India is Warner Music's Next billion-user Market, According to CEO Robert Kyncl

India, along with China, is one of Warner Music Group's top two worldwide expansion areas, worth $16 billion, and it represents the next billion-user market, according to CEO Robert Kyncl.

The New York-based corporation, with over $6 billion in yearly revenue, is constantly looking for acquisition prospects in India. Kyncl underlined Warner's desire to increase its footprint in the region, encouraging the local team to speed up deal flow.

India ranks fifth in global GDP but only 14th in the music business, indicating a big development opportunity, according to Kyncl. He believes that as GDP rises, so will advertising revenue and music subscriptions, and that India's music sector would eventually be on par with its GDP.

India's diverse languages and genres provide Warner Music with unique chances to explore and promote regional music on a global scale. "India is like a continent, with diverse genres and regional music that can matter even more globally," according to Kyncl.

With India's growing internet user base and smartphone penetration, access to global music charts and exposure to regional music would grow, he said.

He stated that the organization is looking for assets in Intellectual Property, services, and tools that will improve the services provided to music artists. Warner Music entered the Indian music label business in 2020, which is dominated by T-Series and Sony Music.

Warner has made significant purchases, including a 26% share in Global Music Junction in April 2024, a majority position in Chennai-based Divo in February 2023, and E-Positive, an artist management agency, in October 2023. "We're already doing great in India, but it can be a much bigger part of our story," Kyncl said.