Strategic guidance for navigating music’s evolving business landscape. Market Entry + Growth Focus. Helping music businesses adapt & expand. Expert advisory across licensing, market entry, a

Shatadru Sarkar is a music industry strategist and advisory specialist with over two decades of experience across licensing, artist development, international repertoire strategy, and emerging business models. His work has consistently focused on helping stakeholders navigate periods of structural change in how music is created, distributed, and monetized. Over the course of his career, he has worked across major labels, independent ecosystems, and technology-led ventures, building strategic bridges between creative vision and commercial frameworks. At Saregama, he was involved in early digital licensing initiatives during the mobile VAS era, helping shape new deal structures at a time when the industry was still adapting to the first wave of digital monetization. He later played a key role in supporting India’s independent music movement through initiatives such as The Underground Series, which identified and developed emerging non-film artists at a time when the ecosystem for independent music was still nascent. This work contributed to the broader shift toward recognizing alternative genres within India’s mainstream music landscape. At Times Music, Shatadru led international licensing and A&R initiatives that expanded the label’s engagement with global independent catalogs while strengthening its position in non-film repertoire. His work included developing partnerships with international rights-holders, supporting the growth of electronic and fusion genres, and exploring new release and audience engagement strategies suited to the streaming era. In subsequent consulting roles, he focused on cross-border sync and content licensing, advising international music catalogs on navigating India’s rapidly expanding film, OTT, and advertising sectors. His interest in emerging storytelling formats led to involvement in immersive media initiatives, exploring how spatial and experiential formats could complement traditional music engagement. Currently, as Founder of Metastar Media, he is engaged in developing direct-to-fan engagement models that enable artists to build closer relationships with their audiences through owned digital ecosystems. Shatadru now advises labels, publishers, media companies, investors, and technology platforms on licensing strategy, A&R direction, India market entry, and the evolution of music business models. His perspective is particularly valued by organizations seeking to balance creative growth with commercial sustainability in a rapidly changing global music environment.

Work Terms

Freelance hourly basis. Short term advisory projects. Key Focus Areas: • Sync, Sample & Content Licensing: Strategic deal structuring | Rights strategy | International catalog positioning | Film/OTT/gaming partnerships • A&R & Creative Vision: Artist discovery & development | Genre trend forecasting | Album conceptualization | Collaboration strategy • India Market Intelligence & Entry: Cultural insights | Regulatory navigation | Distribution architecture | Partnership brokering | Competitive positioning • Music Industry Futures & Transformation: Technology adoption roadmaps | Business model innovation | Direct-to-fan strategies | Web3/VR/Immersive integration