MxMIndia

Tag: Rachna Kanwar

  • A YouTube Channel for Indie music lovers and artists

    Radio City Launches Radio City Indie

    By Our Staff

     

    Radio City has launched YouTube channel – Radio City Indie – to promote the Indie music genre and artists. Radio City is the first radio network to have provided a platform to promote independent music and artists with Radio City Freedom Awards. Taking ahead this legacy, the YouTube channel is an a digital extension of Radio City’s web radio station, Radio City Freedom – a platform that honours independent music 24×7. Singer Shalmali launched Radio City Indie channel, and is also the ‘Artist Of The Month’.

     

    Said Rachna Kanwar, COO, Digital Media, Radio City & Mid-day: “Today, the Indie Music space is bustling with excitement and our Indian artists are getting recognition and accolades all over the world. We at Radio City have been associated with Indie Music since 2012 when we launched our first Web Radio station called Radio City Freedom. The following year we launched Radio City Freedom Awards, the biggest platform in India celebrating and recognizing Indie musicians from across the country in all languages, we have introduced Freedom Hits on our morning show on Radio and a dedicated Freedom Hour every week. Now, we are taking another step and launching a full-time YouTube channel and a platform for Indie artists called, ‘Artist Of The Month’. We are certain that Radio City Indie YouTube channel will pave way towards presenting path breaking indie music and content.”

     

  • Bollywood director and writer Mudassar Aziz was the guest of honour at the launch

    The Inquilab relaunches website

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jagran New Media has relaunched Inquilab.com, the online presence of leading Urdu daily Inquilab. Present at the launch was film director and writer Mudassar Aziz and Ayesha Aziz, India’s first woman pilot from Kashmir.

     

    Commenting on the relaunch, Shahid Latif, Editor – The Inquilab said: “In this digital age, with the relaunch of Inquilab.com our aim is to reach Urdu-speaking readers from across the world and not just in India. Our focus will be to give our readers real time news across categories like politics, education, business, entertainment, national, international news and much more.”

     

    Said Rachna Kanwar, COO – Jagran Digital: “Today, non-English users are the growth drivers for digital content consumption in India. With the re-launch of the website our aim is to serve the content needs of readers who love to consume content in Urdu language. We have extended our reach to this audience that resides not just in India but all over the world providing them with real-time news and keeping them abreast with their community and culture.”

     

     

  • A Month-Long Extravaganza of Rejoicing Independent Music begins

    Stage set for the 6th edition of Radio City Freedom Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City will look out for the top independent music talent with the launch of the sixth edition of ‘Radio City Freedom Awards’ (RCFA 6.0) with six gigs across seven cities and one grand finale. The month-long indie movement, will kick start on 13th February in Pune and will move to five other cities and culminating with a grand finale in Mumbai.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Rachna Kanwar, COO, Digital Media-Jagran Prakashan Limited said: “Over the years, Radio City Freedom Awards has become synonymous with independent music in India. Today, the property undoubtedly holds an aspirational value for the wave of budding independent talent in the country and we are proud to have helped lay the foundation for some of industry’s biggest talent. The growth in participation, listenership and voting is a testament to the equity RCFA commands in this space. We are thankful to everyone who has driven this success through the years and we look forward to yet another successful season ahead.”

     

     

  • AdsWizz to monetise Radio City’s Digital Audio Inventory by Using Programmatic Advertising

    Radiocity.in partners with Google AdWords for its digital offering

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City’s digital arm, radiocity.in has strengthened its digital backbone by partnering with Google AdWords premier small and medium business partner programme and AdsWizz, the technology provider of advertising solutions for the digital audio industry. The exclusive radio partnership with Google will provide small and medium businesses, a holistic digital media strategy and create new revenue streams for Radio City, a press release notes.

     

    Said Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City: “Online audio advertising has been consistently growing with the increasing popularity of online audio consumption.Radio City’s strategic alliances with two powerhouses of the digital advertising space will help us accelerate our digital first approach. The partnerships will drive synergies with our customers and enable digital audio advertising transactions to flow seamlessly between buyers and sellers. Our partnership with technology based services will also simplify and quicken the entire process of buying and selling ads, thereby benefiting all the stakeholders.”

     

    Added Rachna Kanwar, COO – Digital Media of Jagran Prakashan: “Recent trends across the globe have observed a rise in digital audio consumption and revenue growth. The revenues for audio streaming platforms have seen a growth of 37% last year in India. At Radio City, we’ve always believed in staying ahead of the curve, and this collaboration is another milestone in the journey of excellence for Radio City.”

