Warner Uses Rthyms.Life To Supercharge India's Creators
By Trevor Loucks
Founder & Lead Developer, Dynamoi
Warner Music India has spent 2025 quietly turning its local operation into a global growth engine. First came an exclusive distribution deal for Ultra Music India's 14,000-track catalog of Bollywood, regional and devotional repertoire.
Now it's plugging directly into India's emerging creator economy.
On December 8, Warner Music India announced a strategic partnership with Rthyms.Life, a self-described "creator-first music ecosystem" headquartered in Mumbai and Dubai. The goal: take a new wave of Punjabi, Hindi and hybrid artists from local story to global charts, with Warner supplying the distribution muscle.
A creator-first label majors can't ignore
Rthyms.Life pitches itself as "more than a label," handling creation, production, distribution, marketing, monetization and career growth under one roof.
The roster reflects that ambition:
- Punjabi and Hindi pop acts like Guri and Youngveer
- A mix of emerging singer-songwriters and writer-producers working across Bollywood, independent and export-oriented sounds
For a major like Warner, the attraction is obvious: instead of trying to A&R every micro-scene directly, you partner with a creator hub that already has the studio culture, talent flow and local credibility in place.
How the deal is structured
- Rthyms.Life keeps its identity and frontline role. It continues to sign and develop artists, package releases and handle much of the creative direction.
- Warner Music India provides global distribution and marketing reach. WMI will push Rthyms releases across international DSPs and territories.
- The geographic footprint is India + MENA. Rthyms is headquartered in Mumbai and Dubai, positioning it as a bridge between South Asian and Middle Eastern audiences.
What this signals for the industry
This partnership sends a few clear signals:
- India is now a repertoire exporter, not just a growth market. Warner isn't just chasing local streaming share; it's investing in structures designed to move Indian stories onto global playlists.
- Creator-first ecosystems are scaling into major-partner territory. Expect more majors to sign deals with similar hubs in Nigeria, Brazil and Indonesia.
- Dubai is becoming a secondary hub for South Asian music. The partnership explicitly targets both Indian and MENA audiences - and the global diaspora across the UK, North America and beyond.
The bottom line
Warner Music India's tie-up with Rthyms.Life is a signal of how majors plan to interact with the creator economy in growth markets: partner with full-stack creator ecosystems instead of trying to rebuild them from scratch, and use those partnerships to export regional sounds as global pop fuel.
About the Editor
Trevor Loucks is the founder and lead developer of Dynamoi, where he focuses on the convergence of music business strategy and advertising technology. He focuses on applying the latest ad-tech techniques to artist and record label campaigns so they compound downstream music royalty growth.
