MUMBAI: The fourth edition of India’s leading music and digital platform Music Connects is back in Mumbai, at ITC Grand Central, on 6 - 7 November.  Produced by Hong Kong–based Music Matters and Indiantelevision.com group’s Radioandmusic.com, Nokia Music Connects is supported by the Indian and international music industry trade bodies IMI, SIMCA, PPL, IPRS, BMI among others.

Backed by global mobile devices leader Nokia for the fourth year running, the two-day-long conference theme will be  “Digital Transformation”. India’s music market is catching up with the rest of the world, wherein indigenous streaming digital platforms are gaining ground online and on mobile, even as large international players are considering getting into this space. Social media too has emerged as a strong platform for the music industry even as a Copyright Amendment has become law allowing for a fair share of revenue for the artiste. The live music industry is also beginning to gain traction with festivals catching the eyes of sponsors, advertisers and music lovers. The positive mood in the live industry has meant that finally international acts have started considering India as a viable touring destination.

The Fourth Nokia Music Connects summit will continue to showcase leading executives from the Indian and international labels, digital platforms, live music industry and device manufacturers discussing the current state and the way forward for the music business. Leading music blogger, Bob Lefsetz will also be featuring as one of the keynotes.

For the first time, Nokia Music Connects will have an international market spotlight on Australia. This series of events will include a keynote interview with legendary Australian promoter Michael Chugg and a panel highlighting opportunities for Indian musicians in the land down under. To cap off the event, five Australian acts will be showcasing their stuff at Nokia Music Connects 2012. The bands performing at the showcase are: Big Scary, Jinja Safari, Karnivool,  Sheppard, and The Aston Shuffle.

Says Branded President Jasper Donat: “The music industry is going through quantum change and nowhere is it more exciting than in India. That said, there are still turbulent waters and Nokia Music Connects aims to calm the seas! We’re delighted to have Nokia on board for the fourth year and are grateful for their continued support of this fabulous event.”

Says Radioandmusic.com founder Anil Wanvari:  “There is tremendous value in music. Even as the digital transformation is progressing for the Indian music industry, we are confident that the Fourth Nokia Music Connects will nurture dialogue between all the stakeholders and unearth the value, and strengthen existing business models while discovering new ones.”

Commenting on the event Nokia Global Head for Entertainment Jyrki Rosenberg says, “Music is a passion in India and it transcends across all age groups and segments. Nokia has an impeccable music lineage. It includes the Nokia Music Store, the largest repository of legal and digital Indian music providing exclusive music of maestros like A.R Rahman and many others. Our DRM-free music offerings have already reached over 1 million song downloads per day in India and we are confident of having struck the right chord with Indian consumers. India is today amongst the top 3 countries in terms of music downloads. We are very excited about the fact that Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra is realizing the potential of this online platform and launched her debut single ‘In.my.City’ exclusively on Nokia Music for all of September.”

Says IMI President Vijay Lazarus : “IMI is delighted that ‘Nokia Music Connects is growing in strength as it enters its 4th year of providing all stakeholders in the Business of Music an annual platform to reflect and view the future of the Industry. This year promises yet another meaningful event.”