back The Night” and Shakira’s “Empire.”

Says Priyanka Chopra, “This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It’s my ode to a classic, a song that I love, and one that says so much – this is for the actor in me”. She continues, “My fans have been super supportive on my previous two International singles “In My City” and “Exotic” and now I can’t wait to hear what they think of my latest single, which for the first time is just `me’ on the track!” .

The release of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” follows her two big hit singles “In My City” with Will.i.am, and “Exotic” with Pitbull which have cumulatively sold over half a million units (physical + digital) here – a record for `single’ sales in India! In 2012, Chopra also collaborated with The Chainsmokers as a feature on their track “Erase.”

Speaking on this occasion Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music Group & EMI Music, South Asia said “After two successful international singles in “In My City” and “Exotic”, Priyanka Chopra steps out with this banging EDM ballad which is destined to become this summer’s dance anthem! And this time she’s stepped up her game with a single all by herself unlike her previous hits which were collaborations. Once again we at Universal Music will roll out the best possible plan in support of this single to ensure that it’s another sure fire hit and further build up anticipation for the release of Priyanka’s debut international album later this year”.

In the US, Beats By Dr. Dre, in collaboration with Best Buy Co., Inc. will also pay homage to Chopra’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” with the launch of a new campaign for the popular Beats Pill XL portable Bluetooth speaker. Chopra and her new track will be featured in the national ad campaign, which will run nationwide through May`14. Anjula Acharia Bath, CEO of Desi Hits and Chopra’s Management, notes, “Beats has taken the world by storm and I can’t think of a better platform or brand to release Priyanka’s new single to the US Market. We could not be more proud to support the launch of the new Beats Pill XL…let’s face it, sometimes bigger is just better!”

Priyanka boasts of more than 18 million followers across her social media platforms while combined YouTube views for her first two singles / videos is now over a phenomenal 50 million. The new single “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is available across all digital platforms.

April 30, 2014
Universal Music India signs top 11 contestants from ‘Indian Idol juniors’

MUMBAI: Leading label Universal Music India has signed the top eleven contestants from the popular `Idol’ television property Indian Idol Junior that just completed its debut season. Emerging as a powerhouse of explosive talent, the Top 11 Indian Idol Juniors were chosen from millions of aspirants across India. The nation was taken by storm by the young musical wonders, who continued to keep the audiences in awe week after week with their prodigious flair.

A well established brand already, it is the first year that the `Idol’ propertyintroduced a `junior’ season. The junior edition of the show proved to be a huge success as is evident from the impressive young talent that emerged out of which 11 proved to shine far brighter than the rest. Universal Music offers the contestants a 360 contract wherein the young artists’ assignments will be exclusively managed by the leading record label.

Speaking on the occasion, Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music India & South Asia, said, “Our association with `Idol’ both globally & here has been very successful as we saw with II6 where we were able to take the recorded music piece & the Live piece & make it into a sustainable business. The Indian Idol 6 kids performed some 60 shows in over ten countries over 11 months. Now our endeavor with the Indian Idol Junior kids will exactly be the same, only with the added advantage of having a wider audience to reach out to. Our partnership with future thinking companies like Fremantle will allow us to do just that. The talent has been outstanding and it’s my firm belief that the Indian Idol Juniors today are tomorrow’s stars.”

The talent on Indian Idol junior has been of an exceptional level. We are pleased to announce our association with Universal Music to build this talent into young legends.” added Anupama Mandloi, Managing Director, Fremantlemedia India.

Along with the winner Anjana Padmanabhan, the musical sensations who created waves are Nirvesh Dave, Debanjana Karmakar, Anmol Jaswal, Sugandha Date, Sonakshi Kar, Priyam Borpatragohain, Akash Sharma, Sankalp Yaduwanshi,Eman Chaudhary and Aryan Das along with the winner Anjana Padmanabhan, all of whom set the stage ablaze with their fiery talent

Universal Music has signed on these young superstars for a holistic 360 degree contract wherein all aspects including `live’ show, endorsements, music albums etc. will be solely managed by the label.

For more enquires on shows, contact smiran.bansal@umusic.com.

September 10, 2013