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We can together sponsor an IR album !!!

Topic started by SR Kaushik (@ elroy.cs.wisc.edu) on Fri Aug 28 13:44:52 EDT 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Guys & gals, I have already put this stuff in one of the therads. But, owing to the poor response, I am starting it as a topic. I am sure if some of us get together, we can sponsor an album of say, IR's great BGM pieces or something like that. I really miss listening to them. I am sure we could raise the funds over a period of time.

Interested people, please respond in this thread. We will have to plan out the details also.

Do visit the page dedicated to this project.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: SitaRam (@ portal.ameritech.com) on: Mon Feb 22 12:23:27 EST 1999
  
  Neels, Kaushik:
  
  We are all set to roll!
  
  
• From: Madhan,Goa (@ 202.41.117.9) on: Mon Feb 22 13:58:42 EST 1999
  
  Hello !!
  
  Yennangappa, I had so eagerly shared the news about hiring charges of film rolls from film distributors near Ritchie street in Chennai Mount Road for our Raja BGM album project, but I see nobody giving me any rejoinder to my news - is there anybody out there in Chennai ?
  
  SRKoushil avargalae - are you by any chance in Chennai -come on, friends let us start acting ...
  
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Mon Feb 22 14:34:14 EST 1999
  
  While the BGM is a worthwhile project that would showcase IR's talent and stature as a composer, I believe we could be serving him better by reissuing the unsung albums in the west:
  -How to Name it?
  -Nothing but Wind
  -India 24 Hours
  
  These three albums could fit perfectly under the Fusion, New age, or World music categories in huge music chains like TOWER Records or BLOCKBUSTER Music. We just need a great cover with blurbs of praise by other famous musicians recognized in the west (Zakir Hussain, Zubin Mehtha, the London Philharmonic people, etc) , this would enhance the sales of the 3 undiscovered albums.
  
  Once we figure out a way to have at least 3 copies each of the above albums in every TOWER and BLOCKBUSTER store, then we can say IR has arrived. Other productive ways to market would be to write passionate letters highlighting IR's body of work and enclosing copies of these 3 CDs and mailing them to wholesale catolog record companies like BMG and Columbia Records. BMG and Columbia records sell to millions of customers all over the world and would gain instant recoginition for IR should they pick up IR's albums for their collection (I have seen lesser musicians like Jai Uttal make a name for himself through BMG). World Music is so hot now in west, guys, this is where we need to strike.
  
  Is there a way we could bid for distribution right s for these 3 independant albums by IR? How expensive could it be? Folks with knowledge of Indian Record copyright laws and mores, please respond. Once in our hands, we can market the **** out of it. What says you all?
  
  
• From: Murali Sankar (@ 129.252.22.112) on: Tue Feb 23 11:16:53 EST 1999
  
  Hai Udhaya,
  
  I feel India 24 hrs may not be apprefiated by the above. It is basically a collection of scores used as a background for a documentary show by the photographers. Hence HTNI + NBW must serve the purpose. but for this, I feel your proposal is just the right way to begin.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Tue Feb 23 13:15:45 EST 1999
  
  Murali,
  Of the 3, India 24 hrs is the one I haven't heard yet. I heard so much about it in the forums that I believed it ranked with the other 2 in stature. Okay, let's stick to the other 2 then.
  
  
• From: aruLarasan (@ psiphi.umsl.edu) on: Tue Feb 23 16:53:59 EST 1999
  
  udhayA,
  
  personally, I24H is far ahead of NBW. my order of preference would be HTNI I24H and if need be NBW!!
  
  
• From: SR Kaushik (@ elroy.cs.wisc.edu) on: Wed Feb 24 14:48:32 EST 1999
  
  Arularasan: I don't agree with you - I think HTNI and NBW is the way to go.
  
  In fact, if it were not for the Indian lyrics, I would have preferred even Guru to be sent. I heard that the Hungary Symphony Orchestra (was it Symphony Orchestra or Philharmonic orchestra?) people who played for Guru were very impressed with Raja's work. I think even they should be exposed some more of his gems.
  
  Once we agree on our ideas, I think we should begin putting them into action. I have tapes, not CDs, of Guru and HTNI, not NBW. If tapes are fine, I am willing to send my copies.
  
  Or maybe we should combine this with Nithin's letters (hopefully with signatures from DF).
  
  What do you people say?
  
  
• From: Srinivas (@ pup8.stanford.edu) on: Thu Feb 25 15:49:20 EST 1999
  
  SR Kaushik,
  I too feel that I24H is a masterpiece in itself and it is quite comparable to NBW. I feel I24H ia a better refelection of Raja's abilities as a fusion composer and the tunes are more captivating. Since NBW has long drawn out pieces, it may not have so much appeal. I am in favor of HTNI and I24H since they are more in the line of fusion music and are also quite short and appealing.
  
  
• From: Madhan,Goa (@ 202.41.117.61) on: Fri Feb 26 00:32:19 EST 1999
  
  Friends,
  
  Marketing Raja's works needs an extra bit effort - I have a suggestion to make -
  
  1.Take a list of important hotels, resorts, talk to them , strike a deal with them and give them free copies of HTNI, NBW and HTNI and request them to give a free copy to certain class visitors, like say in the executive class - even better , we can try the same with international Airlines companies, - that way our reach would be wider keeping in mind the no.of passengers travelling throughout the world in Panam, Swiss etc..
  
