Hari Nair is stepping down from his role as CEO India-based entertainment company Tips Music.
The former Sony Music India and ByteDance veteran, who joined Mumbai-headquartered Tips in September 2023, will depart on April 30.
Brand Equity, an offshoot of India-based news outlet Economic Times, reports that the publicly-listed music company will switch to an interim co-leadership model, with current Executive Director Girish Taurani and CFO Sushant Dalmia jointly taking the helm, while the board searches for a new CEO.
Founded in 1988 by Kumar Taurani and Ramesh Taurani, Tips has released music for some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of the 1990s and 2000s, and boasts over 34,000 tracks in its catalog spanning multiple languages and genres.
It has been home to artists including Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, A.R. Rahman, Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah, Arijit Singh, B Praak, and Aditya Rikhari.
A company press release credits Nair for pivoting the business into a “modernized and proprietary software led, data-first digital powerhouse,” along with delivering “consistent revenue growth by securing major deals such as Sony Music Publishing, TikTok, and renewals with Warner Music,” during his tenure.
“it is the right time for me to step down, ensure a seamless handover, and look toward my next leadership challenge.”
HARI NAIR
Nair, who is yet to reveal his next move, is also said to have driven “high accountability across the business, built a brand partnership division from the ground up, and established a modernized proprietary software led technological foundation.”
“Leading a publicly listed organisation like Tips Music through this strategic pivot has been a phenomenal learning experience,” said Nair.
“The revenue growth is fundamentally driven by the legendary Tips catalogue. I am grateful to Kumarji, Girish, and the entire Tips Music team for their trust and support.
“With a robust digital foundation and world-class systems now firmly in place, it is the right time for me to step down, ensure a seamless handover, and look toward my next leadership challenge.”
Tips expanded its global publishing partnership with Sony Music Publishing, first signed in 2023, last year.
Meanwhile, in 2024, it extended its distribution deal with Warner Music India and ADA, and entered into a direct global licensing deal with TikTok.
“Hari is a passionate, revenue and data-driven leader. He spearheaded and built a high-performance, data-first culture in the organisation.”
Kumar Taurani, TIPS MUSIC
Commenting on Nair’s departure, Kumar Taurani, Chairman and Managing Director of Tips Music, said: “Hari is a passionate, revenue and data-driven leader. He spearheaded and built a high-performance, data-first culture in the organisation.
“I thank him for his contribution in driving our revenues, to achieve revenue targets as committed by us to all our shareholders. I wish him the very best for the future.”
Music Business Worldwide