iWorld
BBC Learning English – Thai now live on website, FB, YouTube & Instagram channels
MUMBAI: BBC Learning English has launched special content for Thai-speaking learners. BBC Learning English – Thai is now live on the BBC Learning English website as well as Facebook and Instagram channels. BBC Thai features selected material on its Facebook page and other social-media channels.
BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 28 other language services, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 269 million. BBC Learning English, a part of the BBC World Service, is a leader in using international broadcasting to teach English. Users connect with BBC Learning English via the website bbclearningenglish.com, its partner sites, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
BBC Learning English – Thai includes weekly video and audio clips for learners at beginner and intermediate levels. Beginners can try Essential English Conversation, while English on the Street and English in the News – featuring the most popular stories from the BBC Thai website – are aimed at those at intermediate level.
BBC Learning English – Thai is delivered via the BBC Learning English website and social-media channels. Selected content features on BBC Thai Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube channels.
BBC Learning English editor Paul Scott says: “We are looking forward to engaging and interacting with Thai-speaking learners of English. Our new free series will help them on their language-learning journeys as the starting point for conversations and for sharing views, ideas and culture.”
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.
