Worldwide Records has expanded its library with the recent acquisition of a Marathi Label, which has added around 10000 songs and 5000 videos. The new acquisition also includes songs in dialects of Khandeshi, Ahirani and Varhadi. Worldwide Records Limited, Managing Director Ratnakar Kumar talks to Radioandmusic.com about the development.

By acquiring 10,000 songs and 5,000 videos, what are the areas (regions) that you intend to target?

With the current catalogue acquisition we are targeting the Maharashtra Region. Apart from Marathi, the catalogue also includes Maharashtrian dialects of Khandeshi, Ahirani and Varhadi.

Who are your competitors for in the regional and devotional space?

Competitors were a concept that existed maybe two three years ago, but with the shift in the music industry and trend towards digital downloads, I would say that it is quality that competes and not labels. Most of the consumed content is pull based and customer preference based. When the customer has the option to choose from a variety, listen to previews etc., it is quality that tends to take the first preference irrespective of the music label.

What was the reason for Worldwide Records foraying into regional areas?

Worldwide Records is well established in the international music and will now bring some of the best world music artistes to the Indian market. Apart from International, the label also has a strong Hindi and Devotional catalogue. We see the potential in regional music and as a natural progression into the Indian market we are now strengthening our regional catalogue with acquisitions in Marathi, Gujarati, and Punjabi etc. As a music label we want to cater to all sections of the market and we want to offer a global platform to regional content. This is a new diversion for us and we are trying to include local singers and folk songs from regional music into our catalogue.

How much per cent of hike are you expecting in your overall income with this step?

We have just started this venture into regional music and I do not think we can comment on a percentage at this point. It will be at least a year before we can gauge, as it is a consumer based service.

Will the expansion also include regional films?

Yes, the current expansion will also include regional films, folk songs, local artistes and bands.

What will be your digital strategies for promoting the regional content?

The thing with digital space is that it offers a fair and equal platform for all types of content. The strategies will remain the same as for Hindi and International. The idea is to make regional Marathi music easily available and accessible to customers.

Are you looking at any partnerships to expand in this area?

At this point we are not looking at any partnerships, however we will continue with new acquisitions.

Could you give us the number of artistes signed and the ones you plan to sign?

The current acquisition includes singers like Suresh Wadekar, Ajit Kadkade, Swapnil Bandodkar, Vaishali Samant, Ravindra Sathe, Uthara Kelkar, Abhijit Sawant, Dutta Shinde, Shalini Shinde, Jagdish Patil, Sharad Jambekar, Dr.Arpana Mayekar, Shivanand Patil, Suresh Bhai Mayekar, Sanjay Nadkarni and many more. There are many more artistes and it is difficult to list all. We are seeing a good platform for Marathi singers and we are looking to promote the artistes and films across all platforms all over the world.