MBW’s World Leaders is a regular series in which we turn the spotlight toward some of the most influential industry figures overseeing key international markets. In this feature, we speak to Vinit Thakkar, Managing Director of Sony Music India. World Leaders is supported bySoundExchange.
India’s music industry is experiencing a cultural shift, and Vinit Thakkar is helping to orchestrate it.
As Managing Director of Sony Music India since April 2023, Thakkar has overseen a significant expansion of the company’s operations over the past two years, transforming it from a traditional soundtrack-focused label into an artist services powerhouse.
Under his leadership, Sony Music India has launched three genre-specific sub-labels: BROWN (commercial pop), NINE (hip-hop), and Day One (singer-songwriter), which operate alongside The Orchard (distributor and artist services company), and AWAL India (a service provider to independent artists).
The strategy reflects Thakkar’s belief that India’s high-growth music landscape is maturing beyond its film soundtrack roots.
“Indian music listeners are maturing, and we are beginning to see early signs of genre development within the artist-driven music space,” Thakkar tells MBW.
Perhaps the most eye-catching project under Thakkar’s tenure has been the launch of W.I.S.H., India’s first girl group in 22 years. Developed in partnership with composer Mikey McCleary’s Bay Music House, the group embodies what Thakkar calls “Indian at heart, global in reach.”
The gamble appears to be paying off. Within months of launch, W.I.S.H. has secured partnerships with major brands including Adidas, Motorola, and Maybelline, while building what Thakkar describes as a “loyal fanbase” through their dedicated fan platform.
But W.I.S.H. is just one piece of Sony Music India’s broader transformation.
The company has also formed strategic joint ventures with D36 to expand South Asian artists’ reach in the US, and recently announced THG India, a collaboration with LA-based The Hello Group focused on India’s booming live music sector.
Sony is also strengthening its market position via M&A and partnerships with local companies, part of a wider global strategy. Less than three weeks ago, Rob Stringer, the Chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, updated investors on the music company’s global performance and strategy, highlighting Sony’s progress in various emerging markets, including India.
“In the high-growth markets of Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, all of which have bloomed at double-digit rates in the last three years’ growth, we have been vigorously targeting ways to better position Sony Music,” said Stringer. “In India and Latin America, we are still number one in recorded music.”
Thakkar’s approach reflects his belief that sustainable global success for Indian artists requires more than just high-profile collaborations; it demands building authentic, long-term brands that first conquer their home market.
“The hard truth is that for an artist to achieve global success, they first need to make a major impact in their home market,” he explains.
With his prediction that India will become a Top 10 global music market by the end of this decade, Thakkar believes his strategy positions Sony Music India at the forefront of what he sees as an inevitable cultural shift.
Here, Thakkar discusses Sony Music India, M&A opportunities in the market, the future of Indian pop culture on the global stage, and why the local industry needs to move beyond ad-supported streaming models…
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES FOR SONY MUSIC INDIA DURING YOUR TWO-YEAR TENURE AS MANAGING DIRECTOR?
The past two years have been incredibly exciting and rewarding for our company. Sony Music India continues to stay true to our global commitment of putting the artist first, and we have made significant changes to better serve the creative community as our industry evolves.
Our focus has been to build the right infrastructure and design an organizational structure with the right mix of talent to provide an exceptional experience for India’s creative community.
With our strong presence in the soundtrack business across both Bollywood and regional markets, coupled with our emphasis on creating a music business centered around the artists, the last couple of years have been an exhilarating journey.
“We’ve acquired valuable music catalogs, launched new sub-labels, formed strong partnerships through joint ventures and laid a solid foundation for our artist services business, which includes management, touring, brand solutions, fan engagement platforms, and merchandising.”
We’ve acquired valuable music catalogs, launched new sub-labels, formed strong partnerships through joint ventures and laid a solid foundation for our artist services business, which includes management, touring, brand solutions, fan engagement platforms, and merchandising. I’m extremely proud of the progress we’ve made.
The Indian music market is at a transformative stage, and we’ve witnessed some key changes over the past two years. On the digital streaming front, there’s been a consolidation of players, along with a strong push to shift users from ad-supported tiers to paid subscriptions, while both local and global players are aggressively investing in the market.
SONY MUSIC HAS EVOLVED BEYOND A TRADITIONAL LABEL TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE ARTIST SERVICES. HOW DOES THIS MULTI-TIERED APPROACH BENEFIT ARTISTS IN TODAY’S MARKET?
Beyond our core label business, we provide a robust suite of offerings through our partners The Orchard, delivering label distribution services; AWAL, offering a DIY distribution platform for artists; and Sony Music Publishing, which supports the artistry of songwriters and composers. This multi-tiered approach sets us apart from a lot of the competition.
