Investors, labels buy into growing South Asian music business in U.S.
When music strategist Anjula Acharia began launching superstar actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas into Hollywood in the early 2000s, her label partner Jimmy Iovine — the name behind pop sensations such as Eminem and Lady Gaga — told her she was 20 years too early to bring South Asian talent to the U.S. Now, Acharia is the founder and CEO of 5 Junction, a joint label with focused specifically on investing in South Asian artists in the U.S. “That sounded crazy, to think we were 20 years too early, but now, 20 years later, with the explosion of people like Diljit Dosanjh and Karan Aujla … theres all these South Asian acts that are coming here and really selling out, particularly in the live arena,” Acharia told CNBC. The South Asian music market in the U.S. has remained largely untapped, but as music becomes more globalized, as with the success of K-pop and Latin acts, South Asian talent is making a case to investors as the next big business opportunity, Acharia said. Global music revenues are reaching all-time highs, surpassing $30 billion in 2025, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. said last year that streams of Indian artists in international markets grew