Sony Music and Kwan launch ‘Big Bang Music'

Music giant Sony Music and entertainment management company Kwan have announced a strategic joint venture (JV) to launch a new-age pop label named Big Bang Music.

The 50-50 joint venture will leverage Sony Music’s expertise in the music business and global reach and Kwan’s leadership in artist management and formidable relationships with talent, brands and promoters.

Big Bang Music will develop a roster of stars to cater to the fast-growing pop culture market and serve the growing need from digital content platforms, brands and live experiences for new-age celebrities and fans who are digital natives. Bollywood singer Shalmali and hip hop sensation Naezy join the roster.

From building their unique musical expression and persona to launching their own brands to growing their live career, Big Bang will do the 360 under the leadership of Gaurav Wadhwa, Co-Founder/CEO. He comes with 14 years in consumer marketing and working with music and sports talent across pop culture brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Red Bull, MTV and Saavn.

Wadhwa said, “We want to enable independent artists to engage with fans through personal expression and future sounds that’ll impact popular culture in India beyond Bollywood and cricket. Our approach will be blockbuster and our play beyond song and video.”

Vijay Subramaniam, CEO and Co-Founder, Kwan, added , “We aim to give non-film music and artists a strong platform using the powerful infrastructure of Sony Music, Kwan’s integrated 360-degree agency network and Gaurav’s rich experience in the music content and marketing business. Big Bang will aim to shift the needle in the music business to create pop culture icons. We are supremely excited to embark on this journey with such passionate partners.”

Big Bang will be an A&R-centric, creative artist development and a marketing outfit with talent being managed by Kwan and music distributed by Sony Music.

Shridhar Subramaniam, President India and Middle East, Sony Music, said, “We are proud to embark on this journey with Kwan. Together, we are going to accelerate artist development and pop music growth in the country. Big Bang will create new superstars and grow the pop music economy. In Gaurav and Kwan, we have found the perfect complementary skill sets and together we aim to shape the future of the pop business.”