fellowship 2023

reach your full potential

 
 

sponsored in part by:

 
applications closed

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  • To create, release and market one original song:

    • 1st place ($2,000 value)

      • Music production, mixing, mastering, social media consulting, and visual budget.

      • 5x one-on-one mentorship conversations with music industry leaders (see below).

    • 2nd place ($750 value)

      • Music production, mixing, mastering.

    • 3rd place ($750 value)

      • Music production, mixing, mastering.

  • The applicant must be:

    • Between the ages of 18 and 35, inclusive.

    • A resident of the domestic United States.

    • Identify as South Asian-American.

    • If you have released music before, have a catalog of no more than 5 original songs.

      • Up to one EP of any length is okay.

  • The applicant must provide:

    • Application Form (link above).

    • Song Demo (up to 75-seconds, see FAQ below for more details).

  • In addition to the application form and song demo, the following will be considered:

    • You must be able to see through the commitments of this project (1-5 hrs/week depending). The ideal candidate is self-motivated and will drive their project forward.

    • If selected as the winner, you will need to:

      • Record and provide final vocals (no iPhone audio).

      • Film, edit and post social media content (in-app like TikTok is okay).

      • Prep for and attend Zoom meetings with the project team & mentors.

      • Find and hire folks to help you with visuals (funded by this award).

    • The RRA team will review, select, and announce a winner on August 25th, 2023.

      • Finalists may be asked to participate in a short online interview.

  • This is the anticipated timeline:

    JULY 2023

    • July 1st, 2023 — applications open.

    • July 31st, 2023 — applications close.

    AUGUST 2023

    • August 25th, 2023 — winner is announced.

    SEPTEMBER 2023

    • Work with the music producer to create the song.

    OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2023

    • Song is delivered to post-production. During this time, you will:

      • Work with the social media consultant to build a marketing campaign.

      • Find and work with photographers, videographers, graphic designers, etc to generate any visuals you’d like for your release.

      • Meet with the artist mentors.

    DECEMBER 2023 - JANUARY 2024

    • Release the song.

    • Support the song with your marketing content and ads throughout the release.

your project team

  • Ravi Ray

    CREATOR / MIX ENGINEER

    Ravi is an award-winning mix engineer specializing in audio post-production for music, dialogue, and visual media. He currently works as an assistant engineer at Manhattan Beach Recording NYC where he records and mixes music for hundreds of artists, including those signed to labels under Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and more.

  • Arun Ganapathy

    MUSIC EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Arun is a Los Angeles-based creative executive, entrepreneur, and composer. Currently he works at Netflix, supporting all parts of the Music Production process for Animation Series. Prior to Netflix, Arun contributed music support to films, documentaries, and games - notably, DC’s Aquaman, BBC’s The Planets, and Bayonetta 3.

  • Elaine Rasnake

    MASTERING ENGINEER

    Elaine is a Philadelphia-based mastering engineer focused on providing post-production services, educating others on the art of mastering, and helping lift the voices of women and LGBTQIA+ members of the music community. She has proven herself an invaluable resource in this space having spoken at the AES Mastering Academy in both 2021 and 2022.

  • Ari Afsar

    CELEBRITY JUDGE

    Ari Afsar is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. A graduate of UCLA, Afsar recently released her album via Sony, and can be found in Netflix’s Wedding Season. Her extensive list of credits include composing for Jeannette: The Musical and Shawn Mendes, originating Eliza in Chicago’s Hamilton, winning the Lyricist Award at The O’Neill NMTC 2018, and placing top 36 on American Idol.

  • Sonali Mehta

    SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT

    Sonali is the Director of Digital Marketing at Arista Records, a label under Sony Music Entertainment. Prior to this, she worked on the Artist Development team at YouTube where she oversaw a roster of artists including Raveena, Conan Gray, Tesher, Raja Kumari, Joji, and Remi Wolf to support their new music releases and grow their audiences.

  • Rianjali

    PROGRAM ADVISOR

    Rianjali is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter / composer with a mission to change South Asian independent musicians’ perspective in the diaspora. She has worked alongside A.R. Rahman, performed with U2, Bishop Briggs, and Shawn Mendes, and scored the award-winning documentary Seeing God.

  • Kunal Patel

    ARTIST MENTOR

    Kunal is an entertainment attorney at Apple and co-founder of Mild Mannered & Timid (MMT). Previously at Maxim, UMG and Vice, he has also released 7 albums, been featured on multiple A.R. Rahman soundtracks, and performed at the IIFA awards. His work has been featured on NBC, All Def, Vibe Magazine and more.

  • Raashi Kulkarni

    ARTIST MENTOR

    Raashi is an LA-based composer and pianist, and she is one of eight composers and the first person of Indian origin to be selected for NBCUniversal’s Universal Composers Initiative. Her latest scoring work includes Netflix’s Wedding Season and the Disney+ film World’s Best.

