MUMBAI: Having already established itself as a leader in the music industry, T-Series is now leaving its competitors far behind and strengthening its repertoire by acquiring around 14 upcoming films in 2013.
After strengthening its relationship with Vikram Bhatt’s ASA Productions by acquiring five films, and with Salman Khan for two films, the record label is working closely with production houses like Viacom 18 and Balaji.
The label has recently acquired around eight upcoming films of Viacom 18 in 2013 which include Chashme Baddoor, Boss, Mumbai Delhi Mumbai, Second Time Lucky, Daana Pani, Michael, Golu and Pappu in the House and Queen. The list features the most awaited films – Boss starring Akshay Kumar and Aditi Rao Hayadri and Queen starring Kangana Ranaut.
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Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, T-Series president-marketing and promotions Vinod Bhanushali said, “We have a long standing association with Viacom 18 and most of their films earlier have been on our label. Both the teams understand each other’s strengths and they have faith in us that the film is in safe hands and we will not underplay any aspect.”
T-Series will also work closely with Balaji Motion Pictures, having bagged the audio rights of their upcoming ventures Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again and Lootera. It has also acquired rights of Chennai Express and Krrish 3 apart from its home productions Aashiqui 2 and Yaariyan.
Lined up for release on 5 April is the film Chashme Baddoor, starring Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Divyendu Sharma and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. Comprising of seven tracks, the album features compositions by Sajid-Wajid, penned by Neelesh Misra, Jalees Sherwani and Kausar Munir. The songs are rendered by singers like Sonu Nigam, Mika Singh and Shreya Ghoshal amongst others.
“The music album features some really good songs and has a good score overall. We are currently working on promoting the music of the film, and we have confidence that we can do the best and market the music with good ideas and innovations,” he added.
It has also bought the home video rights for films like Special 26, Chashme Baddoor and Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns.
Apart from these, another big film whose music rights the label has acquired is Dharma Productions’ Yeh Jaawani hai Deewani. Slated to release on 31 May 2013, the film features compositions by Pritam which include Battamez Dil and Balam Pichkari, a Holi song.
With a host of big films in its kitty, the promotional campaigns planned for them are also on a larger scale. Bhanushali stated that unique campaigns will be the key in the future.
He said, “We have a lot of big films coming up including Ye Jaawani hai Deewani. The promotional campaigns that we will create for these films will be very different as their soundtrack comprises of some very good compositions. Every song is a different product for us and we aim to take the best of the mediums and weave a promotional activity around them effectively.”
2013 began as a very musical year for the label by acquiring most leading films set to be released within the year. While marketing activities are being planned on a large scale, the record label has managed to project a decent growth rate inspite of the many challenges surrounding it. One of the major obstacles it has had to face is the drop in mobile data consumption due to the recent stringent TRAI guidelines.
Bhanushali affirmed, “We have posted a decent growth till now, but its only March. There have been a few challenges in the form of the TRAI guidelines, so the mobile consumption has dropped and there has been a fall in the retail income too. We need to tap into newer markets now and focus on monetizing them.”
He also added that the digital future does look bright for the music industry with the entry of services like Apple’s iTunes creating a boom and the Nokia Ovi Store getting in good numbers. Even YouTube as a music platform is performing well and opening up a range of opportunities for music labels. Also with the FM Phase III expansion policy on the anvil, the opening up of more radio stations should help bring in more numbers in the music business.
