IKON - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

IKON is a Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

, Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

-based company providing a wide range of services in the field of music marketing including different business areas such as talent management; booking; tour logistics; organization of concerts; sound recording; rights management; music publishing; development of unique marketing concepts; advertising; PR and consulting in the fields of culture, entertainment and event management; development of cultural, educational and social campaigns.

IKON provides business management, booking, distribution, production and promotion services for foreign artists in Russia and CIS in cooperation with leading Russian TV channels Muz TV, MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

, STS, Channel One

Channel One (Russia)

Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...

, NTV, TV Center

TV Center

TV Center is a state-run Russia TV station with the fourth largest coverage area in Russia, after Channel One, Rossiya and NTV. It is owned by the administration of the city of Moscow and is dedicated to programming that highlights various aspects of Moscow life.The channel is broadcast in the...

, MusicBox, A-One

A-One (TV channel)

A-One is a Russian rock music channel, broadcasting since 2005. Its main format is alternative rock music.Channel was launched on August 1, 2005, in Russia...

, O2TV

O2TV

O2TV is a Russian independent TV channel, the target audience of which are young people between 16 and 35, who,as the 2006 presentation reads, would constitute an influential portion of the electorate in the Russian legislative and presidential elections.The O2TV audience exceeds 17 million people...

; radio stations Europa Plus

Europa Plus

Europa Plus is Russia's first and the most popular commercial radio station. They started broadcasting on April 30, 1990. It is mainly formatted with Hot AC/Top 40....

, DFM, Megapolis FM, Radio Mayak

Radio Mayak

Radio Mayak is a radio broadcasting company in Russia, owned by VGTRK. Mayak is the Russian word for "lighthouse" or "beacon". As well as Radio Mayak proper , the company is also responsible for the youth music channel Radio Yunost.Radio Mayak was established in August 1964 as a major All-Union...

, Love Radio, NRJ

NRJ Radio

NRJ French multimedia group based in Paris. Since its foundation in 1981 as a French pop music radio station it has grown and evolved to become the NRJ Group...

, Radio Maximum

Radio MAXIMUM

Radio Maximum is a Russian radio station, specializing in pop and rock music.Maximum was founded in 1991 as a joint venture of Westwood One, Harris Corporation, StoryFirst Communications, and The Moscow News weekly. It started broadcasting in Moscow on December 25, 1991 on the frequency of 103.7...

, Radio Frame, Silver Rain Radio

Silver Rain Radio

Silver Rain Radio is a Russian FM radio station since July 4, 1995. Radio frequency in Russia - 100,1 FM. Initiator of the Silver Galosh Award for the most dubious achievements in show business every year. This prise awarded at the congress-hall of Radisson-Slavyanskaya hotel. Is known to be the...

; major international publishing houses

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

and print magazines

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

Axel Springer AG

Axel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...

(OK!), Bauer Media Group (Bravo
Bravo (magazine)
Bravo is the largest teen magazine within the German-language sphere. The first issue was published in 1956, subtitled as "the magazine for film and television" . Marilyn Monroe's portrait graced the first published issue, the never-published dummy issue cover displayed Elvis Presley.-History:The...

), C-Media (Billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

), Hachette Filipacchi Media (Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....

), Hubert Burda Media

Hubert Burda Media

Hubert Burda Media is a German privately held, family-owned global media company with its origins in printing and magazine publishing. The company is headquartered in Offenburg and Munich, has additional main offices in Berlin and Hamburg and has more than 7400 employees...

(Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...

), Sanoma Magazines (Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...

), Forward Media Group (Hello!
Hello!
Hello is a weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news and human-interest stories, published in the United Kingdom since 1988. Hello is sister magazine to ¡Hola!, the Spanish weekly magazine launched in Spain in 1944...

), InStyle Magazine, F5, MK, KP
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...

; and popular web portals Mail.ru, PromoDJ.ru, Newsmusic.ru., Rutube.ru , Tata.ru, Muz.ru, Zvuki.ru, Loungemusic.ru, Intremoda.ru etc.

According to IKON's managing director Vlad Davydov, the company’s main competitive advantage is the high qualification level of its employees. The main criteria for employment are fluency in foreign languages, higher education level at prestigious international universities in management

Management

Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

, economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

, public relations

Public relations

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....

, sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

, communication

Communication

Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

theory and practice, as well as professional experience in both Russian and foreign show business and an extensive professional network.

