Warner Music India tunes in to live events with SkillBox stake

Warner Music India (WMI) has taken a step into India’s growing live entertainment sector through a strategic minority investment in SkillBox, a ticketing and live events platform in the country. This partnership aligns the music company’s ambition to diversify and expand its services within the music and entertainment landscape, tapping into new avenues for both its artists and fan base.

According to a PwC report, live music revenues saw a 26.0% in 2023, accounting for more than half of the overall music market. This growth was driven by large events including concerts by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Coldplay and Elton John.

Founded in 2020, Warner Music India quickly gained ground in the domestic music market and aims to become a dominant player by expanding its reach across regional music, global partnerships, and now, live entertainment. Jay Mehta, managing director of Warner Music India and the SAARC region is adopting a three-pronged approach to ensure this.

This includes bringing Indian music to a global audience, establishing itself as a major cultural force in India, and securing a top-three market position in terms of revenue and market share by the end of the upcoming fiscal year. This investment in SkillBox marks a significant move in the company’s strategy.

SkillBox, co-founded by Anmol Kukreja and Sandip Ranjhan, with Roydon Bangera and Amarjeet Singha joining as part of the founding team, initially entered the market as a ticketing platform. Since then, it has evolved into a full-service live entertainment company, offering artist tours, ticketing solutions, and branded event experiences. The platform currently has over 1.5 million users, who it taps for its community-driven events, artist management, and live technology solutions with events ranging from global artist tours like Jacob Collier and Steve Vai to properties such as Bloomverse and K-Wave.  

For WMI, this investment represents an opportunity to reach more fans and offer artists a streamlined approach to live performances. In addition to SkillBox’s technological capabilities, the company sees potential for expanding its artist services.

"Investing in SkillBox blends perfectly with Warner Music India's aim of being an artist-first, fan-first company," says Mehta. He added that live entertainment is on the verge of substantial growth, and this collaboration could create "dynamic new opportunities in India’s fast-growing entertainment market."

The global music giant has set its sights on emerging markets like India and China as key areas for expansion, according to Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl. He recently highlighted India as a high-growth potential market, emphasising that Warner Music is actively seeking acquisition opportunities to establish a strong presence in the region.

The company’s annual revenue currently exceeds $6 billion, with India standing as a priority for growth due to its vast potential consumer base. Kyncl has reportedly encouraged the local team to step up the pace in deal-making to strengthen Warner Music’s foothold in India.

WMI’s expansion strategy has included key partnerships with regional players in India. The company recently launched 91 North Records in collaboration with Warner Music Canada, with the aim of promoting Indian artists to North American audiences.

In addition, WMI has a majority stake in Divo, a South Indian music label, and has entered a strategic alliance with Sky Digital, a company specialising in Punjabi music. It has also acquired a 26% stake in Global Music Junction, a major player across regional markets including Bhojpuri, Kannada, and Gujarati. These investments reflect its focus on diversifying its portfolio and bolstering its market presence across regional Indian markets.

SkillBox is expected to play an essential role in WMI’s diversification efforts, especially in live events, merchandise, and brand partnerships. This investment also adds to the company’s ongoing strategy of growing its artist roster and generating multiple revenue streams beyond traditional music sales, which largely consist of digital streaming and YouTube royalties.

Alfonso Perez Soto, Warner Music’s EVP for recorded music and corporate development, sees significant potential in India’s emerging live entertainment sector. He explained that the partnership with SkillBox would enable WMI to enhance its service offering for both local and international artists looking to connect with the Indian audience.

“Our investment in SkillBox allows us to expand the services we offer to artists, connecting them with fans across India,” he said, emphasising the potential for growth in a “high-growth market.”

SkillBox’s expansion has not only been limited to ticketing; the company has also ventured into artist management through LevelHouse, a dedicated division focused on managing Indian artists such as Parvaaz and Parekh & Singh. This expansion into artist management enables SkillBox to support local talent with a broad range of resources.

The company’s event expertise has led it to create a suite of intellectual property events, including LiveBox and Lemonade, which have found a strong following among niche communities. SkillBox CEO Kukreja expressed optimism about the Warner Music partnership, calling it a "significant milestone" in SkillBox’s journey. He noted that SkillBox aims to “push the boundaries” of live entertainment experiences for both artists and fans.

As the live entertainment industry in India continues to develop, SkillBox’s infrastructure and technology, combined with WMI’s industry expertise, could enable both companies to capitalise on this growth. SkillBox’s chief business officer, Roydon Bangera, shared his enthusiasm for the partnership, expressing a shared vision to create an “artist-first music industry.” He emphasised that the collaboration would facilitate meaningful connections between artists and fans and could shape a new era in live entertainment in India.

The live entertainment space in India is still developing, but major players like Warner Music India are keen to tap into its growth. The potential for live music events in a market as diverse as India is significant, with millions of fans and a thriving independent music scene that spans multiple languages and genres. The Warner-SkillBox partnership is one of several recent moves in the Indian music industry, reflecting the rising demand for live experiences among Indian consumers. As more companies look to capitalise on India’s live entertainment sector, Warner Music’s foray into this space through SkillBox gives it a stronger position in the region, centred around collaborative growth and a focus on the fan experience.