We Are Rukus Avenue

A music company with a 27-year history. Our culture captures a movement taking place around the world to bring social change through music. We believe in innovation that pushes the boundaries of expression through our unique mixtures of East and West music and culture.

A Bit of History

With its expression squarely parked in the fusion of Western & Eastern cultures, Rukus Avenue is a groundbreaking music company with a well-celebrated 25-year history.  Noted for its spearheading efforts in South Asian music in North America and for inspiring a generation of artists, this bustling record label has cemented itself as a creative force and a conduit for an active social community.

Founded in 1996 by Sammy Chand, Rukus Avenue’s confluence of cultures has had a signature musical expression and has carried a wide range of artists along its storied history.  Artists like Karmacy, Kanwar Gill, Rasika Mathur, CJ aka Charenjeet, Hoodini, Gingger Shankar, Sandeep, Saum G, & more have all been on the Rukus Avenue artist roster. They have helped cement it as a recognized music brand.  In 2016, Rukus Avenue released its first full-length motion picture Music Soundtrack for the film Sold.

Currently distributed by the Orchard, Rukus Avenue was also well-documented for signing a trailblazing distribution deal with Sony Music in 2005.  It also partnered and collaborated with many other companies and initiatives like the United Nations, The White House, NBA, MTV, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, APM, Sonoton, and many more respected and reputed worldwide brands.  Rukus Avenue artists have featured their music in over 70 different film and television shows worldwide.

The Future looks bright for the Rukus Avenue Music Group.  Since its recent introduction of the Rukus Global Initiative and the announcements of collaborations with the United Nations and the White House, the light has never shined so bright for this expanding music company.  With its imprint on this burgeoning culture cemented, its responsibility to carry the flag forward and further has never been greater. 

the Core team

Sammy Chand
Chairman & CEO

Sammy Chand founded Rukus Avenue in 1996 after noticing a void in the music industry.  As a true Los Angeles music industry veteran, Sammy has nurtured Rukus Avenue organically, and made it the vanguard of the South Asian music scene in North America.  Utilizing an accomplished business background and a decorated history in producing music, Sammy has emerged as one of the young powerhouses of the entertainment industry.  Although his creative accomplishments begin with his contributing role to the emergence of South Asian music in North America, he is often referred to as the “pioneer” of the South Asian hip-hop scene worldwide.  With the world at its fingertips, Rukus Avenue is in good hands.

www.sammychand.com

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Anchal Leela Chand
President

Anchal currently serves as President of Rukus Avenue and serves as the director for Rukus Avenue Radio, the world’s #1 South Asian radio and podcast network. In addition to her work across the range of Rukus Avenue initiatives, Anchal served as director for Rukus Avenue's 15 year partnership with the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles with its mutual venture called Rhythm Village.  She is cofounder/creator of Good Luck Yogi LLC, a wellness brand and character dedicated to teaching children mindfulness. Anchal sits on the advisory board of In A Perfect World, an organization dedicated to providing mentorship and education to underserved youth worldwide . She also serves as a US Ambassador for New Light India for the past 9 years, an NGO dedicated to offering comprehensive community development services to at-risk women and children in Kolkata India. Her personal passion in the space of social justice, Indigenous rights, and environmental activism has driven her role in impacting social progress through the creative arts and media as a tool to impact change.  

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Raoul Juneja
Vice President

Raoul serves as Vice President of Rukus Avenue and brings an extensive media expertise in Urban and South Asian music to the vast repertoire of this label.  With a keen eye on the future of media and evolution of the marketplace, Raoul Juneja weaves a past as a news columnist, a TV host, a music producer, and activist into the fabric of Rukus Avenue.  He has created and produced the award-winning national Canadian music TV show V-Mix on Omni Television, which ran for 173 episodes over 4 seasons. He is also the executive producer of A 2Pac Tribute: Dare 2 Struggle, a posthumously released tribute album dedicated to the late hip hop icon, Tupac Shakur. 

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Ben McLane
Chief Legal Officer

Ben McLane is a successful and “highly-credited” Los Angeles based music and entertainment lawyer. Earning his law degree from Pepperdine University and Kansas State University, he quickly earned his credits by working in legal and business affairs at Rhino Records & Priority Records, was the head of business affairs/CFO for JWP-USA/BMG & also acting as talent scout with Sire Records. He has also worked for major management company Tim Neece Management were they represented several artists like Bruce Hornsby, Rickie Lee Jones, Martha Davis, The Posies, Leon Russel, Big Star and many more. He has over 75 published articles on the music business in magazines and books. In 1995 and 2006, he was awarded at the Los Angeles Music Awards for “Attorney of the Year”. Over the years he has earned several Gold/Platinum Records with artists like the Dixie Chicks, the Eagles, Cher, 311, Alicia Keys, Mya and Afroman.

Mandee Banga
PR & Marketing

Mandee Banga is a Punjabi-American marketing professional and artist from San Francisco California. Her most notable roles in South Asian media over the last 15 years include being a radio host, journalist, blogger, content creator, digital collage artist, and more. Over the span of her career, she’s worked with many notable South Asian celebrities, brands, and businesses. In 2019, she joined the Rukus Avenue team as a radio host for her music show Desi Soul Jams, and eventually transitioned into a PR & Marketing role for the company. Mandee currently works at Hearst Media in Digital Marketing. In her free time she likes to curate music playlists on Spotify, enjoys being a foodie & a music buff, and overall positive baddie! 

 

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