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Tag: Music industry

  • “I don’t see growth beyond a point in the music industry”: Neeraj Vyas

    “I don’t see growth beyond a point in the music industry”: Neeraj Vyas

    The music industry has had a lot to celebrate this year. If we look at Sony Mix, I am happy to say that we have set a record; the music channel was a leader for 52 weeks in a row and for a three-year old to achieve this, is remarkable.

    We have set our niche and made it stronger through the years. We are now labelled as a channel which understands the nuances of musical play out, we know what to play at what time and at what tempo. Mix is a channel that probably understands melody more than anybody else.

    I think we have now happily established ourselves as a melodious channel and whether we remain number one or two is irrelevant. Ups and downs will happen and we have to be ready for it as it is a part and parcel of the industry.

    What we have managed to do and what makes me happy is the fact that we have led a change. Previously, the entire genre was a trade genre where people just played free music and movie trailers. But I think, Mix can take a lot of pleasure in saying that it has brought back musicality in the genre. And today a lot of people are trying to do what Mix is doing.

    The only desire, we as an industry have, is to better our rates in terms of what we sell at. We would be a lot more profitable if we don’t just remain frequency buying options for advertisers. And we would become a lot more relevant if we produced better content and not just play music back-to-back.

    Also, I don’t see growth beyond a point for the entire music industry. I think we are still around 125-130 GRP mark and we all have a long way to go. But time spent is also an issue. People watch music channels for 4 to 5 minutes a day which is not optimal. The reality is that we need to monetise better and that needs to be a goal for all of us going forward because we are still extremely critical to a media plan. There is a general entertainment channel (GEC) and Hindi feature film genre and after that if one wants to capture the Hindi heartland, then they have only two options – music or news. And with 6 per cent share of the overall pie, we should be charging a lot more and getting a lot more.

    But unfortunately, music channels have historically been undersold and have become a frequency option. I think that needs to be cleaned up as fast as possible. 2014 has not seen much change in the music industry. We all depend on labels to provide us music.

    A significant learning that we have acquired in 2014 from our audiences is that retro songs still hold a strong relevance. And the trend will only grow. Our own retro brand has shown a growth in certain key markets. Retro, overall, even on other channels has grown. It is not that everybody is watching a music channel is the so-called youth. There is a large cross section of people that come in to sample good music. Getting the right mix across the right day parts is the challenge going forward. Melodies of the past will never go out of fashion. Item songs can be a good tadka, but they cannot be your main staple.

    However, unfortunately not much has happened in the genre beyond a point. I don’t think anybody has created anything different apart from Mix, which has and will continue to experiment.

    (These are purely personal views of Sony Mix, Max and Max 2 senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • Ranveer Singh to host the fourth edition of the Gionee Star GiMA Awards

    Ranveer Singh to host the fourth edition of the Gionee Star GiMA Awards

    MUMBAI: The fourth edition of Gionee Star Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) Awards powered by Reliance 3G will see the ever dynamic Ranveer Singh take centre stage to once again host music’s premiere awards.

     

    Ranveer also hosted the second edition of the awards, which proved to be a hit among the audiences enthralling with an opening rap. Seeing the very best of India’s musical talent on one platform, the ground event will take place on 20 January, 2014 and be held at the newly inaugurated National Sports Club of India (NSCI) stadium in Mumbai.

     

    Speaking on hosting the awards, actor Ranveer Singh said: “It is a huge honour to be invited back to host an awards ceremony of this caliber celebrating Indian Music. The last time around was thrilling as I got to interact with the best musicians and singers this country has on offer. The Gionee Star GiMA is such a great platform and I am happy to celebrate an integral part of the Indian culture with the biggest names in music today.” 

     

    Gionee Mobiles partner and India head Arvind Rajnish Vohra added, “Music is a genre which has a universal appeal and it cuts across all the age groups and geography and in India music is part and parcel of the culture. We can’t even imagine our culture without music. Gionee is excited to partner GIMA which allows the brand to connect with TG by celebrating the spirit of music and recognising the magic created by the artists.” 

