Mumbai: Reliance Broadcast Network, through its marketing wing BIG Live, joins hands with The Indian Music Academy, India’s platform for the promotion and popularization of all forms of Indian music to create India’s largest and most credible Music Awards. Together, the two organizations will bring together their core expertise, to create India’s only and largest celebration of all genres of music, through an annual event – ‘BIG IMA Awards 2010’ – BIG INDIAN MUSIC ACADEMY AWARDS

The core USP of this award that it is aimed at recognizing music talent from across the country and from across genres of Indian music ranging from Hindustani, Carnatic Classical music to main stream Bollywood, Pop & Jazz music to traditional Indian music like Folk, Ghazal, Sufi, Qawali.

Supporting the BIG IMA Awards 2010 at its launch announcement, were several music veterans who are also the Patrons. Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, the Santoor performer, lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar, Pyarelalji, the music composer, ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh and Bollywood film composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant. Showcasing the coming together of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. and the Indian Music Academy were RBNL CEO Tarun Katial and IMA Co-founder Durga Jasraj.

This Jury based award will comprise of popular categories. The nominees of the ‘BIG IMA Awards 2010’ will be selected by a Jury comprising of stalwarts and musicians from the Indian music fraternity. The Popular categories will be open to voting by Music lovers across the country through extensive promotions on BIG FM, on ground activations and digital promotions. The awards will see promotions across India, with a series of events and activities happening across the country before the actual Awards night which will include a Fashion show by selected Music talent, series of musical concerts, a month long celebration of music and nominees on BIG FM, along with the participation of musicians and artistes at each stage. Given with vast network of Reliance Broadcast Network, the reach of these awards will reach 52,000 villages and over 2 million people across the length and breadth of the country.

The strength of Reliance Broadcast Network combined with India’s most credible platform for music, the Indian Music Academy, ensures that this award will be the pinnacle of acknowledgement for the Indian music talent. The awards are based on authenticity and credibility and are supported by patron stalwarts in the music industry including Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Zakir Husain, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Asha Bhosle, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Javed Akhtar. The IMA is founded by Pandit Jasraj.

Ms. Durga Jasraj, Co-founder, IMA commented on the association with Reliance Broadcast Network, “The selected representative jury will ensure that BIG Indian Music Academy Awards will emerge as the singular and most rigorous recognition of world-class quality of Indian Music. I am grateful to Reliance Broadcast Network Limited for their active support in helping to make this property a huge success.” Speaking on this initiative Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. CEO Mr. Katial said, “India has a rich music heritage not restricted only to Bollywood, but spread across genres. Through the BIG IMA Awards, we want to recognize and discover new talent. We want to showcase Indian music beyond the obvious and known.”