Warner Music has acquired India-based artist management and live events company, E-Positive.
Warner says that the deal strengthens its position in the market and will allow its artists “to tap into new expertise in brand partnerships and live events”.
Warner Music Group has been making a lot of noise in India over the past three years.
Since officially launching Warner Music India (WMI) in March 2020, the company has struck distribution deals with Bollywood specialist Tips Music and Punjabi music company Sky Digital India.
Warner has also inked strategic partnerships with Indian pop star Armaan Malik (in February 2022), with JetSynthesys in September 2021, and with Jjust Music in April 2022.
In February, the major acquired a majority stake in India-based digital media and music firm, Divo.
Now, WMG has acquired E-Positive, home to Darshan Raval, who WMG says in a press release “is one of the top five most streamed artists in India and the fastest growing artists in the region, having quadrupled his daily streams in the last 12 months”.
Raval has released songs in multiple languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bengali. Darshan Raval will now sign to Warner Music.
His tracks have been streamed more than nine billion times across all platforms, while he has grown his monthly listeners across the DSPs to more than 43 million, and garnered 17 million followers on Instagram.
Warner says that E-Positive will continue to act as a standalone company and will be led by founder and CEO, Naushad Khan.
Khan is a prominent figure in the live entertainment industry in India, having promoted more than 15,000 shows in the market.
Since launching E-Positive, he has also been instrumental in managing the careers of a number of artists, including Raval, whom he discovered and helped develop into a star.
“I’ve worked towards developing a legacy for over 10 years and carved the journey of each one of my artists.”
Naushad Khan, E-Positive
Naushad Khan said: “I’ve worked towards developing a legacy for over 10 years and carved the journey of each one of my artists. I’m delighted that we’ve found a new home at Warner Music India.
“The team there will help us grow in the international market and will help our artists connect with more fans from around the world. We’re looking forward to the next chapter of E-Positive.”
“Naushad has done an incredible job of positioning E-Positive as a leading management company and his knowledge of brand partnerships and the live sector will be a great asset for us at Warner Music India.”
Jay Mehta, Warner Music India
Jay Mehta, Managing Director, Warner Music India, added: “Naushad has done an incredible job of positioning E-Positive as a leading management company and his knowledge of brand partnerships and the live sector will be a great asset for us at Warner Music India.
“And it’s a privilege to welcome such a phenomenal artist as Darshan Raval into the global Warner Music family. Darshan is a true star, and we believe he can become a staple on the global stage.”
“This deal once again reinforces our desire to become the number one destination for artists in India, and welcoming an artist like Darshan onto our roster is a real statement of intent.”
Alfonso Perez Soto, Warner Music
Alfonso Perez Soto, President, Emerging Markets, Warner Music, said: “This deal once again reinforces our desire to become the number one destination for artists in India, and welcoming an artist like Darshan onto our roster is a real statement of intent.
“Darshan, as well as the whole of the E-Positive roster, will be able to harness Warner Music’s global network and start to connect with a wider international audience.
“This deal helps us to level-up and enhance our 360 offering to artists by bringing in the knowledge and expertise of Naushad to Warner Music. Our improved suite of services we will enable our artists to transcend the whole of India and help bring Indian culture to the rest of the world.”Music Business Worldwide