  2. Why not strike a deal with some major American TV company and do a small programme on say "MUSIC FROM THE EAST - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE" and
  introduce Raja to the entire American audience - of course this needs to be done very slicky and efficiently - Dfers in the advt. field should be able to handle this...
  
  More to follow....
  
  
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.135) on: Fri Feb 26 03:27:27 EST 1999
  
  Madhan,
  I work on the In-flight Entertainment software for many leading airlines and am in touch with the Ad industry too. But most of the airlines don't handle the Media themselves. The Media (Video and Audio) is usually provided by a third party (like Inflight Productions) based in London that compiles all this media from different studios like Warner Bros, Paramount and Sony and the same is sent to us for integration. Well, if I can get in touch with them, I shall try see if the possibility of plugging albums like HTNI and NBW exists.
  
  In India, I think UTV provides Indian Music collection. Some of the airlines it caters to are: Air India, Emirates and Air Mauritius. When I flew Emirates and Air Mauritius, I found out that their compilation is real bad. Most songs are from flop films and flop pop-albums by Indipop wannabees. I really wonder what their criteria for selection is...
  
  In any case, for this to happen, the music company (Echo, isn't it?) should be willing to do some ground work. I have seen their cover-design... Pathetic, to say the least. Pink colored casettes! Can you beat that?
  
  The main task is to get one main guy from the above recording company who is as passionate about this effort as our fellow TFM DFers. Is it possible for someone based in Madras to contact these guys?
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: SitaRam (@ portal.ameritech.com) on: Fri Feb 26 13:16:39 EST 1999
  
  I like the Airlines carrying IR's music. Excellent. Neels, please do something.
  
  
• From: Madhan,Goa (@ 202.41.117.101) on: Fri Feb 26 22:39:59 EST 1999
  
  Thanks Neels for your input - I shall try to contact the ECHO in Chennai through somebody - the problem is that I am right now in Goa, and only sporadically do I visit Chennai.
  
  But, even in Goa, whenever, I meet a foreign tourist with some interest in music , I make sure that they get to know about Raja and also give them a copy of either HTNI or NBW as a compliment !!
  
  This is what I want to be done in a large scale -
  
  The superfast SHATABDI EXPRESS trains in India which are run between important cities, play music , but most of it is some unknown jugalbandi stuff - if we can replace that with Raja's works (instrumental), it would be fantastic. But , whether that would actually help in promoting Raja's works is something different altogether -
  
  Here in Goa, there are many holiday resorts - I have a few friends working in these resorts - I am planning to patch up a deal with them and go ahead with giving NBW and HTNI as free complimentary gifts - maybe, I might have to shell out a few thousands in the beginning...
  But this needs to be done deftly with some finesse in projecting the albums as "Avante - GArde Music from India " , " Music for the creative seekers" etc.
  
  Since you are already working with airlines comapnies, I feel that the source of contact in UK should be found out and our objective pursued .
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ spider-wk024.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Feb 27 12:13:25 EST 1999
  
  Madhan and Neels: This is the best strategy I have heard to promote. Let the trains, planes and cars carry music. Because in idle time, people always give a ear to anything that stands up. Neels, you said you program for the airlines. What more do we want?
  
  Man, this is the dream. I hope this becomes news in some magazine and then it catches much faster. I have asked Rediff why not interview IR and let us see if he appeals to all Indians too.
  
  I will go ahead with the restaurant and grocery stores (some Indian grocery stores in Chicago play such loud Hindi film songs!, that you feel like shopping elsewhere.)
  
  
• From: SR Kaushik (@ inktomi.doit.wisc.edu) on: Wed Mar 3 10:48:42 EST 1999
  
  Nithin: Can you give me the (email and postal) addresses of some Symphony Orchestras?
  
  
• From: Madhan,Goa... (@ 202.41.117.101) on: Wed Mar 3 22:59:35 EST 1999
  
  
  Friends,
  
  I have another idea /suggestion - one of the best ways of attracting people in North America is through some Sports icon - say an athlete, tennis star or baseball or basketball star - now why don't our DF fans in N.America organise a run across USA and actually take part in the run, give publicity to the same in a TV network - while this goes on, it can be coupled with our own campaign - like say, the TV programme shall include something novel like "Run with the music" - I suppose in the US, people are more interested in such promotional campaigns than anything else - or even better, DFers in the US can organise a fund-raising run for Leukemia research or something and while doing so, also promote Raja's works - this will have added value since the (leukemia) cause would give more coverage in the media and somehow we can contact, a local senator from each state and rope in some local cult stars in pop /rock
  (I am not talking about JUNK music stars here)
  -this would take Raja's works to the grassroots level in the US at least...
  
  More to come...
  
  
  BTW, I find it discouraging that not many contribute to this thread .....
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ spider-wi043.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu Mar 4 00:04:35 EST 1999
  
  Kaushik:
  
  I know only one in Chicago. Simply it is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on South Michigan Avenue and Congress Roads, Chicago, Illinois 60602, I think. I don't know now. However, others should be found on the web.
  
  

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