South Korea's entertainment giant HYBE has officially launched its Indian operations, establishing a Mumbai headquarters and marking the company's entry into the world's most populous nation. This move is part of a broader trend of international investment in India's music industry, which has experienced significant growth over the past few years.
HYBE, behind K-pop sensation BTS and girl group KATSEYE, announced its India launch on social media earlier this week. The company's Chairman Bang Si-hyuk predicted that securing a foothold in major music markets and adapting to local culture would lead to significant changes in the global music landscape.
Despite domestic challenges facing HYBE, including an ongoing investigation into the company's 2020 IPO and allegations of illicit profits, the move into India is seen as a strategic opportunity. The Indian market has experienced rapid growth, with K-pop streaming increasing by 362% between 2018 and 2023, according to the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.
HYBE plans to recruit artists through local auditions, establish a training system tailored to the Indian market, and support HYBE artists' activities in India. This approach is part of the company's "multi-home, multi-genre strategy," which involves integrating local culture and characteristics to achieve market dominance.
The move comes as other global music companies invest heavily in India, with Warner Music Group making a minority investment in live entertainment platform SkillBox and Universal Music India acquiring a majority stake in TM Ventures. Sony Music acquired a major catalog from Eros, while Primary Wave's joint venture with Times Music acquired two Indian companies.
Despite this activity, the Indian music industry faces significant challenges in terms of monetization. The country's recorded music industry is currently worth ₹3,200 crore (around $378 million), but has struggled to convert massive audience size into sustainable revenue. Paid on-demand subscriptions have seen growth, but the paid conversion rate remains stubbornly low.
HYBE and other global players are betting that bringing professional artist development, sophisticated marketing strategies, and global distribution networks to India will help solve this puzzle. The Indian music industry is projected to reach ₹37 billion by 2026, up from ₹24 billion at the end of 2023, according to EY and FICCI.
For Indian artists, this means access to world-class training, production, and marketing resources that were previously out of reach. For music fans, it means more diverse content, bigger productions, and Indian acts positioned to compete on the global stage. And for investors, it's a race to establish dominant market position before the value capture mechanisms fully mature.
HYBE's entry into India is perhaps the most symbolic of these moves, marking the company's expertise in transforming how the industry thinks about fan engagement and artist development. The next BTS might not just be singing in Korean at all – HYBE's Indian operations could mark a new era for K-pop and global music in the country.
HYBE, behind K-pop sensation BTS and girl group KATSEYE, announced its India launch on social media earlier this week. The company's Chairman Bang Si-hyuk predicted that securing a foothold in major music markets and adapting to local culture would lead to significant changes in the global music landscape.
Despite domestic challenges facing HYBE, including an ongoing investigation into the company's 2020 IPO and allegations of illicit profits, the move into India is seen as a strategic opportunity. The Indian market has experienced rapid growth, with K-pop streaming increasing by 362% between 2018 and 2023, according to the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.
HYBE plans to recruit artists through local auditions, establish a training system tailored to the Indian market, and support HYBE artists' activities in India. This approach is part of the company's "multi-home, multi-genre strategy," which involves integrating local culture and characteristics to achieve market dominance.
The move comes as other global music companies invest heavily in India, with Warner Music Group making a minority investment in live entertainment platform SkillBox and Universal Music India acquiring a majority stake in TM Ventures. Sony Music acquired a major catalog from Eros, while Primary Wave's joint venture with Times Music acquired two Indian companies.
Despite this activity, the Indian music industry faces significant challenges in terms of monetization. The country's recorded music industry is currently worth ₹3,200 crore (around $378 million), but has struggled to convert massive audience size into sustainable revenue. Paid on-demand subscriptions have seen growth, but the paid conversion rate remains stubbornly low.
HYBE and other global players are betting that bringing professional artist development, sophisticated marketing strategies, and global distribution networks to India will help solve this puzzle. The Indian music industry is projected to reach ₹37 billion by 2026, up from ₹24 billion at the end of 2023, according to EY and FICCI.
For Indian artists, this means access to world-class training, production, and marketing resources that were previously out of reach. For music fans, it means more diverse content, bigger productions, and Indian acts positioned to compete on the global stage. And for investors, it's a race to establish dominant market position before the value capture mechanisms fully mature.
HYBE's entry into India is perhaps the most symbolic of these moves, marking the company's expertise in transforming how the industry thinks about fan engagement and artist development. The next BTS might not just be singing in Korean at all – HYBE's Indian operations could mark a new era for K-pop and global music in the country.
. I mean, have you seen their music videos on YouTube? The production quality is insane! 
Anyway, I'm all for the growth of the Indian music industry - we need more diversity in our playlists 
. And who knows, maybe HYBE's training system will help us come up with some sick new sounds 
. It's gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out...
! So many big names getting into India, it's like they're all trying to tap that massive market at once 
. I'm curious if they'll actually be able to crack the monetization code - ₹3,200 crore isn't chump change... 
you think kpop is gonna take over india without some proper groundwork? i mean hybe is launching an indian operation, yeah that's cool and all but they're not just gonna waltz in here and expect everything to be smooth sailing. there are so many domestic challenges facing the company right now, like that ongoing investigation into their 2020 ipo... how are they even supposed to adapt local culture when they can't seem to get their own house in order? 
besides, india's music industry is worth only ₹3,200 crore, that's not exactly a cash cow 
.
. The fact that they're focusing on artist development and marketing strategies is key, as the industry struggles to monetize its massive audience size.
. With HYBE's expertise and other global players like Warner Music Group and Universal Music India investing in the market, I think we can expect big things for K-pop and global music in India 
do you think hybe's move into india will actually work out? i mean they're a huge company and all but the music industry is super hard to crack 
, considering how massive K-pop has been in India over the past few years. The Indian market's growth in streaming numbers is insane, like 362% from 2018 to 2023