MUMBAI: Digital distributor South Asian Audio Visual Network (Saavn) has expanded its catalogue in the Indian market with a wide range of international music. The Indian music service, today announced the launch of its newest product, Saavn English.

To begin, Saavn English offers more than a quarter of a million songs from label partners Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The library will include new releases and catalogue classics by Sony Music artists, including Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Billy Joel,  Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, INXS, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Justin Timberlake, Kings of Leon, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Miguel, Oasis, Pink Floyd, and Usher; and by Universal Music Group artists, including Bob Marley, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, David Guetta, Jennifer Lopez, and Kanye West.

Besides the website, Saavn also plans to launch Saavn English on mobile platforms such as iOS, Android, and Java/J2ME (Feature phones).

Saavn co-founder and executive chairman Paramdeep Singh said, “As the nation with the second-largest population of English-speakers in the world (just over 125 million people), India is a prime market for Western music. At Saavn, our aim has always been to provide a wide genre of music to our users, and the introduction of Saavn English is a testament to our success in providing Saavn’s users with complete music entertainment.”

The launch of Saavn English puts Saavn in competition with companies like Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio – international digital music services yet to launch in India.

Saavn already has music licensing deals in place with over 300 South Asian record labels, giving the service the largest content catalogue of Indian music, from the latest Bollywood numbers to the earliest Bollywood records from the 1930s. Saavn has 1 million-plus tracks under license, which is 99 percent of the known catalogue across Bollywood, regional, and devotional music, and serves listeners in over 200 countries. 

Moreover, Saavn is establishing itself on the bollywood forefront as it has also announced a partnership with Tips Industries Limited. With this association, Saavn will have 15-day exclusive streaming rights on music releases from the upcoming movie Race 2, starting with the first single, ‘Party on my Mind’ this week.

Commenting on the partnership,  Singh said, “The partnership with Tips is a strategic alliance that shows how much digital streaming has changed the Indian music industry. It is now possible to release tracks in ‘single’ format in a cost-effective way. This allows production houses and labels to improve pre-release hype and excitement while creating greater impact and awareness of their release among audiences.”

The licensing deal between Saavn and Tips also includes a multi-platform marketing push across print, web, and mobile, including booking of Saavn's IMPACT units and several other Internet destinations throughout India.

Tips head of music business and senior vice-president Sahas Malhotra said, “We are excited to partner with Saavn and to premiere “Party on my Mind” exclusively on Saavn, ahead of the Race 2 album launch. Tips is taking full advantage of the path-breaking opportunities offered to us by digital music streaming, and continues to be at the forefront of the industry. We look forward to building our partnership with Saavn across our vast catalog and new releases to give consumers a seamless music listening experience.”