Why are music labels on a regional catalogue buying spree?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Music labels, grappling with slow growth in paid subscriptions and advertising revenue in the Indian market, are increasingly eyeing regional music catalogues to bolster libraries and returns. Times Music, Warner Music and Saregama have acquired regional catalogues recently. Such consolidation benefits both established players and smaller regional companies.
Mint explains how:Consolidation in India’s music industry could help national players by pooling resources, bolstering catalogues, and increasing bargaining power with platforms, advertisers and brands, senior industry executives said. It can enable access to shared marketing, technology adoption, and data-driven strategies that might otherwise be costly for individual players. Moreover, a unified catalogue offers better licensing opportunities, attracts larger deals, and improves discoverability for diverse music.
As capital expenditure rises with increasing content costs, there is no way to make more content on one's own. Acquisitions or joint ventures, on the other hand, offer a one-time investment that allows for a stronger footprint in the market without having to create from scratch.These moves illustrate how regional strengths can be scaled through strategic partnerships. They help unlock value by streamlining rights and royalty systems, expanding digital distribution, and bringing under-leveraged catalogues into the streaming mainstream while maintaining their cultural identity.
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