The Indian music industry is in the middle of a profound cultural and economic transformation and at the heart of it is Vinit Thakkar, Managing Director of Sony Music India since April 2023. Under his leadership, the company has rapidly evolved from a soundtrack-centric label into a dynamic artist-first powerhouse, reflecting the changing tastes of Indian audiences and the rise of homegrown talent.
Shifting from Soundtracks to Artist-Centric Strategy
Historically, Indian music has been synonymous with film soundtracks, an industry deeply embedded in the country’s cultural fabric. While this remains a significant part of the business, Thakkar recognized the shifting landscape: Indian listeners are increasingly embracing artist-driven music beyond cinema.
This shift led to the creation of three genre-specific sub-labels under Sony Music India: BROWN (focusing on commercial pop), NINE (hip-hop), and Day One (singer-songwriter music). These labels operate alongside platforms like The Orchard, providing global distribution services, and AWAL India, a platform supporting independent artists.
“Our goal is to be an extension of the artist’s team,” Thakkar explains, highlighting the need to blend creative input, marketing support, and global reach. Backed by data and audience insights, these new sub-labels were launched to support emerging genres and voices in India’s evolving music scene.
Building Beyond Music: Artist Services and Global Ventures
Sony Music India’s transformation is not limited to releasing music. Thakkar and his team have built a comprehensive artist services ecosystem, including artist management, touring, brand partnerships, merchandising, and fan engagement platforms. Strategic collaborations have also expanded the company’s reach beyond India.
One standout example is the partnership with Bay Music House, led by composer Mikey McCleary, which led to the creation of W.I.S.H. India’s first girl group in 22 years. Inspired by global trends like K-pop but rooted in Indian identity, W.I.S.H. has quickly gained momentum, collaborating with brands like Adidas, Motorola, and Maybelline, and cultivating a digital-first, Gen Z fanbase.
Thakkar emphasizes that W.I.S.H. represents more than just a commercial project: it’s about telling authentic stories, blending Indian languages, fashion, and narratives to create a unique cultural imprint.
Other global ventures include a partnership with D36, aimed at promoting South Asian artists in the US, and THG India, a collaboration with LA-based The Hello Group to tap into India’s booming live music market. Domestically, Sony Music India has also launched Tiger Baby Records with a leading Indian film production house to nurture fresh talent.
The Importance of Home Market Success
While collaborations between Indian and international artists are celebrated, Thakkar cautions against viewing them as shortcuts to global success. He believes sustained success abroad must begin at home. “The hard truth is that for an artist to achieve global success, they first need to make a major impact in their home market,” he says.
At Sony Music India, this philosophy translates into a holistic, long-term strategy rather than one-off projects. By investing in building authentic, artist-first brands and focusing on the local audience, the company aims to create music that resonates deeply before pushing it to global audiences.
Film Soundtracks: Still Central, But Evolving
Despite the push towards independent music, film soundtracks remain crucial for Sony Music India. The company has strong partnerships with leading Bollywood studios like Dharma Productions and Maddock Films, and holds a dominant position in regional soundtrack markets, particularly in Tamil cinema.
Thakkar emphasizes that these partnerships have helped produce major hits and shape pop culture moments that connect artists with mainstream audiences. While investing in new genres and artist-driven music, the soundtrack business remains central to the company’s long-term strategy.
Standing Out in the Digital Age
In an era where digital content is everywhere, cutting through the noise is challenging. Sony Music India approaches this by combining creativity with data, analytics, and fan insights. Rather than following set marketing templates, the team crafts tailored campaigns to create compelling stories for each release.
This creative flexibility helps Sony Music India stay ahead of the curve, ensuring both catalog and new music reach audiences in fresh and engaging ways.
Spotlight on the South Asian Diaspora
As a global music company, Sony Music India also places significant emphasis on the South Asian diaspora. The aim is to extend domestic content into international markets where South Asian communities reside, using Sony Music’s global ecosystem to amplify Indian voices worldwide.
This diaspora focus complements the strategy of building strong home market foundations before launching internationally.
Catalog Music: Breathing New Life into Legacy Hits
Interestingly, catalog music is seeing renewed success. For example, the soundtrack of Sanam Teri Kasam re-entered the charts after the film was re-released in cinemas, demonstrating the power of marketing and storytelling around older content. Sony Music India’s catalog strategy focuses on turning these older releases into cultural moments, adding depth to its portfolio.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and the Bigger Picture
Sony Music India is actively exploring mergers and acquisitions to grow its footprint. However, Thakkar notes that the industry is challenged by India’s relatively low average revenue per user (ARPU) and heavy reliance on ad-supported streaming. These factors limit the immediate returns of catalog acquisitions.
Despite these hurdles, Sony Music India’s M&A strategy focuses on acquiring assets that bring operational scale, audience growth, or technological innovation, supporting the broader creative ecosystem rather than speculative investments.
The Need for Paid Streaming Models
One of Thakkar’s most significant calls for change is accelerating the shift from ad-supported to paid subscription models in India’s streaming landscape. This, he argues, would create a more sustainable environment, increase value across the industry, attract investment, and ultimately help India become a top 10 global music market by the decade’s end.
Anticipating the Future: Artists Shaping Culture
Looking ahead, Thakkar believes Indian artists will play an even bigger role in defining pop culture. Recognizing this, Sony Music India launched an Artist Strategy and Development vertical, offering long-term plans beyond music to help artists grow into brands. This reflects the belief that music is no longer just about tracks it’s about storytelling, identity, and cultural influence.
On the economic side, Thakkar predicts a gradual transition towards hybrid models that blend ad-supported streaming with paid subscriptions and bundled services, creating a healthier ecosystem for all stakeholders.
A Transformative Moment
In summary, under Vinit Thakkar, Sony Music India is redefining what it means to be a music label in the 21st century. By focusing on artist development, diversifying into new genres, forging global partnerships, investing in technology and catalog, and advocating for a more sustainable streaming model, the company is not just adapting to change it’s helping lead it.
The Indian music industry stands at a transformative moment, and as Thakkar says, this shift isn’t just about short-term hits but about building lasting cultural impact and ensuring Indian music finds its deserved place on the world stage.
