Anara Publishing, a key player since its entry into the Indian music market in 2017, continues to lead as the commercialization of music publishing in India soars.
After a stellar start to 2024, the company shows no signs of slowing down, securing a series of exciting new signings, sync placements, and opportunities for their artists in the first quarter.
Expanding into new regions and genres, Anara has bolstered its roster with notable additions. Emerging Tamil artist Amrit Ramnath, India-born, California-raised pop sensation Zoya, and Mumbai-based singer/songwriter Ishaan Nigam are among the new talents. April saw two landmark signings: 25-year-old producer and artist Rishi Thakker, known as Dropped Out, and Meghalaya-based rap artist Reble.
Anara’s work in the sync and OST space remains robust. Early 2024 saw Amrit Ramnath’s track “Manase” featured in Bejoy Nambiar’s bilingual film “Dange/Por,” marking the latest sync success. With deals already secured with Apple, Netflix, Sony Entertainment Television, MX Player, and Asian Paints, Anara has solidified its reputation as a champion for artists in the music publishing arena.
Their composers have been active, creating original songs for films and TV series, an area that Anara’s Deepa Seshadri has been nurturing over the last 18 months. “With over 13 years of experience in the Indian music industry, I knew that scaling up a sync business in India required embracing current music-making practices,” Seshadri said. “Our hybrid approach of licensing existing tracks and creating tailored music has been successful. Collaborating with production houses, music supervisors, directors, and producers in India has been delightful, and we look forward to sharing our OST creations as projects are released.”
Beyond sync services, Anara dedicates significant time to nurturing and developing its artists. Actively seeking ways for India-based artists to enter new markets, Anara regularly hosts writing sessions and sources exciting collaborations. In mid-March, they organized a songwriting camp in collaboration with prestigious label and publisher Erased Tapes. The camp produced original songs for bespoke briefs from a UK-based film trailer company, which also provided detailed feedback during a listening session.
“It’s crucial for us to provide the best opportunities to nurture our writers,” said Anara Publishing co-founder Deborah Smith. “We constantly ask ourselves how we can enhance our service to our roster. The songwriting camps have been invaluable for creating new partnerships and building connections with music supervisors. This initiative is one of many my team is working on as we strive for continuous growth.”
2024 also marked the launch of ‘My Music Publishing Zone,’ an online publishing rights administration platform used by Anara and their sister company Horus Music Publishing.
Overseeing the platform’s development, Smith remarked, “This was a significant project, and I’m thrilled to offer a comprehensive, user-friendly platform for songwriters to manage their publishing catalog. It automates many internal processes, allowing us to deliver more efficient service globally. Built entirely in-house, we have full control to provide our roster with the tools they need to maximize our partnership. The launch is just the beginning as we plan to add more features throughout 2024 and beyond.”
