Sahara to set up music division

The Rs 1,500-crore Subrata Roy-controlled Sahara India Pariwar is venturing into music business. By the first quarter of next financial year, the company plans to set up a full-fledged music division.

"Music companies are not longer buying music. Hence, for a company like us that produces more than 30 movies a year, it makes sense to have our own individual music label," said Shabbir Boxwala, production head, Sahara Motion Pictures.

According to Boxwala, film producers end up spending more on promotion of music and marketing as music companies do not promote the music to the fullest extent.

Though industry sources revealed that the logistics for the music division have been worked out in terms of place and people, Boxwala declined to comment on the quantum of investment to be made in this venture.

However, he said that the new division may not be required to sell music of films produced by other production houses.

Sahara Motion Pictures already has acquired the movie and music rights from major Bollywood producers such as Ram Gopal Verma and Boney Kapoor.

The division would manufacture audio cassettes, CDs and DVDs.

Sahara Motion is planning to adopt a 360-degree approach to market the music on the lines of Yash Raj films. Last year, Yash Raj films launched its own music label "" Yash Raj Music "" that manufactured, marketed and promoted the music of their in-house movies such as Hum Tum, Dhoom and Veer Zara.

Yash Raj Music is a success story. But analysts are quick to points out the failures in such ventures. Rajiv Rai's Trimurti Films had ventured into music business by launching Trimurti Star Music, but had to shut shop as the business failed.