Warner Music India buys the Gemini Music catalogue and signs Gautham Menon and Magic Frames

Warner Music India announced three South Indian deals on 16 October 2026: one catalogue purchase and two long-term partnerships, spread across Tamil and Malayalam cinema music.

For readers outside India, a quick note on why this matters. In the south of the country, film soundtracks are the pop charts. A composer's songs for a Tamil or Malayalam film are how most listeners meet new music, and the rights to those soundtracks are valuable, long-lived assets for any label that holds them.

What Warner bought and signed

Gemini Music. Warner has acquired the Gemini Music catalogue, a Tamil film library that includes soundtracks from Nanban, Thuppakki, Mayakkam Enna, Singam 2 and Paradesi. The composers on those records include Harris Jayaraj, G. V. Prakash Kumar and Devi Sri Prasad. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Gautham Vasudev Menon. The Tamil filmmaker has signed an exclusive, long-term deal that covers his existing soundtracks, his independent music and his upcoming releases. The catalogue includes "Maruvaarthai" from Enai Noki Paayum Thota, A. R. Rahman's "Thalli Pogathey" from Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada, and the independent releases "Bodhai Kodhai" and "Ulaviravu". Forthcoming titles are set to feature Harris Jayaraj and A. R. Rahman.

Magic Frames. In Malayalam cinema, Warner has signed an exclusive long-term partnership with the production and distribution house founded by producer Listin Stephen. The catalogue runs to more than 500 tracks, from films such as Kaduva, Jana Gana Mana, Driving Licence, Gold and Vilayath Buddha. Warner will also be the global release partner for future soundtracks and music videos from films Magic Frames produces, acquires or distributes.

The bigger picture

The deals build on Warner's 2023 majority investment in Divo, the South Indian company led by Shahir Muneer that works across distribution, publishing, label services and digital media. Warner and Divo have said they plan to widen their repertoire across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada music.

Jay Mehta, Warner's managing director for recorded music and publishing in India and SAARC, has framed the strategy as pairing catalogue acquisitions with long-term creative partnerships, using Warner's global network to take South Indian music further. Ashok Parwani, the label's head of music for South India, has said the aim is to keep the appeal of established soundtracks alive while growing the pipeline of new releases.

That pipeline includes OM, a Dhanush film with music by Sai Abhyankkar, the Malayalam title 40 Days of House Party scored by Bibin Ashok, and Oru Startup Kadha, with music by Paal Dabba. Recent Warner releases include Mandaadi, scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar, and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, with music by Vishnu Vijay.

The label has been busy in the region this year. In June it struck a partnership with the Bengali-language media group SVF Entertainment, so these three announcements mark a clear step up in pace.