     

    Commenting on the roping in Ranveer Singh as host, Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph said: “Ranveer is one actor known for his spirited persona. The last time he hosted, we received such an overwhelming reception that we just had to get his infectious energy back on the GiMA stage. So I am confident the appreciation will be two-fold as the Gionee Star GiMA commemorates the spirit of the Indian music industry in its 4th year and Ranveer Singh joins in on the celebration.”

     

    GiMA provides a unified platform to celebrate and recognise those who push the boundaries of Indian Music, across a wide range of film and non-film music genres. This year, for the first time, GiMA has included new categories across pop, indie and EDM, making it a total of 13 awards in the Non-Film music categories and 11 awards for Film music. With greater representation of Indie artistes, GiMA has incorporated more contemporary music this year.

  • DJ Roane spins his way to DMC World DJ Championships 2013

    DJ Roane spins his way to DMC World DJ Championships 2013

    Resident DJ at Hard Rock Cafe and Shiro, India to represent India at finale in London

     

    The perfect balance of music and cuisine – this is one of the many reasons Shiro and Hard Rock Cafe, India has maintained a special place with customers across India. The two most popular brands of JSM Corporation Ltd’s portfolio have been known to encourage talent in the music industry.

     

    Resident DJ Roane Acey has proved to be quite the superstar! He will represent India at the Disco Mix Club (DMC) World DJ Championships set to be helped in October this year.  Roane was chosen as the winner by an esteemed jury comprising Luke Kenny, DJ A-Myth and Sumit Shenoy at the India Finale held in August.

     

    One of the most popular resident DJs at Hard Rock Cafe and Shiro, India, DJ Roane has numerous loyal fans walk in on ‘Rock Your Fridays’ night at Hard Rock Cafe  for his collection of the choicest rock and an even larger following at Shiro where he knows exactly which songs get the crowds moving. Roane battled it out with 13 top DJs from all across the country to be crowned national winner.

     

    Roane began his career at the age of thirteen in the city of Mumbai, India. In his early days he experimented with hip-hop and R ‘n’B and the turntable style. His contagious energy and refreshing music earned him accolades at each platform he performed – colleges, lounges, clubs, private parties – DJ Roane had a fast growing fan base.

     

    Having a come a very long way since then, he has opened for a number of international acts such as WHY NOT, Daniel Bedingfield, Simon Webbe from the band Blue, Wyclef Jean, Jay Sean, Prime Circle, Saving Abel, a four city tour with DJ Bob Sinclair, two city tour with ‘Yves La Rock’ as the opening DJ for them, Sean Kingston, Kardinal Official, Karl Wolf, Raghav, ‘DJ Judge Jules’ and many others. His involvement with JSM had given him many golden opportunities to spread the joy of his music across the world. Things can only get louder and better. Here’s wishing our DJ all the very best for the World DJ Championships!

  • Music industry seeks protection of IPR, enforcement of laws

     
    Music industry seeks protection of IPR, enforcement of laws
     

    MUMBAI: Riding high on technological changes, the music industry and its affiliates in India are not seeking much intervention from the finance minister this time round, except for better enforcement of laws.

    The Indian Music Industry (IMI), the body that looks after the interests of most of the music companies in the country, says that there is not much it expects from the Union Budget. But the Phonographic Performances Limited (PPL), the licencing arm of the IMI, is looking at some concrete intervention.

    PPL CEO Vipul Pradhan believes there should be a provision in the budget to reduce the VAT on cassettes. He says, “We are hoping the government reduces the VAT on cassettes, which is 12 per cent currently. The VAT applicable on CDs is four per cent which makes it more feasible for the people to opt for CDs instead of the audio cassettes. Reducing the VAT on cassettes also at four per cent will help in their sales.”

    “Also, the government has to undertake some kind of initiative for protection of intellectual property and rights. The growth of a country is determined by and large by the sale of computer and entertainment software and piracy is killing the industry. So, it is necessary to form a separate body to protect the intellectual property and also funding is required to educate the common masses about the ill effects of piracy,” adds Pradhan.

