iWorld
ECOA appoints Shemaroo’s CEO Hiren Gada as its new president
Mumbai: According to a recent announcement made at the 58th annual general meeting of the Entertainment Content Owners Association of India (ECOA), Shemaroo Entertainment’s chief executive officer Hiren Gada has been named as their new president.
In further development, RK Duggal, Ashok Jain, and Narendra Hirawat were onboarded as the association’s next vice president, secretary, and treasurer, respectively.
Speaking on the announcement, Gada said, “It’s an honour to be elected as the president of this prestigious association that has been safeguarding the interests of the entertainment content owners of India. I am grateful to all my colleagues and members of the ECOA for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am excited to collaborate with industry leaders to future-proof content ownership and distribution with the emergence of technology and web 3.0.”
ECOA is a comprehensive apex body dedicated to the causes, growth, promotion, protection, and welfare of all entertainment content owners in India across all genres, languages, and formats.
On 15 October 1963, Lim Billimoria and a few other Indian film exporters formed the Indian Film Exporters Association to promote and facilitate the export of Indian films abroad.
The association represents, protects, and promotes the overall well-being of all Indian entertainment content owners. It is a non-government and non-profit organisation that plays an important role in securing the holder’s various legitimate content rights.
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.
