iWorld
Chingari App announces strategic partnership with Snow Records
Mumbai: Short video app Chingari has entered into a partnership with Snow Records, an independent newly launched music label. As part of the collaboration, Chingari app will promote all new albums to be released by Snow Records.
The association began with promoting “Bismillah 2,” the latest song launched by Snow Records. Sung by Jazim Sharma, the track features Surbhi Jyoti and Rohit Khandelwal. The song was promoted on Chingari app through a contest, influencer meet-and-greet with the star cast and videos shared by the creator community.
Commenting on the development Chingari co-founder and CEO Sumit Ghosh said, “Chingari being a successful start-up itself believes in extending support to and promoting upcoming artists, creators, brands and labels that have the capability of soaring high, given the right opportunity. Snow Records has great potential and talent associated with them. We are very excited to have them on board with us.”
The partnership is aimed at showcasing Chingari’s strength in reaching out to the masses, pan India. Brands can leverage this opportunity to promote their ventures through the app.
“We constantly try to create new trends for our creator community to make entertaining videos on, while enhancing their user experience, as well as encouraging our viewers to spend more time on the app,” stated Chingari co-founder and COO Deepak Salvi. “Associations like these help us in getting onboard such incredible songs like ‘Bismillah 2.’ It can be on our creators’ playlist at any given point of time and help them in creating engaging content. We are looking forward to many such songs that will be launched by Snow Records in the future.”
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.