The company’s own communication department, a broad network of partners - venues, promoters, event agencies, entertainment brokers - in total more than 6000 contacts in Russia and the CIS, as well as direct cooperation with major channels of physical and digital distribution are key factors that allow artists signed by IKON to succeed in Russia and CIS.

IKON has been working directly with major international brands such as Marlboro, L&M

L&M

Created by the company Liggett & Myers in 1953, L&M is a brand of cigarettes produced by Altria Group, Inc. . "L&M" is one of the earliest, perhaps the earliest brand to have a filter that was not a one sided filter...

, West

West (cigarette)

West is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:...

, Snickers

Snickers

Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....

, Burn

Burn (energy drink)

Burn is a high sugar, high caffeine content energy drink with a citrus flavor that comes in a 8.3 or 16.9 oz can. The drink is distributed in several countries by The Coca-Cola Company.-Burn Action Sports:...

, Adrenaline Rush, Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

, Pepsi

Pepsi

Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...

, Parliament

Parliament (cigarette)

Parliament is a brand of cigarettes marketed by the company Philip Morris. The brand was introduced in 1931 and is distinctive for its recessed paper filters. In the 1940s and '50s, the brand was marketed for its unique filters, with advertisements reading, "Only the flavor touches your lips", and...

, Lamborgini, Jaguar, Audi

Audi

Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

, Volkswagen

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

, Russian Standard, Bacardi

Bacardi

Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...

, Martini, Martell, Nokia

Nokia

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...

, Motorola

Motorola

Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...

, Sony

Sony

, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

, Samsung

Samsung

The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...

developing unique BTL strategies, providing consulting services and artists for communication campaigns, organizing over 1000 public concerts and corporate shows with major international stars in over 10 years.

In May 2006 IKON was rated by Forbes

Forbes

Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

as Russia's leading entertainment buyer.

History

IKON was founded in 2000 by Vlad Davydov, a Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

businessman, by the time already well-known in professional circles in Russia and abroad.

In its early stages the company mainly acted as a booking agency in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

and CIS

CIS

CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...

booking or organizing performances of international pop stars such as Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...

, Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin

Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...

, Dannii Minogue

Dannii Minogue

Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...

, Bond

Bond (band)

Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specialises in classical crossover music...

, Benny Benassi

Benny Benassi

Marco Benassi , better known as Benny Benassi, is a Grammy Award winning Italian disc jockey and record producer of electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction"...

, Geri Halliwell

Geri Halliwell

Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...

, Craig David

Craig David

Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...

, Sugababes

Sugababes

The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...

, Bomfunk MCs, Shakira

Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...

, Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold

Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...

, Junkie XL

Junkie XL

Tom Holkenborg , better known as Junkie XL or JXL, is a Dutch musician. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. XL is for "Xpanding Limits"....

, Asian Dub Foundation

Asian Dub Foundation

Asian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence...

, Panjabi MC

Panjabi MC

Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...

, Fluke

Fluke (band)

Fluke are an English electronic music group formed in the late 1980s by Mike Bryant, Jon Fugler and Mike Tournier with Julian Nugent as the band's manager...

, Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

, UB40

UB40

UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...

, Ten Sharp

Ten Sharp

Ten Sharp is a Dutch band best known for its early 1990s hit song "You", a hit in some European countries in 1991 and in others in 1992...

, Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...

, Touch and Go

Touch and Go (band)

Touch and Go is a British jazz-pop musical ensemble. Their most notable singles include "Would You...?", "Straight... to Number One", and "Tango in Harlem".-Career:...

and many others.

Even then the company’s area of operations was not limited to Russia. IKON sold shows in ex-USSR countries, as well as in popular Russian jet-set destinations such as London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Miami, Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

, Cannes

Cannes

Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

, Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

, Dubai

Dubai

Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

, Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

, Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

. The company organized shows of popular international acts in dozens of countries, including Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, UAE, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, etc.

2007, IKON opens an own sound recording and publishing

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

department, signing internationally acclaimed talents from UK, Western and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, such as Touch and Go

Touch and Go (band)

Touch and Go is a British jazz-pop musical ensemble. Their most notable singles include "Would You...?", "Straight... to Number One", and "Tango in Harlem".-Career:...

, Dr. Alban

Dr. Alban

Alban Uzoma Nwapa , known by his stage name Dr. Alban, is a Nigerian, Sweden-based musician and producer with his own record label dr-records. His music can best be described as a Eurodance/hip-hop reggae with a dancehall style. He is most famous for his worldwide 1992 hit "It's My...

