UMG returns EMI to India
A collaborative venture by Universal Music Group and Bollywood film director Mohit Surimarks the return of EMI to India.
EMI Records India was announced yesterday, signifying the first ever association between a major label and a Bollywood film director.
Suri is best known for his psycho-thriller films Raaz 2, Murder 2 and Ek Villain – the soundtrack of the latter topped the Albums chart in India last year. Suri will work with Universal to develop a new platform that cuts across film and non–film musical genres. Both established and emerging singers, musicians, performers, composers, lyricists, producers and DJs will benefit from the label’s multi-faceted platform.
Devraj Sanyal Managing Director and CEO, Universal Music Group South Asia said: “Mohit has been responsible for some of the biggest Bollywood hits of all time and A&R is right at the heart of Universal Music so this collaboration is the perfect platform for blending our complementary strengths and our shared love of music.”
Mohit Suri said, “With our joint expertise we will make EMI Records India a dependable brand through which we will launch and nurture musical talent and simply ‘let the music play’. Culturally, Music has always played an integral role in our lives, particularly through the Indian Film Industry popularly known as `Bollywood’. Now, armed with expertise in both businesses – music and film, EMI Records India will soon carve out its own space in the world of music and entertainment.”
In January this year UMG and the creatives behind Oscar-winning filmSlumdog Millionaireand Golden Globe-winning filmElizabeth teamed to launch The Dharavi Project in India. The music and dance project was created with MD Digital of Disney India, Samir Bangarain, director Shekhar Kapur and composer AR Rahman to nurture local talent in India and Asia’s largest economically deprived district, Dharavi.
“Too often in India there has been a huge gulf between film and non-film music,” added UMG’s Devraj Sanyal, “but now with EMI Records India we are creating a new label to bridge that divide and invest in artists across all areas of their careers from mainstream Bollywood cinema through to Universal Music India’s rapidly growing live, branded content, endorsements and merchandising businesses.”
According tothe International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) annual report,Recording Industry In Numbers 2015, India is the 20th biggest global music market. The territory's total recorded music revenue in 2014 was US$100.2m, with US$31m generated from physical music sales and US$58m from digital.Last year revenue from streaming in India, both subscription and ad-supported, overtook download revenue.