MUMBAI: Marathi composer Ajay Naik is set to churn out his second Marathi album under his own Music label Swaraj Music. The album will release on 22 July in Pune.

Along with Baba Chitnis, who is the general secretary of political party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Ajay is the co-owner of the music label  

The album titled �Yaari Tujhi' has eight songs. Seven songs are fresh new compositions and one track is from my previous album. The album will also see Bollywood singer Shaan lend his vocals for the first for a Marathi pop song. It is a typical funky number has I am glad that Shaan agreed to be a part of this project,... says Ajay.

There are a host of other singers including Rahul Deshpande who was the winner of reality show �Sare Gama Pa'- Marathi has belted out a track for the album. Four of the tracks in the album are penned by Ajay himself. Other lyricists include Mandar Cholkar and Ambreesh Deshpande.

The composer is elated with the success of his previous album which saw singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan sing a track, the composer says, The song was a big hit in the Marathi Music circle. The song was on the second spot for six-eight months on the Marathi Top 10 songs. It is also one of the highest Marathi downloadable song on the internet,... says Ajay proudly 
I wanted these well known singers from Hindi music industry to sing for my albums because it helps to create awareness amongst the audience. Sales will go up if these known singers lend their vocals....

Talking about the distribution and marketing model of his music label, Ajay says, We are setting up our own distribution channels and we will slowly build it up. We are planning to introduce door to door sales in Pune, Nagpur and Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. We believe in going to the listeners rather than listeners coming to us,... explains Ajay. We will have an audition form along with the album. People who are interested can send me a recorded song in their voice. The chosen person will receive training and will get a chance to sing in my next album....

We want to give a platform to the newer talent. The reality shows promise them a lot but they go into the oblivion once the show gets over. I want to give these people hope and a stage where they can display their prowess even if it is on a small level... 

On being quizzed about the investment model, Ajay says, I am an employee with an IT company. Whatever money has been put into conceiving the album has come from our pocket. Music is my passion not my bread and butter....

Talking about the Marathi music market scene Ajay says, Marathi music has rich culture. Words play an important role and the music is very soulful. There is a lot of talent but since Bollywood seems to be the only genre working there isn't much heed paid to Marathi music. I want to change this and give more impetus to regional music and provide a wider platform....