, Vacuum

Vacuum (band)

Vacuum is the name of a Swedish pop band. The members are Mattias Lindblom and Anders Wollbeck. They also work as song writers and producers under the same name. As songwriters and producers Wollbeck/Lindblom have worked with artists such as Tarja Turunen, Garou, Monrose, Keisha Buchanan, f and The...

, Ten Sharp

Ten Sharp

Ten Sharp is a Dutch band best known for its early 1990s hit song "You", a hit in some European countries in 1991 and in others in 1992...

, T9, Gorchitza

Gorchitza

Gorchitza is an Ukrainian electronic music band from Kiev. Band members themselves say they find it very difficult to define their style, which doesn't fit into any traditional stylistic boundaries....

.

2008, IKON signs an agreement with Universal Music Russia

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

and becomes its direct partner organizing private and corporate shows with the artists from its catalogue.

Innovation

The integration of new business technologies in music marketing is one of the main priorities in the company’s strategic development plan. Since 2008 IKON plays a significant role in shaping mobile content

Mobile content

Mobile content is any type of media which is viewed or used on mobile phones, like ringtones, graphics, discount offers, games, movies, and GPS navigation. As mobile phone use has grown since the mid 1990s, the significance of the devices in everyday life has grown accordingly...

distribution in Russia, creating innovative strategies and products in direct collaboration with the «Big-Three» Russian mobile network operators

Mobile network operator

A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...

(Megafon

MegaFon

MegaFon ,previously known as North-West GSM, is the second largest mobile phone operator in Russia. It works in the GSM and UMTS standard. Its main competitors are Bee Line GSM and Mobile TeleSystems ....

, Beeline

Beeline (telecommunications)

Beeline is the trademark of the third largest Russian telecommunication operator, VimpelCom . Its headquarters are located in Moscow. Beeline's brand was designed by Wolff Olins as a re-brand for their old corporate identity, assisted by Marina Willerr.-Activity:...

, MTS

Mobile TeleSystems

MTS is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 102,4 million subscribers as of 31 December 2009.Having started in the Moscow license zone in 1994, МТS in 1997 received licenses for further areas and began expansion, later entering other countries of the CIS...

).

May 2009, IKON develops and publishes the world's first Ring-Back-Tone

Ringback tone

A ringback tone is an audible indication that is heard on the telephone line by the caller while the phone they are calling is being rung. It is normally a repeated tone, designed to assure the calling party that the called party's line is ringing, although the ring-back tone may be out of sync...

album, completely recorded in the RBT format. The album "Mobile Stories" of the popular Russian band T9 (all Russia's airplay champion of year 2008) consists of twelve 40-second tracks, each being an essence of the corresponding full-length song.

In the same year 2009, IKON becomes official Russian representative of the B2B-oriented social network Music2Deal, which is a unique tool for show business professionals from all over the world. The international network consists of A&R-managers of international record labels

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, incl the four majors Sony

Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

, EMI

EMI

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

, Warner

Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

and Universal

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

, as well as producers, publishers, song writers and performing artists.

Socio-cultural projects

2005, IKON was directly involved in a federal campaign with the goal of attracting young voters in a referendum on the unification of the Krasnoyarsk Krai

Krasnoyarsk Krai

Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk...

, Evenk

Evenk Autonomous Okrug

Evenk Autonomous Okrug , or Evenkia, was a federal subject of Russia . It had been created in 1930. Its administrative center was the urban-type settlement of Tura...

and Taymyr

Taymyr Autonomous Okrug

Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug , or Taymyria, was a federal subject of Russia , the northernmost in mainland Russia . It is named after the Taymyr Peninsula...

Autonomous Districts. In direct collaboration with invited political technologists a so-called "Music Intervention Program" was evolved and pulled a record number of young voters (70%) to the polling boxes.

IKON, as a company operating at the intersection of world cultures, specializes in transfer of cultural products between Russia and the West. Between 2005 and 2007, the company held a series of cultural events and took part in road show organized by The Swedish Institute

Swedish Institute

The Swedish Institute is a Swedish government agency with the responsibility to spread information about Sweden outside of Sweden. It exists to promote Swedish interests, and to organise exchanges with other countries in different areas of public life, in particular in the spheres of culture,...

, promoting concerts of Swedish artists in Moscow and Sankt-Peterburg.

Shaping a positive image

Reputation

Reputation of a social entity is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria...

of Russia and Russian talents abroad is a project of highest priority for IKON. The company’s founder and CEO Vlad Davydov names the need for diversification of Russia's GDP among the main project goals, drawing parallels with the UK and Sweden, where show-business and recording industry provide a solid part of the trade balance; as well as improving the country's image in the minds of world public and especially of the younger generation.