    The governing body for the music industry down south, Simca, too is not looking for drastic changes, but a stricter adherence to prevailing laws. Simca general secretary SL Saha says, “There are no budgetary or fiscal requirements that I expect in the budget but proper enforcement of the prevailing acts to promote the industry.”

    PDM Entertainment COO Aman Anand, who recently organised the Sunburn Music Festival in Goa, wants a lowering of entertainment tax in the budget.

    Mobile content company DNS Networks is looking at tax benefits for producers and film making companies, to enable good production values in films, which in turn help mobile content get marketed profitably throughout the world. “Mobile content based on movies, including music, will get an indirect but big boost if filmmaking corporate houses can avail of these tax benefits,” says DNA Networks’ MD Devashish Mishra.

    The Internet and Mobile Association of India’s wishlist for the Union Budget recommends that the nascent e-commerce industry in the country be encouraged by the removal of service tax on online internet transactions done through credit cards, debit cards and net banking transactions, a move that might help the online music stores that have been started by some music companies and content aggregators in the country.

    The IAMAI has also recommended that the state governments be directed not to impose entertainment tax on internet and broadband services.

    People Infocom CEO Manoj Dawane says, “The Indian Mobile VAS Industry is on a growth path, and the times ahead promise opportunities that will need to be capitalized on and avenues that will have to be chartered. Given the existing scenario, we hope for a Budget that provides our space the support to make the most of the opportunities presented.

    “Telecom and media are two of the most important interrelated industries for the MVAS space. Considering both these sectors, we would look forward to the implementation of a single levy system for the telecom sector making telecom services more affordable. We would also look forward to some relief in the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT).”

    “It would be favorable for service tax regulations to be kept simple, which will result in increased compliance and greater tax collections, along with making Tax filings and administration simpler and taxpayer friendly,” adds Dawane.

  • Mobile Music Industry – Way to go!

    Mobile music has emerged as the most prominent segment in the digital music industry and is a major money making business.

    Today, the definite buzzword with Indians is ‘mobile’. Everyone realizes how quickly the world is going digital and how important it is to keep in pace with the changing times.

    According to the Soundbuzz Music Analysis (Digital and Physical), in 2007, digital music and more specifically mobile music, will surpass physical music in sales in India. To this estimation, IMI general secretary Savio D’Souza says, “In India, Music-to-Music accounts for Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and physical music to Rs 600 crore. So, I nowhere see mobile music sales surpassing physical music sales.”

    But Universal’s Rajeev Gangal comments, “Not by the end of 2007, but by late 2008 one can expect mobile music sales to exceed, looking at the way the digital segment is booming.”

    The Soundbuzz analysis also states that globally, online and mobile sales will represent more than 60 per cent of all music retail sales by 2009. Ringtones, the dominant digital format in terms of sales, will continue to be so through 2009. “Its all about monetizing it rightly,” adds D’Souza. Moreover, it concludes that Asia will generate more than one third of all digital music sales globally in 2009. Whoa!

    Mobile music consisting of ringtones, caller ringback tones, music clippings ringtones, music video downloads, movies and scene downloads has emerged as the most prominent segment in the digital music industry and is a major money making business today. Gangal further adds, “Physical and digital formats are way away from each other. Some tracks are just meant for the digital market. But as far as revenue from them is concerned, they are neck to neck. There isn’t much gap there.”

    According to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI), with the evolution of the mobile handset, mobile music has become a major revenue stream for the music industry globally, running far ahead of revenues from the conventional music distribution channels. Adds D’Souza, “Mobile music has become a major revenue stream for music industry, but mobile music running far ahead in revenues as compared to conventional music distribution channels isn’t true. Globally, the music industry is a $32 billion business, of which mobile music accounts for 10 per cent, say not more than $2 billion.”

    Be it an out-and-out whim or just the exposure to illegal downloads, mobile music is taking over the legal conventional music in India. Statistics prove that where mobile music downloads is growing by over 50 per cent every year; the growth of legal conventional music is more or less pining away.