We believe in building strong, long-term partnerships, and over the past two years, we’ve established some exciting strategic collaborations with some of the most visionary creatives both in India and internationally. These partnerships focus on elevating Indian and South Asian talent globally.
“We believe in building strong, long-term partnerships.”.
Through our connection with Bay Music House, founded by the legendary Mikey McCleary, we launched W.I.S.H., India’s first girl band in 22 years, which has garnered an overwhelmingly positive response both in India and internationally. Our global venture with D36 is set to expand the reach of South Asian artists in the US and help break South Asian diaspora artists into key markets outside of the US.
We recently announced Tiger Baby Records, a joint venture with a prominent Indian film production house to launch a record label with the goal of “nurturing emerging talent, fostering creative storytelling, and building connections between artists, audiences, and brands.” In short, our goal is to provide the best infrastructure and services, paired with the right teams, to help fulfill the creative vision of the artists we work with.
YOU’VE LAUNCHED SEVERAL SUB-LABELS.. WHAT WAS THE STRATEGY BEHIND CREATING THESE GENRE-SPECIFIC LABELS?
Every endeavor we undertake begins with the question of how we can best contribute to helping the creative community realize their vision.
The Indian music scene has long been dominated by film soundtracks, and this continues to be the case, as music in films is deeply embedded in our cultural fabric.
“Indian music listeners are maturing, and we are beginning to see early signs of genre development within the artist-driven music space.”
However, it’s truly encouraging to see that over the past five years, artist-focused music has been steadily on the rise. Indian music listeners are maturing, and we are beginning to see early signs of genre development within the artist-driven music space.
With the help of data, analytics, and consumer insights, we were able to identify these emerging trends early on, and this led to the creation of our sub-label strategy.
We launched three local labels: BROWN (commercial pop), NINE (hip-hop), and Day One (singer-songwriter), alongside AWAL India – Sony Music’s artist DIY distribution platform. Across all our labels, the goal is to be an extension of the artist’s core team, providing them with creative input, marketing support, distribution services, and global reach.
I’m extremely proud of the progress we’ve made with each of these sub-labels, not only in terms of creative chart success but also by signing talented artists who are poised to become the future stars of the global music scene.
COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS ARE INCREASINGLY COMMON. DO YOU SEE THIS AS A VIABLE PATH TO GLOBAL SUCCESS?
In India today, there’s a significant focus on collaborations between Indian and global artists, which I think is great as it helps artists connect with new audiences. However, it sometimes seems like a shortcut to global success in the eyes of the creative community and labels.
While there have been some notable collaborations over the past five years, I can’t think of any that truly propelled an Indian artist to global recognition or success. The hard truth is that for an artist to achieve global success, they first need to make a major impact in their home market.
That said, we are not against collaborations, as long as they’re authentic and driven by creative goals, rather than just commercial motives. At Sony Music India, our goal is to provide artists with access to both the best local and global opportunities, helping them bring their creative vision to life. We take a more holistic, long-term approach, rather than offering quick fixes.
TELL US ABOUT W.I.S.H. – WHAT WAS THE VISION BEHIND LAUNCHING INDIA’S FIRST GIRL GROUP IN 22 YEARS?
We developed this girl band under our strategic partnership with Mikey McCleary from Bay Music House. Full credit to Mikey’s creative vision and executional excellence with W.I.S.H.
Inspired by global pop trends like K-pop, W.i.S.H. proudly maintains an authentic Indian identity, blending Indian influences in their music, fashion, and storytelling to create a unique cultural imprint on the global stage.
We’re witnessing a revival of 90s-era pop ensembles and bubblegum pop, which has created the perfect opportunity to launch W.i.S.H. Our combined vision, along with Mikey, for W.i.S.H. was simple — Indian at heart, global in reach. They blend Hindi, English, and regional languages, draw inspiration from Indian storytelling, and represent a Gen Z-first presence.
W.i.S.H. embodies the energy, style, and digital-first approach that connects with young audiences, making them powerful pop culture icons. The group resonates with Indian youth by challenging girlhood stereotypes and celebrating themes of sisterhood, joy, confidence, and self-belief.
And it’s already working. Within months, they’ve built a loyal fanbase and secured partnerships with major brands like Adidas, Motorola, Maybelline, Elf Cosmetics, and Sony Headphones. Additionally, last month we launched the W.i.S.H. fan platform, offering exclusive content, live streams, interactive fan engagement, and merchandise and collectibles. It’s an ecosystem of connection, creativity, and celebration where fans shape the experience.
FILM SOUNDTRACKS HAVE TRADITIONALLY DOMINATED INDIA’S MUSIC LANDSCAPE. HOW HAS YOUR STRATEGY EVOLVED WITH THE LAUNCH OF THESE NEW POP-FOCUSED LABELS?