In line with this position IKON attempts to make rational use of established relationships with Western opinion leaders

Opinion leadership

Opinion leadership is a concept that arises out of the theory of two-step flow of communication propounded by Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz. This theory is one of several models that try to explain the diffusion of innovations, ideas, or commercial products....

and show business professionals. In 2009 IKON fostered a release of a song, co-written by DJ Smash

DJ Smash (Russian musician)

Andrey Leonidovich Shirman , better known by his stage name DJ Smash, is a Russian DJ who writes electronic music.- Biography :Shirman started his career at the age of 14 when he graduated from musical school while taking computer lessons...

and Alex Gaudino

Alex Gaudino

Alex Gaudino is a record producer and disc jockey from Salerno, Italy.-Early Career :Alex was born in Salerno, Italy...

, English text and topline written by Daniela Galli (stage name Dhany

Dhany

Dhany is an Italian dance music vocalist. She is most known for her work with Italian dance music producers Alessandro and Benny Benassi.-Albums:* Quiero Respirar #Quiero Respirar 4:01#Shut Up 3:35...

). Also in 2009 one of the company’s catalogue headliners Dr. Alban

Dr. Alban

records a remake of the song "Moscow Never Sleeps" by DJ Smash where is clearly heard: "Moscow is Number One!" The brand new track "We Want More" by Inusa Dawuda, an artist whose interests in Russia IKON represents exclusively, is intended to motivate the national team to accomplish athletic feats at international competitions.

IKON coordinates a number of music education

Music education

Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...

programs in close collaboration with leading Russian, German and US educational institutions with the goal of modernization

Modernization

In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...

and diversification of the Russian pop culture

Popular culture

Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...

. IKON collaborates with local expat organizations in Moscow providing privileged access for young talents from foreign countries to the company’s music education programs.

2010, IKON started its ParaVision campaign, a ground-breaking program helping disabled artists to succeed in show business

Show business

Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....

. The main goal of it is to create and maintain an image of disabled people achieving top performances in music, arts and sports and being among the most creative and successful members of the society.

March 2010, IKON arranged a meeting of the famous Russian athlete Irek Zaripov

Irek Zaripov

Irek Zaripov is a Russian biathlete and cross-country skier.He lost his legs in a car accident in 2000. He started to practice skiing in 2005....

who had won 4 gold and 1 silver medals in biathlon

Biathlon

Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...

and cross country skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

at the Winter Paralympic Games 2010

2010 Winter Paralympics

The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler...

in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

and the singer Inusa Dawuda, a former German heavy weight boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

champion and Russian airplay champion according to the national radio charts Tophit.ru.

A European tour of the unique Swedish artist Simon Murley is scheduled is scheduled for beginning of 2011. Simon a former member of the popular European band Street Boys after becoming disabled as a result of a poliomyelitis disease was forced to abandon a successful career as singer and musician, invested all his savings in the production of vehicles for the disabled and went bankrupt. He has had his comeback as a finalist in the popular TV show "Talang 2010" (Sweden's Got Talent). A casting is planned to be integrated in the tour as a measure of support of talented young artists with disabilities.

Electronic roster

IKON manages and co-manages master and authors rights of several well-known domestic and foreign artists in Russian Federation :

Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...

(David Brown) (USA)
Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She led The Cranberries to worldwide success and fame for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003. Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007...

(Ireland)
Dr. Alban
Dr. Alban
Alban Uzoma Nwapa , known by his stage name Dr. Alban, is a Nigerian, Sweden-based musician and producer with his own record label dr-records. His music can best be described as a Eurodance/hip-hop reggae with a dancehall style. He is most famous for his worldwide 1992 hit "It's My...

(Sweden)
Gorchitza
Gorchitza
Gorchitza is an Ukrainian electronic music band from Kiev. Band members themselves say they find it very difficult to define their style, which doesn't fit into any traditional stylistic boundaries....

(Ukraine)
Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...

(UK)
Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...

(UK)
T9 (Russia)
The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...

(UK)
Ten Sharp (Netherlands)
Touch and Go
Touch and Go (band)
Touch and Go is a British jazz-pop musical ensemble. Their most notable singles include "Would You...?", "Straight... to Number One", and "Tango in Harlem".-Career:...

(UK)
Айдамир Мугу (Russia)
Тигран Петросян (Russia)

External links

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