iWorld
Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent OTT races up the download charts
MUMBAI: Some people know him for popularising chess to the masses, Others know him as one of the most popular comedians in India but Samay Raina is now also an entertainment-preneur – making a business out of his entertainment.
Six months ago, Samay created a show on YouTube called India’s Got Latent. The show allows people to showcase their talent or skill in front of a panel of judges curated by Samay Raina. Not another talent show? Hasn’t viewer fatigue set in?
But, wait, India’s Got Latent is not just another talent show. For one, it’s totally irreverent as far as its contestants, judges and special guests are concerned. Then it’s ticketed and the live audience pays Rs 2,000 to just get in. Other talent shows decide the winner based on who gets the highest score. But not on Samay’s India’s Got Latent. Contestants/participants score themselves individually before they strut their stuff on stage. Then it’s the turn of the judges. If the contestant’s scores matches with the score given by the jury he or she is the winner. and goes home with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, which is given by the sponsor of the episode.
The show combines humour (it’s very north Indian and we’d say GenZ, full of free flowing cuss words and double entendres) with a talent showcase giving an opportunity to common-as-garden individuals to present their talents.
This unique show became viral like no other IP on YouTube, and it has been attracting subscribers like flies to a honeypot. The number has reached 6.7 million subscribers at the time of writing.Each episode is doing an average of 25 million with the recent ones clocking 30 plus million views.
So strong is the pull, that Samay has dared to make bonus episodes available on membership (a monthly subscription to its YouTube channel). Estimates are that he has close to 500,000 paid subscribers coughing up Rs 60 each a month which gets him about Rs 2 crore a month, deducting YouTube fees.
India’s got Latent has become so popular not only on YouTube free and membership that it has encouraged Samay Raina to create a streaming app. Yes, a streaming app, and he announced on his Instagram handle that it’s there for downloading.
He also said he’s got more – many more IPs in production – a poetry show and a rap competition which will be available on a monthly subscription of Rs 59. There will be some other services available including tickets to his shows in the app. At the time of writing, India’s Got Latent had reached amongst the top 50 downloaded apps in the country on the Google Playstore and at No 1 on the Appstore. That too within a day of its introduction on the two stores.
Not just that. Samay has a north American tour Samay Raina Unfiltered planned between February and March first week with 10 shows each planned for Canada and the US. Tickets for these are already on sale online and they are selling out fast.
Clearly, this is one social media sensation who is taking advantage of the right samay (time) and cashing it in.
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.