     

     

  • The launch of radiocity.in Hindi is aligned with this strategy of diversification and localization by offering its digital platform for their regional audience

    Radio City launches Radiocity.in in Hindi

     

     

    Radio City has announced the launch of its web platform radiocity.in Hindi, becoming the first and only radio network in India to offer an exclusive Hindi website. Radio City was the first radio network In India to take the digital route with the launch of radiocity.in.

     

    Said Abraham ‘Abe’ Thomas, CEO, Radio City: “Regional language internet users have been growing at a much faster pace than English with 38 per cent of the total Indian internet user base expected to comprise of Hindi users by 2021. Organic engagement for local content is comparatively higher and we want to tap into this potential while providing our regional users the ease and accessibility to content in Hindi.”

     

    Commenting on the launch of the regional platform, Rachna Kanwar, COO, Digital, Jagran New Media said: “As we expand into more cities and genres this year, the first logical extension online will be to make our content available to listeners in their preferred language. As a large chunk of our audio content is in Hindi, it only follows that we make this option available to listeners who consume content in Hindi. This is a first of its kind initiative towards language personalization by any FM network in the country and we hope to further diversify into multi-lingual offerings in the future.”

     

     

  • Radio City will curate playlists that reflect six distinct themes, giving music fans an opportunity to enjoy music that resonates with their personal tastes

    Radio City to offer curated playlists on Apple Music

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City 91.1FM has tied up with Apple Music offer thematic playlists to the latter’s users. Radio City will curate playlists that reflect six distinct themes, giving music fans an opportunity to enjoy music that resonates with their personal tastes.

     

    Said Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM: “We are known for our well-researched and mood-mapped music. Curating playlists on Apple’s platform will help us utilise these strengths to offer our listeners content that enhances their music experience. Furthermore, the availability of our playlists on Apple Music will make it easier for our listeners to enjoy quality music on a device of their choosing, at a time and place of their convenience.”

     

    Said Rachna Kanwar, COO, Digital, Jagran New Media: “Radio City’s tie-up with Apple Music will add tremendously to our mobile-first approach. Our highly curated playlists will be the first of its kind by any Indian radio network on Apple Music. Digital audiences will be able to discover, first hand and on a highly engaging platform like Apple Music the results of our complex research analytics. Radio City’s analytics engine blends years of consumer preferences, helping us deliver the most enjoyable and relevant music experience to have ever been offered by an Indian radio network.”

     

  • 43 web radio stations, 8 languages, 2700 + podcasts on Radiocity.in

    Radio City expands digital offering in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City has announced a strategic expansion of its digital presence with radiocity.in. As a part of its digital strategy, listeners will be able to enjoy select terrestrial shows, along with exclusive digital content on Radio City’s web avatar. RadioCity.in will see best of terrestrial and web radio shows and will serve as the e-face of Radio City’s 39 stations.

     

    Said Rachna Kanwar, COO, Digital, Jagran New Media (Radio City is part of the Jagran group): “radiocity.in will be an integral part of our mobile-first approach. It will allow our listeners to listen to their favourite terrestrial content, in addition to the 43 web-exclusive stations, right on their digital devices, wherever they want, whenever they want. Our new digital strategy will also see us adding more content, across languages to our existing digital bounty, in order to make the platform more relevant to listeners across different geographies. This will truly allow us to cover the kona kona of the country.”

     

    Added Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM: “At Radio City we have always believed in creating clutter breaking content across platforms for our listeners globally. RadioCity.in solidifies our position as the forerunner in the digital space while helping us retain us the numero uno spot across social media platforms. We are happy to provide our listeners with an all new digital experience which is a perfect blend of entertaining music and engaging content.”.

     

  • Radio City Fusion is a station that combines ethnic roots with new-age urban sounds seamlessly synchronized with one another to enhance the listening experience

    Radio City launches Radio City Fusion

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City has announced the launch of Radio City Fusion.

     

    The folk music experienced in India boasts of a huge cultural diversity becoming an indispensable component of one’s lives. With renowned singers like Kailash Kher, Salim – Suleiman, Talvin Singh, Wadali Brothers, Papon, Sonu Kakkar, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Susheela Raman, Bickram Ghosh, Advaita, Rahul Sharma and many others Radio City Fusion presents a plethora of songs combining the magic of these creative geniuses.

     

    Popular tracks like Piya Bavari by Abhijit Pohankar, Tere Bina – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook; Kandisa – Indian Ocean; Kattey – Ram Sampath, Hard Kaur, Bhanvari Devi; Madari – Vishal Dadlani, Clinton Cerejo & Sonu Kakkar are all handpicked selections of urban folk music by the best artists across genres. Radio City Fusion is a station that combines ethnic roots with new-age urban sounds seamlessly synchronized with one another to enhance the listening experience.

