What have been the major milestones for Sony BMG Music in India?
A. We have been operating in India only for the last eight years. India is a market that has a tradition of recorded music for almost a century and a musical history stretching back to thousands of years. In this context, our milestones are rather modest. Our first album in an Indian language was AR Rahman’s Vande Mataram, which set a benchmark among non-film albums in India. We also take the credit of propelling Rahman’s career internationally. We had, in fact, promised the Indian government to promote Indian stars internationally, while setting up our operations in India. Another milestone for Sony BMG was the acquiring the music rights for ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and since then, we enjoy a long-standing relationship with Dharma Productions, especially in a fickle industry with shifting allegiances. We are proud to be the biggest seller of any international music album in India. ‘The Party’, an album by the Vengaboys, had sold an astonishing 1.2 million units. This has to be a global re
