Photo Credit: Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group announces the launch of Warner Music South Asia, an affiliate handling its recorded music operations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and more.
Headquartered in Dubai, Warner Music South Asia will be headed by Jay Mehta (pictured), working alongside Alfonso Perez Soto, Warner Music’s President of Emerging Markets. The new entity will support exceptional artists and target millions of local fans, while simultaneously promoting South Asian music globally.
“I’m so delighted to launch Warner Music in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other SAARC territories,” said Jay Mehta, Managing Director at Warner Music South Asia. “These are exciting markets with brilliant artists who historically haven’t had the opportunity of plugging into the global music industry. That’s all set to change.”
In January, Warner Music Group (WMG) announced a new partnership with Pakistani company Giraffe, one of South Asia’s leading music and audio production companies. Giraffe has spearheaded the production of Coke Studio Pakistan — a show acclaimed for promoting multiculturalism, dialogue, and multi-genre collaboration, which has become the country’s biggest cultural export with nearly 15 million subscribers on YouTube.
“I am hugely excited to launch Warner Music South Asia, the new entity we’ve formed to help us connect with artists and communities across Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka,” added Alfonso Perez Soto, President of Emerging Markets at Warner Music.
“And I cannot wait for our upcoming releases from Coke Studio and other new music to help bring these cultures to the wider world and provide artists from these markets with our global services. With more than 400 million people, and very important and dynamic diasporas, these are sizable markets that the industry is only just beginning to tap.”
“This is a major moment for Warner Music,” concludes Simon Robson, President, International, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. “We’re now open for business in a series of countries that have rich musical traditions and strong global connections through their extensive diasporas. We’re already working on exciting projects in Pakistan and other territories, and there’s much more to come.”
Last year, WMG acquired a majority stake in Divo, a leading digital media and music company with a significant presence in the Tamil-language market, active in Sri Lanka.
