Warner Music India has expanded its partnership with Global Music Junction (GMJ), the music and entertainment subsidiary of JetSynthesys. The companies struck a distribution deal in 2021, but this new agreement sees Warner Music make a strategic investment in GMJ, giving it a seat on the board.
As per the company, the move will establish Warner Music India to become the largest player in the central Indian music market.
Talking about the development, Alfonso Perez Soto, president, emerging markets, Warner Music, said, “This is a significant milestone in the expansion of our presence across India. Working with the team at GMJ last year not only strengthened our partnership but enabled us to better support artists from the central regions of India, bringing them the best artistic support that any company can provide, and helping them connect with fans across the country and around the world. India is one of the most exciting music markets in the world and with GMJ as a partner we’re right at the heart of it.”
GMJ is the dominant force in the Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, Oriya, Kannada and Gujarati language markets and has recently achieved exponential growth in the latter two. Moreover, Bhojpuri is the fastest-growing language in India and this move makes Warner Music the largest player in its music market.
Additionally, the company has built an ecosystem that involves more than 100 partners, over 250 million subscribers, serving up more than 100 billion minutes of entertainment annually in more than 130,000 pieces of audio-visual music content. Its partners include figures such as Bhojpuri actors Khesari lal Yadav, Pawan Singh, Haryanvi celebrities Renuka, Sapna Chaudhary and Sahil Sandhu, Odiya stars Malay Mishra and Ira Mohanty along with legends from the industry such as Sonu Nigam, Salim Merchant, Shaan and Sulaiman Merchant.
GMJ has also collaborated with training and production partners such as online music learning platform Artium Academy, Rajasthan-based movie production company Hariprem Films and music directors including Sahil Sandhu (Western Beats, Haryana) and Malay Mishra (Basanta Studios, Orissa).
“Our journey with Warner Music has been remarkable, highlighted by some successful collaborations. The indigenous languages in which we operate, such as the Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, Oriya, Kannada and Gujarati language markets in India, have seen incredible growth in the recent past. Warner Music’s investment in Global Music Junction and its continued collaboration with us will fast track the increasing expansion of India’s regional music industry. With our combined collective vision and understanding of audience preferences, we aim to strengthen the ecosystem by meeting the growing fan demand in the music and entertainment space. We are looking forward to more successful outcomes from our longstanding collaboration,” Rajan Navani, CEO and founder, JetSynthesys, added.