Warner Music’s India Expansion Continues With Ultra Music Distribution Deal — ‘One of the Indian Music Industry’s Most Significant Catalogs’

Longtime Ultra Media & Entertainment CEO Sushilkumar Agrawal (left) and Warner Music India and SAARC MD Jay Mehta. Photo Credit: WMG

Three months removed from Universal Music’s Maddock partnership announcement, Warner Music has inked an exclusive distribution deal with Ultra Music India.

Warner Music India unveiled the worldwide distribution pact today, amid continued music-space growth (and streaming price increases) in the nation of nearly 1.5 billion.

On the opposite side of the tie-up, Mumbai-headquartered Ultra Music India, not to be confused with the U.S.-based Ultra Records or Publishing, operates as part of Ultra Media & Entertainment, which set sail in 1982.

In keeping with its name, the overarching Ultra Media specializes in (among different things) distributing and producing films; Ultra Music has apparently been accumulating IP, referring mainly but not solely to Bollywood soundtracks, for a while now.

Enter Warner Music India, which will exclusively distribute Ultra’s 14,000-track catalog as well as future releases moving forward.

Though these works are already making waves on platforms including YouTube – Ultra Music is said to operate nine channels – the major intends to elevate them “to new heights on the global stage.”

In a statement, longtime Ultra CEO Sushilkumar Agrawal touted the agreement as “a meaningful step in strengthening Ultra Music’s distribution and reach.” Meanwhile, Warner Music India MD Jay Mehta, whose company took a stake in SkillBox last year, emphasized the scope of Ultra’s catalog.

“Ultra Music has one of the Indian music industry’s most significant catalogues covering a vast array of genres,” Mehta said in part.

“We’re excited to showcase its Bollywood tracks, which in turn strengthens our own Bollywood offering, as well as its Hindi and regional repertoire, bringing timeless classics and fresh Indian music to listeners worldwide,” proceeded the Warner Music exec of almost six years.

As initially mentioned, Warner Music isn’t alone in looking to expand its presence in India, where, aligning with the above statements, much of the focus is on bringing homegrown projects to international fans.

But in the long run, it certainly won’t hurt to forge strong ties with well-entrenched domestic players as streaming revenue improvements drive adjacent opportunities. In addition to its film and music presence, Ultra operates a “soft toys” unit, a lenticular-item division, a Bollywood-dedicated streaming platform, and a production studio.

Over the summer, Reservoir kicked off its own India expansion by scooping up Musicraft’s “entire” catalog, before June saw Sony Music launch THG India and Believe debut its Mahra Tora imprint. More recently, Hybe set up shop in Mumbai with plans to discover and popularize local talent.