Mumbai-based independent label Merchant Records has announced the launch of Merchant Records South, a new southern-facing division focused on building a sustained presence across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam music markets. The move signals a deeper strategic investment in regional-language repertoire as South India continues to drive listening growth across streaming platforms.
Merchant Records South will operate with a clear artist-first mandate, aiming to support long-term career development while combining culturally rooted songwriting with contemporary production and distribution infrastructure. Rather than a short-term regional push, the division is positioned as a permanent extension of the label’s broader ecosystem.
The new initiative will debut with collaborations featuring established and widely respected voices including Sid Sriram, Kapil Kapilan, KS Harishankar and Sarath Santosh. The early slate reflects an intent to bridge independent sensibilities with mainstream reach, while maintaining linguistic and cultural specificity.
Commenting on the expansion, Salim Merchant said the South has long represented one of India’s most engaged and musically evolved audiences. He noted that Merchant Records South is designed to engage meaningfully with these cultures and languages, with an emphasis on emotional honesty and respect for artistic traditions.
Sulaiman Merchant added that the division would prioritise creative autonomy alongside strong execution. According to him, each southern language carries its own musical identity, and the label’s role is to give artists the freedom to create while supporting them with high production standards, thoughtful marketing and global distribution.
Merchant Records South plans to release four mainstream pop singles in January, alongside a series of devotional projects reflecting the region’s spiritual and cultural roots. These releases will span genres and moods, blending contemporary arrangements with traditional influences. The label is also actively building a broader release pipeline for Q1 2026, with multiple collaborations already in advanced stages.
Shivansh Jindal described the initiative as a long-term commitment to the southern music ecosystem, centred on transparency, collaboration and trust. The objective, he said, is to create an environment where artists feel creatively empowered and commercially supported, while audiences discover music that feels both culturally grounded and relevant to current listening habits.
With Merchant Records South, Merchant Records continues to expand its regional strategy, reinforcing its focus on linguistic diversity and sustainable artist development across India’s independent music landscape.
