MUMBAI: Warner Music India has signed a joint venture deal with Sky Digital, India’s fastest-growing Punjabi music content consortium and aggregator, significantly expanding their partnership.

The companies penned a strategic partnership in 2021, but have now entered into a new phase of collaboration that will see them jointly develop and manage a roster, with Warner Music India upstreaming some of the hugely popular artists on it.

Sky Digital India is already home to some of the country’s biggest Punjabi music stars including Bir, Harnoor, Kaka, Mankirt Aulakh, Navan Sandhu and Sunanda Sharma.

The company also manages premium Punjabi content-based YouTube channels with more than 50 million subscribers and aggregates releases from more than 50 Punjabi labels, as well as two leading mainstream independent Hindi labels.

Alfonso Perez-Soto, President, Emerging Markets, Recorded Music, WMG, says: “This is a strategic partnership with a hybrid model that enables us to help develop artists’ careers directly. This approach will be hugely beneficial to Sky Digital’s artists who have the potential to be truly global stars. It’s also part of our mission to take culturally vibrant Punjabi music to a worldwide audience.”

Jay Mehta, Managing Director, Warner Music India, adds: “The popularity of Punjabi music around the world has soared in recent years, amplified by a widespread diaspora and starting to cross over into the mainstream in several markets. This partnership creates a great platform for more artists to take their music global and have Punjabi music dominate global charts.”

Gurkaran Dhaliwal, Managing Director, Sky Digital India, concludes: “This deal takes our collaboration to a new and a more dynamic level. Our synergetic relationship with Warner Music Group has already helped us expand our market share in India and significantly graced our artists with popularity among a wider audience. This joint venture allows music and homegrown talent to scale zenith of success by becoming globally loved and acclaimed stars.”

Leading Sky Digital artists

Bir has made a significant impact in the music world with his chart-topping track, ‘Afterhours’. Bir's distinctive voice, coupled with his ability to seamlessly blend Punjabi and contemporary elements, sets him apart as a dynamic and versatile artist.

Harnoor has also found fame on YouTube, with his song ‘Waalian’ generating more than 390 million views. His latest single, ‘Haal’, was released in June.

Kaka was originally an architect, who first broke into the music scene when he posted music on YouTube and who found fame with his 2020 song ‘Keh Len De’. His recent single ‘Shape’ has racked up more than 80 million views on YouTube to date.

Mankirt Aulakh started his career as an actor, before training as a singer and going on to enjoy success with songs such as ‘Vail’, which has been viewed more than 300 million times on YouTube. He most recently featured on the song ‘Lucky No. 7’ from the movie Medal.

Navaan Sandhu is a prominent Punjabi singer and songwriter known for his captivating music and distinctive style. His dynamic and energetic performances have catapulted him as an artist on India and global charts. His ability to infuse cultural influences into modern compositions, have solidified his position as an exciting and innovative artist to watch.

Sunanda Sharma is set to release her latest album this month, and the lead track ‘Udh di Phiran’ was released in July, topping several DSP charts in India. Sharma started her career by posting cover songs on YouTube, before going to release her debut single ‘Billi Akh’. Her most popular song to date, ‘Jaani Tera Naa’, has been viewed more than 400 million times on YouTube.