iWorld
Gather Network gives additional responsibilities to Ashesh Koul; appoints him CTO
MUMBAI: Dubai based Web3.0 & blockchain content monetisation platform, Gather Network has announced their expansion plans for India’s operations with additional responsibilities assigned to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Ashesh Koul. In his new role, he will manage the company’s growth in the South Asian market and will also lead a team of 40 employees.
Koul has been a technologist at Gather Network for over four years. He has a keen understanding of both the business as well as consumer’s needs. Therefore, his skills & experiences will help to create a Web3 powerhouse for leading business strategy, tech consulting & building blockchain capabilities.
With core competencies in business strategy, tech consulting & software development, his role has been instrumental in leading global teams and owning end-to-end wide range of business functions & technology solutions. He comes with 18 years of experience in the technology industry, having led large teams of more than 200 engineers as well as working hands-on in Fortune 500 enterprises and technology start-ups. Ashesh has a strong technical background in mobile, middleware, automation, and big data, & recently applied for a patent as well.
Gather Networks intends to significantly increase its workforce in India with its new Indian operation headquarters that recently opened its doors in Gurugram, NewDelhi.
Koul said, “I am really excited to contribute to Gather Network’s vision of expanding across the South-East Asia region. The company’s journey in South Asia over the last few months has been both enriching and exhilarating and I look forward to applying what I’ve learned in the current role in the enhanced profile. From the perspective of our clients and talent, there are tremendous opportunities to create interesting synergies across geographies. I am really grateful to Gather Network for this opportunity and their trust in me”.
Gather Network CEO, founder Reggie Raghav Jerath commented, “I’m overjoyed to have Ashesh lead the growth and operations in the region. We intend to capitalise on his knowledge and experience as one of our core members from the last four years to achieve even greater momentum in the Blockchain & Crypto space. To that end, we intend to pursue specific organic and inorganic growth strategies while continuing to invest in innovation. We believe that Ashesh’s experience and strong financial acumen will play a vital role in driving these initiatives and maximizing value for our clients and stakeholders in the South Asian market.”
Gather has various products that help in enabling monetisation for content creators such as Gather Online, where web and mobile developers can monetise from the end-user processing power with their express permission, Gather Enterprise, which is a consultancy service providing solutions for business on tokenization, and Gather Cloud, a decentralized cloud services providing businesses with the processing power that keeps the cost of cloud computing in check with the use of their own existing devices.
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.
