MUMBAI: Currently in India, record label Warner Music, is represented by Sony Music, while the publishing arm-Warner/Chappell Music is being taken care of by Indian label company Times Music. However, that has not stopped Warner Music from evaluating the Indian market.
When quizzed if Warner Music will enter the Indian market, Asia Warner Music EVP Calvin Wong said, “There are plans to expand in India, but we want to do it right. India is a very Bollywood-centric market and it is a very difficult market. We want to be in India in the right way so that we can contribute from music side to the market.” He further added that considering the populace of the country, it is important that the move is right for the Indian market.
He also added that Warner Music has started to evaluate and look at opportunities and ways to become successful in the country.
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Going further, Wong spoke about another Asian market-China where Warner Music has signed an exclusive partnership with Tencent Holdings Ltd. Commenting on the partnership, Wong said, “We believe that China will become a full-legitimate market as there is huge potential in the movie side of business and there are talks about China surpassing Hollywood. We are hopeful that our partners in China can help us achieve that goal.”
He also added that Warner Music China has “ambitious targets” and those targets are “achievable.” In China, Warner Music will continue to focus on digital and sign as many artistes as possible, along with helping partners to be successful.
Wong, who was seen on the panel at this year’s ‘All That Matters’ had provided his view on the growing dance music scene. When asked to comment, Wong said, “It is not an easy genre to be signing artistes, especially, if these DJs are new or unknown. It is very exciting to be in this genre, but at the same time there is no formula for signing these artistes.”
Speaking about the challenge in the Chinese market for Sync, Wong said that every market is challenging and Sync is a complicated business. “In countries like Singapore and Malaysia, they still use library music.” However, he believes that Sync is not the only option for growth as there are many ways to expand.