    The songs from 2006 blockbuster Dhoom 2 were a smash hit on the music downloads front

    Adds Gangal, “If illegal distribution of music through mobiles is also included, the size of the mobile music market may be a lot bigger than conventional music. The biggest hindrance to the conventional music industry is piracy. The mobile music segment sees low piracy levels and hence, the industry is benefited more from the digital segment than the conventional one.”

    Downloadable ringtones, which already make an annual business of $45 million globally, is all set to grow at double-digit levels in the years to come. Ringtones also generate about 40 per cent of the data revenues for India’s big wireless operators such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications.

    India’s entire mobile music market – encompassing monophonic and polyphonic ring tones, true tones, ring back tones and full track mobile downloads – will be worth $800 million by 2009, as predicted by Soundbuzz, which again doesn’t receive a positive nod from D’Souza.

    Today, almost every handset is capable of playing polyphonic or actual music. Cell phones ranging from Rs 2000 – Rs 5000 sell the most in India and thus can avail just the mono or polyphonic tones. Video and song downloads does not come into the picture here. But, mobile music is developing faster due to higher penetration of phones compared to portable players or broadband, and also, due to ease of payment. Almost all operators today have launched an ‘Easy Music’ facility that allows subscribers to choose their favourite music from a huge catalog and download it onto their mobile phones or even iPods at affordable prices. This has helped the mobile music market boom to unexpected levels.

    As regards choice, mobile subscribers have a yen for Bollywood hits, devotional music, but international tracks always remain a priority as well.

    Adds Gangal, “In the mobile music segment, it’s all about hits. Like if we have the rights to Bryan Adams and a person wants to download Bryan Adams songs, then he will definitely turn to our label. The biggest challenge in this segment is to make music available in the three-inch screen as against other forms of distribution. Here, content and quality both matter a lot.”

    Both digital formats have deep content in terms of language and musical genres. Radio on mobile devices as well as Internet radio is also pushing the digital music industry forward.

    Presently, the techno-savvy generation is making use of mobiles in all the possible ways to get the best out of it. By the end of 2007, it is expected that India alone will have around 250 million handsets. Global companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung are striving neck-to-neck to come up with handsets loaded with FM radios, MP3 players and a good memory capacity as buyers are showing an edge for such features in their cell phones.

    Sony Ericsson is working and promoting its personal digital assistant phones with MP3 players and the popular Walkman phone line. Around 35 per cent of their Indian handset products feature downloadable music applications and the best-selling Walkman phone accounts for 65 per cent of total revenues. Sony has also expanded its chain of Expression Stores, which feature phones and music download stations.

    Nokia can’t afford to lag in this rat-race. The handset leader has set up college sponsorship deals and collaborated with music companies to buy the rights for free downloadable songs on some of their handsets to encourage the use of digital music. Some of Nokia’s N-series handsets, with a 3,000 song capacity, offer 100 preloaded songs free; just to make a mark, and money of course, in this segment. Most of the major handset makers have tie-ups with music content sites such as Soundbuzz.com andOnMobile.com as well as revenue-sharing deals with local telcos and music companies.

    Comments Hindustan Times (Lucknow) music feature writer Piyush Singh, “India sees a huge potential for digital music. Presently, MP3 songs are heard on PC, phones, web (streaming) etc. About revenue generation, according to me, it is an off-putting task to convince (Indians especially), to buy music online, as music is easily available from peers who might have purchased a CD or downloaded it online using P2P technology.

    “If it is economical for people to download, store and write music on CDs and then transfer it to the cell phones; the search for songs from unpaid sources increases. But if paid sources price the song really low, no one would want to undergo this trouble of downloading-storing-writing. Also, the whole process will then look ‘legal’.”

    Piracy and transfer of music from one handset to another, for instance transferring music clips via Bluetooth, have reached a volume that is three times the legal route. But such illegal downloads also appear as blessings in disguise as it actually helps the mobile music industry to grow. Comments Gangal, “Rich media usually observes a greater volume of transfers via Bluetooth. At the end of the day, everyone gets their share. 70 per cent of it taken away by Telco and the leftover is distributed.”

