Over 2,500 titles on offer at Vinyl Pop Up sale
Mumbai, April 12: The first Vinyl Pop Up, to be hosted here for music lovers later this month, will offer over 2500 titles, rare box sets and more on sale.
Though cell phones, tablets and music streaming media are becoming the most preferred mediums for music lovers, the youth is also warming to an old music form -- vinyls, which are phonograph disc records.
Recognising that it is the only physical format of music that has consistently seen a rise in demand, global music company Sony Music is set to host a one-day Vinyl Pop Up at The Quarter - Royal Opera House Mumbai on this Record Store Day on April 21.
"The renewed interest in vinyls is very encouraging as vinyl collectors and owners are music buffs and lifelong fans of artistes and music. We are seeing increased interest in India and with The Vinyl Pop Up we are giving the music lovers of Mumbai a rare chance to go through a first of its kind experience," Shridhar Subramaniam, President India and Middle East - Sony Music, told IANS.
"The range is massive with some rare collectibles thrown in. Our plan is to roll out this initiative in a city at a time and we are hoping that young fans discover the charm of listening to vinyls and building a collection," he added.
There will be classic and contemporary titles, ranging from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Pearl Jam, Eagles, The Doors, Santana, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Boney M, A.R. Rahman to Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Jagjit Singh and more.
"We are making many titles available. This will actually be the first time in 30 years that India will see such a huge range of titles available... that is over 2,500 titles. We will also be launching a few exclusive Record Store Day releases," said Subramaniam.
People can also spend their day at the BYOV Session (Bring your Own Vinyl), a DJ Scratching Workshop, Vinyl Listening Sessions, Curated Wine and Dine Experience and vinyl-only sets by DJ Uri and DJ Skip.
But why only in Mumbai?
"We are beginning with Mumbai and will look at other cities as well," Subramaniam said.
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CM Siddaramaiah rebuts BJP's '63 per cent' corruption charge
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday refuted BJP leader R Ashoka's accusation regarding a judge's alleged remark about "63 per cent corruption" in the state, saying the opposition is "twisting facts" and attempting to shift blame from its own past tenure.
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly had “tried to hang the BJP’s bell of sins around the Congress government's necks and has ended up embarrassing himself” by misinterpreting the Upa Lokayukta’s comments.
"In the report submitted in November 2019, Honourable Upa Lokayukta B Veerappa had stated that there was 63 per cent corruption in the State. At the time he submitted the report, the BJP government led by Yediyurappa was in power in the State,” he clarified.
Countering Ashoka’s demand for a CBI probe, Siddaramaiah listed a series of scandals under the previous BJP government, saying corruption cases were "not just one or two".
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He accused the former regime of "shameless loot" even during the COVID crisis and said "a minimum 40 per cent commission was the norm across departments".
Referring to the death of contractor Santosh Patil, alleged irregularities in irrigation projects, the PSI recruitment scam and charges levelled by BJP MLC H Vishwanath against current state party president B Y Vijayendra, he said: “If we begin listing the scams from the BJP era, an entire epic volume could be written.”
Targetting the Centre, Siddaramaiah said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who proclaims “Na khaaoonga, na khaane doonga” (Neither shall I take kickbacks, nor allow others to take it), India was 'sinking into corruption'.
He cited Transparency International rankings that place the country 96th globally.
Dismissing Ashoka’s claims as “foolishness”, Siddaramaiah asserted that his administration was ensuring transparency in “recruitment to transfers”, preventing misuse of money and power.
“Mr R Ashoka, the monumental corruption you created cannot be cleaned up in just two and a half years,” the Chief Minister said. “Give us some time — we will set everything right.”
Ashoka demanded the transfer of all corruption cases against the Congress government in the state to the CBI, and called for its resignation.
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His demand comes following an alleged remark by Upalokayukta Justice B Veerappa that the level of corruption in Karnataka stood at '63 per cent'.
"We had fought against this corrupt government both inside and outside the assembly when the MUDA scam, Valmiki ST Development Corporation scam surfaced. At that time, CM Siddaramaiah repeatedly asked for evidence of corruption. As per our constitution, courts and judges hold big positions and what they say is regarded as order or a record," Ashoka, also the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said now a judge has stated that the government in Karnataka is "63 per cent corrupt".
"We-- BJP-- had made a 60 per cent commission charge against this government, but a judge has said it is not 60, it is 63 per cent. He (judge) said it at an event where he shared the stage with other judges and senior advocates. He has alleged that there is corruption in almost all departments, nothing happens without paying commission. Karnataka is in fifth position in corruption," he claimed.
At a public event on Wednesday, Justice Veerappa had claimed that the corruption in Kerala stood at 10 per cent, while it is 63 per cent in Karnataka.
He had said that he was able to witness it after becoming the Upalokayukta.
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Recalling that the Congress government, after coming to power, formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the "40 per cent commission" charge it had made against the previous BJP government, Ashoka asked -- what probe will the government order, following the 63 per cent corruption allegation against it.
"If you have any shame left, resign and go... you formed SIT against us, constitute CBI probe on this (allegations against Congress govt), if you have guts, let the corruption in various departments come out in the open," he added.
According to the LoP, Karnataka has become an "ATM" for the Congress party to fund any state elections. Power goes to those who give more money to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
"For the recent Bihar elections, more than Rs 300 crore has gone from Karnataka itself. A breakfast meeting of Ministers was called to collect this money," he said, adding that Congress is synonymous with corruption, and corruption is Congress' home deity.