     

    Rachna Kanwar

    Rachna Kanwar, Business Head, Digital Media & New Business, Radio City 91.1 FM said, “As we march ahead with newer genres in our bouquet of Web Radio stations, the expectations of our listeners are also growing. We are happy to fulfill one such expectation with Radio City Fusion that marks our entry into the space of folk fusion.  Radio City Fusion plays music that beautifully blends Indian sounds with western music forms. Fusion helps the reach of folk music and makes it more palatable to a wider audience. One of the reasons why many of us are familiar with a wide variety of Indian folk music today is because of the fusion songs on our playlists. With the launch of Radio City Fusion, the listeners now have a wider choice to listen to differentiated music available on all the stations of planetradiocity.”

     

    Radio City Fusion is the latest addition to the ever-growing music portal after Radio City Classics. Radio City Dance, Radio City International, Radio City Love, Radio City Malayalam, Radio City Tamil, Radio City Smaran, Radio City Freedom, Radio City Indipop, Radio City Hindi & Radio City Fun Ka Antenna.

     

  • The 'Indie Concert' will witness more than 10 indie artists & bands coming together for unplugged performances of their original compositions

    Radio City Freedom celebrates year 2 of existence

    Radio City Freedom, India’s first dedicated web radio for Indie music turned 2 and to celebrate the occasion it has announced the rollout of the concert ‘Indie Concert’. The celebrations for the second anniversary will commence with the 2-hour concert from 3– 5 on the 3rd of July. The ‘Indie Concert’ will witness more than 10 indie artists & bands coming together for unplugged performances of their original compositions.

     

    Popular artists & bands including Brodha V, Samved, Faridkot, Tritha, Prateek Kuhad, Mekaal Hasan, Indo Gypsies, Unohu & Mikey Mcleary will perform the unplugged versions of their original compositions for the station.

     

    Since its launch in 2012, Radio City Freedom has been a platform to promote some of the most talented indie artists across the globe. On the occasion of its second anniversary, the listeners get to revel in the purest form of unplugged music with the biggest ever radio ‘Indie Concert’.

     

    Talking about the initiative, Rachna Kanwar, Business Head – Digital Media & New Business, Radio City 91.1 FM commented, “At PlanetRadiocity we have always believed that great music, innovation and creativity in our stations is what sets us apart. We constantly push the envelope in terms of giving differentiated programming to our listeners through our innovative shows. This time with the ‘Indie Concert’ we offer our listeners a unique concept where they get to experience the unplugged versions from some of the best artists in India all on one platform for the first time! We are confident that this power packed concert will make our listeners groove to great music.”

     

    Radio City Freedom has over 700 artists across genres like dub-step, electronica, folk, rock & sufi who express themselves in diverse languages like Assamese, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi apart from Hindi & English. The station is the ultimate platform that supports exciting talent across the country & provides the new, un-tapped music created by and for the new generation that is on the lookout for fresh Indie music.

     

  • ‘Radio City Malayalam’ on PlanetRadiocity.com will feature back-to-back Malayalam hits

    Radio City launches online Malayalam station

    By A Correspondent

    PlanetRadiocity, the country’s first web radio portal, has launched Radio City Malayalam, its second regional offering after Radio City Tamil that was launched a few months back. The ‘station’ went live on January 19.

    Radio City Malayalam (www.planetradiocity.com/internetradio/radiocitymalayalam.php) caters to the strong fan-base of regional music lovers on the internet across the world. The playlist features popular Malayalam tracks and all-time favourites like EnteEllaamEllaam (MeeshaMadhavan), Chandanacholayil (Sallapam), Vaathililaavaathilil (Ustad Hotel)

    Speaking on the launch, Rachna Kanwar, SVP & Business Head, Digital Media & New Business, said, “Since the time we launched our first regional web radio station, we have been flooded with requests for more regional content on our portal. For us, Radio City Malayalam marks a foray into a hitherto untouched territory – Malayalam music. We hope to touch base with Malayalam music fans all over the world through this effort.”

  • Radio City's web radio destination PlanetRadiocity.com has embarked on a crowd-funded initiative of rural electrification in association with the solar power company, Sunkalp Energy. We think initiatives like these deserve all the encouragement and accolades

    Three cheers! PlanetRadiocity lights up lives with ‘Deep Jyoti’

    By A Correspondent

     

    There are press releases and press releases that news media offices receive every day.  A new show, a new sponsorship, a new starcast, a new whatever whatever. Most of these communiqués that are inboxed to us every day are flagged unusable.

