 Music downloads on Chennaionline
 In a pioneering effort, chennaionline.com has launched a scheme for digital downloads of music through its computer network in association with nearly 40 music companies in India. The scheme was inaugurated by Padmasri Sudha Ragunathan, renowned Carnatic vocalist and president of South India Music Companies Association
(SIMCA).
 Under the scheme, chennaionline.com will provide downloads of songs in the classical
(Carnatic, Hindustani), film and devotional sectors which are
authorised, legal downloads permitted by the music companies.
Launching the scheme, Sudha Ragunathan said this would be a big boon to music lovers all over the world as they can download songs from India irrespective of which part of the world they are in. "Using their computers, Indians can download songs of their choice and remain connected with India. It will also help the next generation of Indians living abroad to be connected with Indian music, in particular," she added.
 She congratulated Chennaionline for its efforts in this direction and said the downloads would be legal, thus paving the way for authorised downloads under a revenue-sharing formula arrived at between chennaionline.com and the music companies.
This would help the music companies derive some revenue while at the same time curtail piracy of music albums, she added.
 The scheme of digital downloads would have a great future and it was good that Chennaionline had taken pioneering steps in this regard to promote south Indian music in particular, Sudha Ragunathan said.
Over 30 music companies in south India have already signed up with Chennaionline, its managing director L Ravichandran said in his address. A large number of NRIs wanted Chennaionline to launch the service as a pay channel, he said, adding that the downloads would have safeguards like Digital Rights Management.
 The Chief of Bureau, Chennaionline, R Rangaraj, said the scheme had been launched to reach out to the large south Indian audience which wanted to listen to both old and new songs - from films, classical and devotional genres - from the comfort of their drawing rooms abroad or even from their laptops wherever they were, without having to pay huge amounts towards courier charges for CDs.
 The treasurer of SIMCA, Sridhar, who is also the director of Sruthilaya, and Ragunathan, director, Amudham Music (P) Ltd, were among those who congratulated Chennaionline for the launch of the scheme, which they said would be of great benefit to south Indians all over the world and also provide some revenue to the beleaguered music industry, which faced the challenge of piracy in India and abroad.
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