News Broadcasting
Midem 2007 conference to focus on music and brands
MUMBAI: The increasing collaboration between the music industry and brands will be a key theme at the Music for Images conference at Midem 2007.
Launched in 2004, Music for Images explores how music is being used in film, video games, TV and advertising. The fourth edition of “Music for Images” will take place at Midem on 22 January.
The 41st edition of Midem will be held in Cannes, France, from 21-25 January. Music for Images 2007 comprises three dedicated panels focusing on video games, film/TV and advertising/branding. Once again this year panellists will include major representatives in each field and the entire programme will be chaired by US music industry figure Glassnote Records (US) president Daniel Glass.
Returning for the third consecutive year at Music for Images will be the ever-popular listening sessions. A total of three separate listening sessions will once again provide companies with the opportunity to submit and play their tracks in front of international music supervisors who are actively looking for music to place in video games, adverts and film scores.
The first panel to kick off the conference is called Video Games: The Latest Challenge for Labels and Composers?. Headlining the session is the music visionary/producer and founding member of legendary funk outfit Chic, Nile Rodgers. The music producer, associated with an impressive array of artists from Madonna to David Bowie, is also the founder of one of the world’s leading labels for licensing and distributing videogame soundtracks, Sumthing Else Music Works. As such he will be giving his insight into the new opportunities for artists and leading talent in this newly emerging musical genre.
Other speakers include Nick Wiswell, audio manager, Bizarre Creations (“Project Gotham Racing”); Richard Jacques, composer for titles such as “Jet Set Radio” and “Headhunter” and Eckhardt Consulting’s Randy Eckhardt, in charge of music licensing for Guitar Hero, one of the most critically-acclaimed music games to date.
The New Role of Music in Feature Film Marketing will be the second dedicated focus and presents an exclusive look at how music has become a key element in the feature-film business. The session is organised with Hollywood sync agency Zync and features Drew Sherrod, music supervisor for Open Road Entertainment and Niki Gascon, director of music for Warner Brothers Pictures.
The third and final panel poses the question Are Brands Shaping the New Music Economy? While the music industry is looking for new revenue streams, brands are searching to build deeper connections with consumers. The promising but complex mix between music and brands ranges from the simple sponsorship deal to innovative partnerships. Expert representatives from each side will be looking at how best each can work with the other.
Speakers for this panel include McDonald’s (Germany) VP marketing and communications West Region Johan Jervoe, Volkswagen (Germany) head of services/sponsoring Cornelia Schneider and Sony BMG Entertainment (UK) VP Futures Duncan Bird.
On 22 January, Sony Computer heads up the first listening session in which the winner will have his music placed in a video game and also be offered a work experience session with Richard Jacques, the award winning composer.
The second listening session will offer contestants the opportunity to submit music for the series Grey’s Anatomy. The US music supervision agency Zync will ask contestants to compose or propose tracks for a specific set of scenes from the series. One or several winners will be retained by The Chop Shop’s Alex Patsavas, music supervisor for Grey’s Anatomy and other US shows.
The third listening session will offer the winner a placement in a forthcoming Activision video game. The “Music for Images” conference is organised in association with: Frukt (UK), music strategy and communications agency; Music4games (US), music for video games; Zync Music (US), music marketing company specialised in ad, film and TV placement and entertainment magazine Hollywood Reporter.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