     

    PR agency and inhouse PR professionals call and remind us about the releases, and we politely show them the decline button.

     

    And then there are some which silently land on our mail software and we don’t really get badgered for an inclusion. Yet, we think they ought to merit a mention, because they deserve all the encouragement and accolades.

     

    Radio station network Radio City’s web radio destination PlanetRadiocity.com has embarked on a crowd-funded initiative of rural electrification. In association with the solar power company, Sunkalp Energy, PlanetRadiocity has launched ‘Deep Jyoti’. Through this initiative, PlanetRadiocity pledges to light up an entire village in the Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. Project Sarmanpur, which rolled out ‘Deep Jyoti’, on November 6, has been receiving encouraging response from listeners the world over, notes a communiqué.

     

    Listeners will get an opportunity to sponsor solar ’tiles’ on the village’s roof in return for a chance to get their name on the project’s foundation. A special microsite http://planetradiocity.com/deepjyoti has been created for the listeners who wish to donate towards lighting up the village. The microsite offers all the information about the project and also the process for donation of the funds. The microsite will be live until the midnight of January 6, 2014. For more information on Deep Jyoti, one can log onto PlanetRadiocity’s social media pages (facebook.com/planetradiocity, @planetradiocity). Collections amounting to Rs 3 lakh are targeted towards the completion of Project Sarmanpur.

     

    Rachna Kanwar

    Talking about the association, Rachna Kanwar, SVP & Business Head, Digital Media & New Business, Radio City 91.1 FM, says, ” ‘Deep Jyoti’ is an initiative that offers us an opportunity to create a positive impact in the society whilst building a platform of sustainable growth.  We are extremely proud to be part of the wonderful initiative undertaken by Sunkalp Energy. Through this crowdfunding campaign we hope to leverage the huge reach and fan-base we have in the webradio space and make the project a success.”

     

    Kanika Khanna, Founder, Sunkalp Energy, says, ”There are still close to one lakh un-electrified villages in India with a majority of them being in Uttar Pradesh. Project Sarmanpur marks a milestone in our endeavour to electrify 200 villages. PlanetRadiocity provides the perfect amplification for this initiative. The roof-top microgrid will provide proper electricity connections in to each household in the village. Harnessing solar energy for sustainable development is one of the major priorities for rural development the world over. We are very happy to have an effective platform like PlanetRadiocity for this important initiative.”

     

    We wish we had the monies to make a donation to the PlanetRadioCity effort. Perhaps after all the people who are supposed to pay us do that, we will donate some. But if you have the monies now – even if you belong to a rival FM network/station, please do. Asap. It will light up many lives. And if they have the light, they’ll be able to read our newspapers. Watch our channels. Listen to our radio broadcast. Surf our websites. Go for it.

     

  • As music consumption on digital media crosses any other medium, web radio will gain massively from the trend, writes Rachna Kanwar

    The Anchor: Why Web Radio will be the next big thing

    By Rachna Kanwar

     

    Digital music consumption: As music consumption on digital media crosses any other medium, web radio will gain massively from the trend. More and more people will turn towards web radio for music that has been curated by radio and music experts and saves them the hassle of searching for it. Web Radio equals uninterrupted music experience online.

     

    Music discovery: Bollywood wary music lovers are looking for alternate sounds of music. On the net they can find this diversity, as there is no paucity of space. You are not restricted by genres or languages and can enjoy music be it Indie, Devotional, Ghazals or English. You’ll get your choice of music. Web Radio is and will become an essential medium of music discovery.

     

    Artists endorsed: Newer artists are waiting to be ‘discovered’ on Web Radio. They are no longer struggling to get their music heard as Web Radio is providing a readymade platform that promotes new music and sounds. For the artist community, it will become a big draw.

     

    Ease of access: There is a huge jump in web radio listenership at the workplace People are tuned into web radio at work as a background medium and apart from getting what they want they love the convenience.

     

    Reach:  As Internet literacy spreads outside the big cities and towns, there is a growing trend of web radio listenership from small towns where entertainment options are limited. As web radio is not limited by boundaries, it will grow into a preferred mode of entertainment for an Internet savvy listener. And the pull of nostalgia will bring the NRIs.

     

    Engagement: The level of engagement through RJ-driven shows will maximize the scope of the medium. It will provide the much-needed boost to the Internet revenues through the opportunities that arise from live interactions of the listener and the RJs.

     

    Rachna Kanwar is SVP and Head, Digital Media and New Business, Radio City