Virgin Music Group has signed a global distribution deal with Indian label Sur Music World.
The agreement, announced on Monday (August 17), covers Sur Music World‘s Bhojpuri and regional Indian music.
Virgin Music Group is the independent artist and label services division of Universal Music Group.
The announcement describes Virgin as “one of the world’s leading partners to independent music entrepreneurs.”
Under the partnership, Virgin will handle global distribution for the label’s repertoire, along with audience engagement and digital marketing.
Sur Music World Pvt. Ltd. was founded in 2019 by Surinder Yadav.
The Mumbai-based company started out in South Indian entertainment content, picking up Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam film titles for digital release.
It moved into music in 2023, focusing on Bhojpuri repertoire, according to the announcement, which describes Sur Music World as “one of India’s fastest-growing music labels.”
“This partnership brings together their diverse catalog of Indian content with our expertise in distribution and audience engagement.”
Nagesh Jadhav, Virgin Music Group
“Sur Music World Pvt. Ltd. is home to some of the most iconic Bhojpuri superstar artists, including Pawan Singh, Shilpi Raj, Pramod Premi Yadav, Arvind Akela Kallu, Khushi Kakkar, and many others.
“This partnership brings together their diverse catalog of Indian content with our expertise in distribution and audience engagement. We’re excited to get started and look forward to expanding the global reach of Bhojpuri music together,” said Nagesh Jadhav, Senior Content Manager, Music & Video for Virgin Music Group.
The announcement also carries a statement attributed to the owner of Sur Music World, who is not named in it.
“At Sur Music World, we are proud and grateful to work with Virgin Music Group. Their highly professional team, quick support, and solution-oriented approach have made every step of our journey smoother.
“If there’s one partner that truly brings us closer to our goals, it’s Virgin Music Group.”
Sur Music World aims to expand into Hindi, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Marathi and Magahi repertoire, according to the announcement.
Neither Virgin Music Group nor Sur Music World disclosed the term or the financial details of their agreement.
The deal continues a run of Virgin partnerships aimed at India’s regional music market.
In May, the company signed Punjabi singer Sunanda Sharma for global distribution of her future releases, starting with her single Jogi.
In June, it signed Gujarati folk singer Rajesh Ahir, in a deal covering his future work and his existing catalog.
“Rajesh Ahir is a remarkable artist whose authenticity, creativity, and connection with his audience makes him truly special,” said Amol Suryavanshi, Label Manager at Virgin Music Group, at the time.
“We’re excited to work closely with Rajesh and help him take Gujarati music to listeners across India and around the world.”
Further back, Virgin struck a global distribution deal with Hungama Digital Media in December 2024, covering Indian regional repertoire.
Six weeks earlier, it had acquired Outdustry, an artist and label services and rights management business working across China, India and other “high-potential markets.”
Outdustry founder Ed Peto was named Senior Vice President of International Strategy at Virgin Music Group under that deal.
Beyond India, Evan Bogart‘s Seeker Music Group signed a global distribution deal with the company in June.
Seeker‘s catalog spans more than 19,000 copyrights and recordings, which the company values at USD $400 million.
That followed a distribution agreement struck in April with Suede Records, the label launched by Ari Elkins and Joey McCarthy.
Universal completed its USD $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings through Virgin Music Group in February.
The European Commission had cleared that transaction on February 13, on condition that UMG divest Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting business.
Jamen Capital and Merlin said on Tuesday (August 18) that they had completed their acquisition of Curve from Virgin Music Group, satisfying that condition.Music Business Worldwide
