DesiHits
Encyclopedia
Background
DesiHits! is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diasporaSouth Asian ethnic groups
The ethno-linguistic composition of the population of South Asia, that is the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka is highly diverse. The majority of the population fall within two large Linguistic groups, Indo-Aryan and Dravidian.These groups are further...
. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquartered in New York. Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
of Interscope Records and Israeli venture capitalist Aviv Nevo
Aviv Nevo
Aviv "Vivi" Nevo is an Israeli venture capitalist who is a major shareholder in Time Warner. His venture capital firm, NV Investments, is believed to invest in technology companies worldwide, and is said to have been an early backer of The Weinstein Company, and the largest individual shareholder...
are strategic investors in the Company, and the Advisory Board includes former President of Epic Records Charlie Walk
Charlie Walk
Charlie Walk is the former President of Epic Records .-Early life:Walk’s passion for music began as an undergrad at Boston University’s School of Management, where he started as a collegiate Marketing Representative for Sony Music....
, Warner Music's Roger Gold, Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal is an English musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt...
of No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
executive Doug Scott, record producer Steve Stoute
Steve Stoute
Steve Stoute is an author, entrepreneur, advertising executive and American record executive and artist manager.-Music Executive:From 1990 to 1999, Stoute was an executive at several leading labels in the music industry...
, and Drew Lipscher, partner at Greycroft Partners
Greycroft Partners
Greycroft Partners is a venture capital firm focused on investments in early stage companies primarily in the digital media sector. The firm raised its first fund with $75 million of investor commitments and has deployed that fund into 34 companies....
. In January 2008, DesiHits raised a $5 million round of venture capital financing from Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Draper Fisher Jurvetson is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California with affiliate offices in more than 30 cities around the world and over $7 billion in capital commitments....
, DE Shaw and Trident Capital.
Achievements
The Company's award-winning website DesiHits.com has grown to become a leading online destination for DesiDesi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
-flavored celebrity interviews, music videos and radio podcasts, reeling in upwards of 10 million hits per month, and generating more traffic than long-established MTVIndia.com. In November 2008, DesiHits announced a partnership with Warner Music Group to develop and distribute original short form videos showcasing mainstream artists experiencing Desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
culture through cuisine, fashion and Bollywood. The Company inked a similar agreement with Sony BMG in February 2009. Most recently, DesiHits helped facilitate the AR Rahman-Pussycat Dolls Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
remix collaboration of “Jai Ho
Jai Ho
"Jai Ho" is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash, and Sukhwinder Singh, who is...
”. The Company is credited with creating original content with the likes of AR Rahman, Sonu Niigaam, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo is a British Asian musician and DJ who was born in Ranjit Nagar, Delhi, India, but grew up in Birmingham, England, in a predominantly black neighbourhood, influenced by disco, rap and Motown music. In an interview "Re-mixing Identities: "Off" The Turn-Table," Bally said:"Indian music...
, Jazzy B
Jazzy B
Jaswinder Singh Bains, more popularly known as Jazzy B, is a Punjabi language bhangra singer-songwriter. He was born on April 1, 1975 in Durgapur, Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He has released 12 studio albums, including two religious ones...
, Jay Sean, The Pussy Cat Dolls, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
, Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
, and others.