MUMBAI: Nokia Music Connects 2010 saw the presence of the who who's of the music industry giving insights on various issues that have been languishing the music industry and its allied sectors.

Spread over two days, the event saw around 55 speakers and over 750 national and international delegates came together to support the industry 

Apart from the presence of veterans from the Hindi music industry, the event also saw prime focus on the impact of regional music and how it eats away a major chunck of the pie. Several dignitaries from south including famous south Indian actress Khushbu Sundar and Sun Network's CEO Ajay Vidyasagar. The conference also saw the presence of top advertising honchos including WPP India Country manager Ranjan Kapur and Lintas Media Group's Lynn De Souza giving an insight as to why does the music industry lack in getting more advertising and how can it tap the ad world   

The gala event ended on a optimistic note where the industry stood united on curbing the monster of piracy and taking the industry to the next level, in era of increasing digital distribution of music via the mobile and online. Seymour Stein of Sire Records, on an optimistic note added, "Music business is not a subsidiary of Bollywood. Make it a stand alone business and let the world know of the amazing talent prevalent in the country."

Said Paradigm Talent Agency's Marty Diamond who is the agent for Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, "There is tremendous opportunity in India. We need to put our words into action and educate our clients about this market."

Saregama CEO Apurv Nagpal added, "As a music label our foremost work is to scout talent, a basic role which is getting diluted. We need to find new artistes, give them a platform and help them flourish."
 
Ending the conference on a high note, IMI president Vijay Lazarus said, "The industry has to get together and work on several fronts to take advantage of all the opportunity that a music passionate nation like India offers. Nokia Music Connects has given the industry a platform to get together in a healthy discussion and get viable solutions."

Other veterans from industry also applauded the undertaking of such an event and added that such platforms are necessary for the industry to meet up, address several issues which otherwise don't see the light of the day and amicably provide a solution