Sony Music Entertainment India and Warner Music Group have inked a strategic licence deal.
This exclusive alliance will help Sony Music represent Warner Music’s catalogue in India, Sri Lanka and other SAARC nations.
Following this deal, consumers in India can have legal access to Warner’s wide catalogue via physical sales, digital download, streaming and wide variety of mobile services.
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The deal essentially gives Sony Music access to all Warner Music labels, including their recently-acquired legendary Parlophone label.
The combined catalogue of Warner, it is claimed, is among the largest globally, and encompasses a roster of some of the world’s most celebrated and popular artistes and recordings.
Warner has labels such as Parlophone, Atlantic, Elektra, Asylum and East West. Sony Music’s labels include RCA Records, Epic Records, Masterworks, Legacy Recordings. “We will aggressively market Warner across platforms, and also deploy them on proprietary Sony services such as Jive. We will also be booking some of the Warner artistes,’’ said a top Sony India source.
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Warner and Sony together would become the largest player in global music with over 50 per cent market share in this category, company sources added.
They were confident that Sony’s share of the Indian music market would increase to 25 per cent following the alliance with Warner.
“We are delighted to represent Warner’s music catalogue for the Indian and SAARC market. This is one of the fastest growing and exciting music markets in the world, and India, in particular, has huge digital market opportunities,’’ Denis Handlin, President (Asia), Sony Music, said.
“We have great plans to ensure that Warner Music’s remarkable catalogue reaches out to the vast array of existing and emerging music fans in that region,’’ he added.
Shridhar Subramaniam, President, India and Middle East, Sony Music, said he was “very excited with this opportunity.’’
He asserted that Sony was committed to aggressively push the Warner catalogue and new releases. “Through the combined strength of the two companies’ music, we are well positioned to grow the increasing demand for international music in India,” he pointed out.