Warner Music India has formed a partnership with India’s SVF Entertainment, expanding into the Bengali music market.
The alliance pairs Warner Music’s global network with the Kolkata-based film, television, and music company, the Warner Music Group division said in an announcement on Wednesday (June 17).
The deal is the latest in a series of regional moves by Warner Music India, launched in 2020.
The partnership is designed to accelerate the growth of Bengali music and to open routes for artists, soundtracks and repertoire to reach audiences across India and around the world, according to the companies.
Elsewhere in the market, in April, Warner Music Group launched Warner Chappell Music India, bringing WMG’s publishing division directly to market under the leadership of Jay Mehta, Managing Director, Recorded Music and Publishing, India and SAARC at WMG.
“Through this partnership, we’re strengthening our presence in Eastern India, and creating a pathway for Bengali artists, soundtracks, and stories to reach listeners worldwide.”
Jay Mehta, Warner Music Group
“Some of India’s most enduring cultural movements have emerged from Bengal, and its music continues to inspire generations across borders,” said Mehta.
“SVF has been instrumental in building that legacy, making it the ideal partner as we cement our commitment to regional music in India.
“Through this partnership, we’re strengthening our presence in Eastern India, and creating a pathway for Bengali artists, soundtracks, and stories to reach listeners worldwide.
“This is a landmark moment for Bengali music and a major step in our mission to take India‘s regional music to the global stage.”
SVF Entertainment has operated across Bengali film, television, music and digital content for more than three decades.
Founded in 1995 in Kolkata, the company says it has produced more than 180 Bengali films and distributed over 1,400 films across multiple languages.
The company is led by co-founders Shrikant Mohta, Mahendra Soni and Vishnu Mohta, and describes itself as Eastern India’s largest media business.
Its music division, SVF Music, has worked with artists including Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Anupam Roy and Jeet Gannguli.
“As audiences increasingly discover regional music beyond linguistic and geographic boundaries, this partnership with Warner Music India gives us an opportunity to take Bengali music to a much wider audience.”
Mahendra Soni, SVF Entertainment
The catalog includes Bengali tracks such as Tomake Chai and Bojhena Shey Bojhena, and SVF also operates the Bengali streaming service Hoichoi.
“For three decades, SVF has been committed to building platforms for Bengali artists, music and storytelling,” said Mahendra Soni, Co-founder and Director of SVF Entertainment.
“As audiences increasingly discover regional music beyond linguistic and geographic boundaries, this partnership with Warner Music India gives us an opportunity to take Bengali music to a much wider audience. Together, we can create new opportunities for our artists and repertoire while continuing to support the creative community behind them.”
As MBW previously reported, India is a key market for Warner Music Group, with the company continuing to expand across the country’s regional-language music sectors.
The company’s push began in 2020 with a distribution partnership with Tips Music, one of Bollywood’s leading music companies.
In 2024, Warner Music India expanded the agreement to include commercial and distribution responsibilities for Tips Music’s catalog of more than 30,000 songs.
In 2023, the company acquired a majority stake in South Indian digital media and music company Divo, which has since launched the independent artist label Loopd.
That same year, Warner Music India expanded into Punjabi music through Sky Digital and into Bhojpuri and Haryanvi repertoire through Global Music Junction.
More recently, the company partnered with creator-focused platform Rhythms.Life in December to help local artists reach global audiences.
It has also launched MAATI, a folk imprint for regional Indian sounds.
Launched in 2020, Warner Music India‘s roster features domestic artists such as Darshan Raval, Diljit Dosanjh and King, alongside global stars including Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran, which it represents locally.Music Business Worldwide