An entertainment website promoting South Asian culture and music has launched iTunes store for music lovers claiming that it not would dramatically change the face of South Asian music not only for listeners but also for musicians and distributors.
"The target audience of 'Desihits' is global basically anyone who enjoys the South Asian music which ranges from Bollywood songs to Bhangra to latest fusion," said CEO of the website, Anjula Acharia Bath in an interview with South Asian Journalists' Association Forum.
"We are also reaching out to talented Desi music artists, DJs, labels and podcasters to join us at desihits.com to increase their visibility," she said.
The iTunes Desihits store, Bath said, serves the needs of consumers by cataloguing various genres of South Asian music and podcasts in one shop, including Desi content currently residing
Artistes, she said, can benefit by legitimate sales and an international platform to promote their music. "A top 10 billboard chart based on actual iTunes sales through our store will be launched in the near future to spotlight top talent." Bands or artists that are popular in the UK for example, will have a means to be seen and heard through Desi Hits podcasts and the store, Bath said.
With young people now spending more time on cult internet sites than in front of MTV or music channels, the future of media is changing and the music industry has to change to utilize new avenues available to us including Web 2.0 tactics, she said.
"We see ourselves as partners to all our constituents (consumers, artists and the industry) in this process as it's all about making music more accessible," she added.