In India, films and cricket are two of the most powerful forces, almost like religions. At Sony Music India, film soundtracks, both Bollywood and regional, have been central to our success. We’re the only music label with strong, long-standing relationships with some of India’s most prominent film production houses, including Dharma Productions and Maddock Films.
“Our continued investment and involvement in the Indian soundtrack business remains a core part of our strategy in India.”
These partnerships have consistently produced major hits, demonstrating the massive impact when music and storytelling come together. Our collaborations have played a crucial role in shaping India’s music landscape, creating pop culture moments and helping artists connect with mainstream audiences on a large scale.
We also have a robust presence in the South Indian markets, with Sony Music leading the Tamil market and steadily growing its share in the Telugu and Malayalam markets. Our continued investment and involvement in the Indian soundtrack business remains a core part of our strategy in India. In fact, over the past two years, our focus and releases in the film soundtrack space have significantly increased.
HOW DO YOU CUT THROUGH THE NOISE TO MAKE YOUR CONTENT VISIBLE in TODAY’S SATURATED DIGITAL LANDSCAPE?
We take great pride in being a creative and forward-thinking company. At the heart of this is the ability to strike the perfect balance between content, context, and the fans.
“We’re always looking to evolve our approach, refusing to rely on set templates.”
With the aid of data, analytics, and insights into fan behavior, our marketing efforts are focused on crafting bespoke campaigns for our soundtracks and artist-driven music.
We’re always looking to evolve our approach, refusing to rely on set templates. Our goal is to consistently think outside the box and explore new ways to tell compelling stories.
How central is the South Asian diaspora market to your overall strategy?
As a global player, we’re also dedicated to making domestic content resonate internationally. The diaspora market is a significant focus for us, and pushing our music into key global markets is central to our marketing strategy.
We have strong partnerships within the Sony Music ecosystem, particularly in key diaspora regions.
Our commitment is to take Indian artists and content global, showcasing the power of Indian music and artistry to the world.
WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING GROWTH on the catalog side of your business?
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a strong resurgence and success of catalog content, and in India, we are leading this evolving trend. Our marketing strategy for catalog content has been highly rewarding.
A recent example of our success is the soundtrack of the Bollywood film Sanam Teri Kasam. When the film was re-released in cinemas, our teams worked closely with the production house to market the music.
For the first time, an entire catalog soundtrack hit the charts across both audio and video platforms, creating a cultural moment. Our approach, investments, and strategy around catalog are central to our plans.
HOW COMPETITIVE IS THE M&A LANDSCAPE IN INDIA’S MUSIC MARKET CURRENTLY?
Our M&A approach is guided by a global commitment to better serve the creative community. We’re not only focused on accelerating creative output but also on investing in areas that support the broader ecosystem of an artist’s and songwriter’s career.
“In today’s environment, strategic consolidation is more valuable than speculative investments.”
In today’s environment, strategic consolidation is more valuable than speculative investments. We’re prioritizing acquisitions that provide operational leverage, expand audience reach, or enhance technological capabilities.
While interest in music-related M&A remains strong, challenges such as low average revenue per user (ARPU) from streaming, a heavy dependence on ad-supported models, and modest growth in paid subscriptions continue to limit the potential and true value that catalog acquisitions can deliver.
Across the industry, there’s a clear push to build business models that ensure music is valued at the level it truly deserves.
WHAT MAJOR SHIFTS DO YOU ANTICIPATE WILL IMPACT THE BROADER SOUTH ASIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY?
We anticipate some significant shifts on both the creative and economic fronts. Creatively, with the rapid growth of pop culture in India, we believe music artists will continue to influence and shape the culture.
“We believe music artists will continue to influence and shape the culture.”
Recognizing this change, we launched a new vertical called ‘Artist Strategy and Development’, which offers a comprehensive long-term plan that goes beyond just music strategy, providing a clear path for artists to evolve into formidable brands. This has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from the creative community.
On the economic side, we expect the industry to transition from being predominantly ad-supported to a strong hybrid model that includes paid subscriptions and bundles. By the end of this decade, we are confident that India will emerge as one of the Top 10 music markets in the world.
In summary, we will continue to focus on an artist-driven, artist-first approach, coupled with aggressive investments in domestic language content. We are committed to shaping the future of the music business in India, ensuring we continue to serve the creative community.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS IN INDIA OR GLOBALLY, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
One key change we hope to see is a faster transition in India from an ad-supported to a paid subscription model. This shift would help establish a more stable foundation, benefiting all stakeholders — artists, labels, and platforms alike.
Beyond creating greater value for the industry, it would also foster increased innovation, attract investment, and drive long-term growth — positioning India as a true global leader in music.
SoundExchange was independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy. The only organization designated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 700,000 music creators and growing.