  • Kahani

    ARTIST MENTOR

    Kahani is an innovator in the electronic and world music space, bringing South Asian sounds to global dance rhythms. He is the founder of Indo Warehouse, a record label and event series specializing in Indo House. Alongside the label, he will be headed on tour in Summer of 2023.

  • Dilan Rajan

    ARTIST MENTOR

    Dilan is an RIAA Certified Platinum Engineer and Vocal Producer. He has engineered for labels including Universal, Sony, and Interscope, as well as thousands of artists. His work ethic has allowed him to earn credits including The Isley Brothers, Tyga, YG, Scott Storch, and many more.

  • Priya Mani

    ALUMNI MENTOR

    Priya Mani is a Southern California-based singer-songwriter and vocal arranger with a passion for world music. She has performed with Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Berklee Indian Ensemble, Amira Medunjanin, and Disney's Snowtacular Cast. She won the RRA Fellowship in 2022.

  • Bak n 4th

    MUSIC PRODUCER

    Erwin and Shyam comprise Bak n 4th, a Vancouver-based production duo with an affinity for infectious, moving, and innovative music. Drawing from their loves for hip-hop, R&B, Indian classical music and more, they collaborate with artists around the world to bring creative visions to life.

  • SPHMRE

    MUSIC PRODUCER

    SPHMRE aka Ravi Bhavsar is a self-taught mix engineer, producer, and DJ from New Jersey. Having worked at Flux Studios NYC, he has a wealth of experience with major artists and labels, as well as independent artists. His releases span across multiple genres including Bollywood, Hip-Hop, R&B, EDM, and Folk.

  • Prateek Rajagopal

    MUSIC PRODUCER

    Prateek is a film composer and record producer who's work spans multiple genres - from electronic score for VR project Body of Mine, to Justin Timberlake’s TROLLS Band Together, to Star Wars’ The Mandalorian S3, to Michael B. Jordan’s Creed 3. He has collaborated with Eric Andre, Lizzo, Joseph Shirley and Ludwig Goransson.

FAQ

    • Max length of 75-seconds.

    • Submit an MP3 demo, and a PDF lyric sheet.

    • We recommend including a verse and chorus.

    • The production DOESN’T need to be complex! Just piano or guitar chords + vocals works.

    • Submit a demo that’s original (no covers), unreleased, and early in development.

    • You must have clearance for or ownership of any samples or beats used.

    • Lyrics are not required, but they are preferred.

    • Non-English lyrics are welcome. Please include a translation with your application.

    • Yes, but not large groups (e.g. acapella teams).

    • This is not a cash award, the funds are directly used to pay the project team.

    • Though the song creation team is fixed, you will choose your collaborators (photographer, videographer, graphic designer) for the visuals, for which a stipend is provided.

    • No, but you may elect to work with the project partners in person (subject to their willingness/availability).

    • You are responsible for any and all travel costs.

    • No, the goal of this fellowship is to help someone early in their music career.

    • You don’t need to be planning to go into the industry either, hobbyists are welcome!

    • Follow all the song demo guidelines (see the first FAQ question).

    • Build your song demo around a strong concept (more important than the production).

    • It’s VERY important to us that the winner is self-motivated and will drive their project forward. The fellowship will give you the tools, we want to know that you’ll use them.

Don’t see your question answered here? Send us a message and we’ll reply + add it to the list!

community partners

  • DDN

  • Dost

  • Mild Mannered & Timid

  • Outer Voice Records

  • South Asian Americans For Change

  • South Asian Creative Project

  • South Asian Stories

  • South Asian Trailblazers

  • That Desi Spark

  • The Desi Condition

  • Third Eye Collective

  • Urban Asian

special thanks

KAHANI・DHANYA JAMES・ALEX MORRISON・RANJANI & DEEPAK・SONIA VARGHESE

RIANJALI & KUNAL・JANAKI NARAYANAN・JEFF OTT・RAHUL DHIMAN・RITU TADINADA・SAROSH MAWANI・SHIVAM MISTRY

BECKY MATHAI・JIMMY POLLARD・PRIYA MANI・RAJ VISWAPRABAKARAM・ROHAN THAROOR・SHAMA LAKDAWALA
SHWETA MANI・MEGAN FANG・JAGADESAN FAMILY・YATISH CHANDRA・RISHABH RAI・NAVEED AHMED・RICHARD MALLORY・SIKHA NAIK・SUHANA JAGADESAN・ARCHIT UPADHYAY・NEIL SHAH・DHYAN RAJAMANI・JANANI SUBRAMANIAN・KRITI SWAMI・NILAM MISTRY・SHILPA SADAGOPAN・MEERA TIKKU

  • Ravi Ray

    CREATOR / MIX ENGINEER

  • Suhana Jagadesan

    PROGRAM COORDINATOR

  • Meera Tikku

    COMMUNICATIONS LEAD

  • Anusha Savi

    ARTIST ADVISOR LEAD

  • Aaron Needham

    LOGISTICS LEAD

 

Interested in donating or getting involved? Send us a message at fellowship@ravirayaudio.com