iWorld
Ban on YouTube in Pakistan may be lifted in two months
NEW DELHI: The Pakistan National Assembly is expected to take a final decision on 8 April to ask the government to re-open YouTube in the country in matter of two months with necessary safeguards.
This follows a sizable number of members having moved resolutions for lifting the 18-month ban.
However, the matter has been put off to 8 April in view of the pending case on reopening of YouTube in Lahore High Court.
A resolution was moved by Pakistan People’s Party member Shazia Marri that asked the government for re-opening of YouTube immediately, particularly since the objectionable video ‘Innocence of Muslims’ had been removed.
Later Awab Alvi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also advocated the opening of YouTube, according to the Pakistani web portal MoreMagazine.
An amendment moved by Awais Leghari of the PML-N deleted the word “immediate” and gave the government up to two months to remove the ban “with adequate safeguards”.
With the ban on Youtube, famous singer Ali Gul Pir has released a song Kholo BC to mock government for its inability to lift the ban on such a useful online platform. With main focus on YouTube Ban, Ali and his fellow artiste Adil Omer has touched upon various issues related to Pakistani society, its Youth and the dichotomy present in the behavior of its ruling elite.
Interestingly, this resolution comes at a time when an international survey has revealed that just around 22 per cent of Pakistanis want a free internet.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
