MUMBAI: Billboard’s annual International Power Players List, which recognises the contribution of music industry leaders and international music executives from across the globe, saw Manu Kaushish, President, Create Music Group India featured for his valuable contribution towards the digital music industry in India and overseas.

Speaking on the accolade received, Manu Kaushish, President, Create Music Group India, said. “I am truly honoured to be featured in a prestigious industry platform like Billboard. As a company, we have grown exponentially over the last two years with our Indian business serving over 130 billion views in 2021. I’m looking forward to bringing more content and collaborations from India to our audience as well as building towards becoming a leader in Indian content for Web3 and NFTs.”

This recognition in Billboard’s International Power Players list is a testament to the path-breaking industry-leading moves that Create has been making. Established in 2015, Create Music Group is a data-driven media and technology company that was named the #2 on the INC 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Companies in the US in 2020. Create works with the world’s most recognizable artists including Jennifer Lopez, Tory Lanez, Marshmello and The Chainsmokers and has acquired a group of social media channels, including Flighthouse which is the #1 channel on TikTok, The Nations network of influencer channels, and a large number of top Instagram channels which together comprise an audience in excess of 400 million followers.

Manu has been an industry veteran and holds more than two decades of experience in the digital content monetization and distribution space. He has been credited for bringing music from India into the digital world by entering into the first major digital monetization deal for Indian content on RealNetworks, one of the original music streaming services. Subsequently, he built companies that brought music from India to platforms including Apple iTunes and entered into one of the first major video monetization deals for Indian content on YouTube. He has built and sold 3 media companies and has been an investor and advisor in the technology, media, and private equity space.