    Local music companies and content owners often nitpick at the distributors like mobile phone operators and other companies that distribute digital music. They claim that the distributors walk away with a bigger portion of the revenues leaving them with a minimum amount. Says D’Souza, “The accounting of the mobile music business depends on some common denominators taken into consideration and on the parameters against which the market is calculated. Only then can one say how significant the contribution is.

    “In India, the mobile piracy business is about Rs 30 crore. If a ringtone costs Rs 10, 15 per cent of the money goes to the government, around Rs 1.75 comes to the music industry. The rest is split amongst the music companies and content owners. Today, Telco accounts for 80 per cent of the business. This segment is bound to grow no doubt. Which distributors dominate the mobile music market is largely dependent on the end product available and negotiation skills.”

    Talking of the competition penetrating this segment, Gangal gives a final peg, “We don’t really see a lot of competition and this comes as an advantage. It’s all about how you market your product and what strategies you adapt in order to keep selling. In the next five years or so, Universal will definitely witness an average of 400 million number of unit sales in the digital segment and around Rs 200 million in market prices.”

  • Shakira to perform at Grammy Awards

    Shakira to perform at Grammy Awards

    MUMBAI: Pop star Shakira will perform at the Grammy Awards which is the music industry’s most prestigious event.

    The evnt takes place in Los Angeles and will air live on Star World on 12 February 2007.

    Shakira will perform, along with nominees Wyclef Jean, Chris Brown, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson for a special tribute to the tradition of male R&B artists. Also nominee Rascal Flatts will join previously announced nominee Carrie Underwood in a tribute to country rock,

    The other performers at the show include Christina Aguilera, Beyonc, the Dixie Chicks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Justin Timberlake

  • Sa Re Ga Ma Pa announces ‘L’il Champs’

    Sa Re Ga Ma Pa announces ‘L’il Champs’

    Mumbai, July 3, 2006: After the mega success of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 & Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, Zee TV announces a completely new series – “L’il Champs” with twenty-two new young contestants. L’il Champs will provide a platform for the first time to young participants, all in the age group of 7 to 14 years. This series will have the little talents singing to a live band on the show. L’il Champs also marks the return of the extremely popular anchor Shaan, to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa after a brief hiatus.

    Speaking on the launch, Gajendra Singh, Creative Director, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa said, “Following Challenge 2005 & Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, we thought of L’il Champs, a completely different series from the earlier ones. Music is an integral part of Indian culture and talent should be nurtured from an early age, therefore, L’il Champs will identify young talent. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has always been a platform for the best talent in the country, L’il Champs will bring out the best in young talent from across the country.”

    Adding further, Ashvini Yardi, Head, Programming, Zee TV said, “L’il Champs will be an absolutely new experience for all of us, as we will be dealing with little children as participants. We look forward to providing our viewers a refreshingly new show with L’il Champs, some talented singing with loads of fun. We also have new judges – Alka Yagnik, Bappi Lahiri & Abhijeet. All of them established professionals from the music industry, who will guide & judge our little contestants.”

    Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs will be on Zee TV, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 to 11 p.m.

  • Music industry loses 50% share due to piracy: Dasmunsi

    Music industry loses 50% share due to piracy: Dasmunsi

    MUMBAI: The vicious wave of piracy continues to eat into the revenues of the Indian music industry. According to information and broadcasting minister P R Dasmunsi, the Indian music industry has lost 50 per cent of its share between 1999-2004 primarily due to piracy.

    However, Dasmunsi assured that several steps have been taken and will be taken in the future by the government to curb piracy.

    According to a report by PTI, the Indian Music Industry (IMI) pegs the size of the industry at Rs 5 billion in 2004 as compared to Rs 10 billion in 1999.

    Dwelling also on the much talked about issue of CAS (conditional access system) in the Lok Sabha today, Dasmunsi further said that the government has held meetings with broadcasters, cable operators, consumer organisations and other stake holders with regard to the implementation of the CAS.

    “There was a broad consensus that nine-month time is required to take preparatory steps and to implement CAS smoothly and as such no exact time-frame can be indicated,” he was reported as saying.