Vishal-Shekhar launch first ever Mobile Music Concert

Taking mobile entertainment to the next level, Hungama, South Asia's largest digital entertainment company, and Bharti airtel-one of Asia's leading integrated telecom service provider-have launched Mobile Music Concert - India's first live concert on the mobile phone. The first concert will be kicked off in Mumbai on February 9 featuring award-winning Bollywood music composer duo Vishal & Shekhar. Their phenomenal musical successes in 2010 dominated the countdown charts for weeks, with hits 'Tujhe Bhula Diya' and 'Aas Paas Khuda' from Anjaana Anjaani, 'Sheila Ki Jawaani' from Tees Maar Khan to the foot tapping melodies from I Hate Luv Storys.

Vishal & Shekhar are a leading music directing duo in Bollywood today. Over the years, they have created chartbusting music of blockbuster hits like Om Shanti Om, Dostana, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Bluffmaster, Jhankar Beats, to name a few. And now, the music composer duo is the first in the world to be part of a Mobile Music Concert, with a simulcast over the Web.

Shekhar Ravjiani said, "We are really excited to be a part of the first ever concert taking place on the mobile, with a simulcast over the web. This is fantastic medium to reach out to all our listeners across the world. This is the first time in our 11 year career that we will perform our songs unplugged. The musicians who have played the original song recording will be playing with us on stage. And over the last few days of rehearsals, we have found a new vibe to all these songs. Can't wait to play them for all our listeners!"

Added Vishal Dadlani, "It's great to be pioneering a new way to reach all the people who've loved our music down the years. Airtel and hungama.com have provided us a platform where listeners from Kashmir to Kanyakumari can connect to us simultaneously and that unifying idea is what really excited us. We are using cutting edge technology to reach listeners and viewers, across the world, and it's always fun to be the first."

Vishal & Shekhar have had a string of firsts in their career. The duo have introduced some of the most famous playback voices to the film music industry, including Shaan, Kailash Kher, Neeraj Shridhar, Anushka Manchanda, Suraj Jagan. They have introduced new styles of music to Bollywood- Hip Hop, Dancehall, Reggaeton. They are also the first people to regenerate a new original version of an already legendary song- Bachna Ae Haseeno title track, featuring Kishore Kumar and Sumit Kumar. They are the first Bollywood music directors to record an international superstar for a Bollywood film, as in their forthcoming film Ra.One, two songs have been done with Akon.

To listen to the concert and to make song requests, Airtel mobile customers from any part of the country, simply need to dial 50505 and pay a nominal sum of Rs. 15 for registering and Rs. 2 per minute for the duration of the call. The concert will be streamed live as Webcast presented by Nokia, on www.bollywoodhungama.com.

Commenting on this first ever offering, Siddhartha Roy, Hungama.com said, "As leaders in the digital entertainment space, we see a huge potential in the consumption of entertainment content across Video and Voice. As user experiences on mobile and Internet become richer with better bandwidth as well as the launch of 3G, resulting in faster connectivity, thus driving greater consumption across various distribution channels."

Announcing the same, Mr. Shireesh Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer-Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, "Airtel is committed to continue delivering innovative offerings, which enhance customer's experience on their mobile phones. We are happy to join hands with Hungama Digital Media Entertainment to take mobile entertainment to the next level, by bringing in world's first ever music concert on mobile. Not limited by location, Mobile Concert on Airtel offers a unique experience - only for Airtel customers."

Speaking on the Webcast, Viral Oza, Head- Activation, Media, Online Sales & Marketing at Nokia India Pvt. Ltd. said, "Music is an integral part of Nokia's offerings and we are always looking at innovative ways to reach out to our consumers. With more and more young people listening to music on their mobile phones, this unique initiative is very timely. We are happy to be associated with the first ever live web & mobile concert and are excited about the possibilities of bringing live music to the consumers."

The first Mobile Music Concert featuring Vishal & Shekhar will go Live on February 9 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai at 5 PM. Airtel mobile customers across the country who have registered for the service will be able to hear the concert Live on the mobile phone, and even make their song requests to Vishal & Shekhar from their phone.

Simultaneously on the Web, Bollywoodhungama.com will stream the Webcast live in a Nokia N8 screen container.