Believe Elevates Akhila Shankar to Director of Artist Services for India and South Asia

Believe, the large-scale independent music company based in France, has promoted Akhila Shankar to the role of Director of Artist Services for India and South Asia. She will enter the position immediately, focusing on artist development, label and artist partnerships, and supporting local markets.

Background:

• Shankar fills the role as Shilpa Sharda exits after 12 years.

• Shankar was tapped to run TuneCore South Asia in January 2024.

• Prior to that, she was Director, International at the podcast company Luminary.

• She also worked at the Indian streaming platform JioSaavn for over seven years.

What they said:

• Shankar: “Building TuneCore in India has been a deeply rewarding journey. It’s shaped how I think about the systems independent artists need for their growth and long-term career sustainability. This next chapter with Believe feels like a natural extension of that work. I’m excited to build more connected pathways for artists, from discovery to development and support them more holistically as they grow. There’s a lot to be done, and I’m looking forward to what we can build together.”

• Vivek Raina, Managing Director of Believe India: “As the music landscape in India and South Asia evolves, our focus remains on building a robust ecosystem that supports artists at every stage of their journey. Akhila’s deep understanding of the market, combined with her track record of execution, makes her well-positioned to lead this next phase of growth for our Artist Services business.”