iWorld
Netflix and chill but pay more now
MUMBAI: Netflix has made Black Friday a dark day for its subscribers. The content company has increased prices for its standard and premium subscription packages. On 24 November, in an email sent to its subscribers, Netflix communicated that the increase in the membership cost will bring about an addition in content.
The company’s email read: “The cost of your membership will increase to $10.99/$13.99. So we can add more of what you like to watch. Awesome entertainment built around you is what we’re all about. We have enhanced our features so you can download your favourites and watch without wifi, too.”
The standard package, which allows subscribers to watch on two screens at once, will be bumped up from $9.99 to $10.99 per month. The premium package, which lets users watch 4K video on four different devices, will go up from $11.99 to $13.99. The basic $7.99 per month plan will remain the same for US subscribers.
For the UK, the price for the standard plan is going up from £7.49 to £7.99 per month. Moreover, the price of the most premium plan is going up from £8.99 per month to £9.99. The price of the cheapest plan, however, will remain the same at £5.99 per month.
According to Netflix director communication Thomas Cherian, the price hike is not applicable for Indian subscribers because the market is nascent and it wants to build its presence. So, Indians can relax and ‘Netflix and chill’ at the same rates.
But, Twitter was inundated with tweets by various subscribers outside India, taking to the platform to make their displeasure vocal. Announcing the price hike with an email notification has been considered a bold move by a few of the Twitterati and smart because it gets a place to hide amongst other emails.
Twitter links:
https://twitter.com/bangordad/status/934058041460346881
https://twitter.com/mxjrdn/status/934064057463734278
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.
