Independent label, distributor, and publisher EMPIRE has struck a strategic global partnership with Zee Music Company, one of India’s largest record labels.<\/p>\n
Under the deal, EMPIRE says it will distribute Zee Music Co.’s catalog across streaming platforms outside of India.<\/p>\n
The deal includes distribution to Deezer, Anghami, and more. It excludes Spotify, YouTube, Apple, Meta, and Amazon Music. MBW understands that Universal Music Group distributes Zee Music\u2019s catalog on Spotify globally.<\/p>\n
EMPIRE and Zee Music will also collaborate on cross-border creative projects.\u00a0 Those projects will include global remixes of Indian hits, sampling initiatives that integrate Zee Music Co.’s catalog with EMPIRE’s roster of talent worldwide, and joint marketing campaigns across regions including Africa, West Asia\/North Africa (WANA), East Asia, and Latin America.<\/p>\n
“At EMPIRE, our mission has always been to provide access to vibrant local music ecosystems to reach the global stage,” said Ghazi, CEO and Founder of EMPIRE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n “Partnering with Zee Music Co \u2014 a company that has shown incredible momentum and an entrepreneurial spirit similar to our own \u2014 allows us to further strengthen the reach for Indian music worldwide.”<\/p>\n “At EMPIRE, our mission has always been to provide access to vibrant local music ecosystems to reach the global stage.”<\/p>\n Ghazi, EMPIRE<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The partnership is designed to increase Zee Music Co.’s catalog consumption and brand visibility among the global Indian diaspora and new international audiences.<\/p>\n Zee Music Company was established in 2014 and has grown rapidly to become a dominant force in Bollywood and independent Indian music.<\/p>\n The deal comes amid continued global interest in India’s music market.<\/p>\n A number of prominent music companies have made moves in the market in recent months. South Korean entertainment giant HYBE, for example,\u00a0expanded<\/a>\u00a0into India in September 2025, opening its fifth global headquarters in Mumbai, while Reservoir\u00a0launched<\/a> a new Indian subsidiary, PopIndia, last year.<\/p>\n The major music companies also continue to deepen their presence in the market. Universal Music<\/span> India acquired<\/span><\/a> a 30% stake in Bollywood production house Excel Entertainment in January, in a deal that valued the company at approximately $267 million, and in March formed<\/span><\/a> an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the new label from Indian singer and composer Anirudh Ravichander. Warner Music<\/span> India, which launched<\/span><\/a> in 2020, has continued to expand through deals including a global distribution partnership<\/span><\/a> with Ultra Music India.<\/p>\n WMG also holds<\/a>\u00a0a majority stake in\u00a0Divo<\/b>, a Southern India-based company, and\u00a0acquired<\/a>\u00a0artist management firm\u00a0E-Positive<\/b>. Warner Music India has also\u00a0invested<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0SkillBox<\/b>, a live entertainment platform.<\/p>\n The country added<\/a> nearly 4 million paid music streaming subscriptions in 2025, taking its total to 14.4 million,<\/strong> according to a joint report from EY and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) \u2014 though that still represented only around 8% of the 178 million people who streamed music in the country that year.<\/p>\n The Zee Music Company deal marks the latest in a series of global expansion moves for EMPIRE, the San Francisco-headquartered independent label, distributor, and publisher founded by Ghazi in 2010.<\/p>\n The company has worked with artists including Kendrick Lamar, Bebe Rexha, Fireboy DML, Shaboozey, Asake, and Anderson .Paak.<\/p>\n In July, EMPIRE launched<\/a> in the Nordic region with the appointment of former Spotify<\/a> editor Iman Hazheer as Territory Manager across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, EMPIRE struck<\/a> a multi-year deal with Cambodian music company Baramey Production, and in October 2024 it appointed<\/a> Jeffrey Yoo as SVP, East Asia, simultaneously signing Korean superstar G-Dragon as its first artist in the region.<\/p>\n