Saregama ropes in Zapak's technology head Keshaw Sinha as CTO

RPG Group-owned music label Saregama India Ltd, which has been adding digital media properties to its portfolio, has appointed Keshaw Sinha as its chief technology officer. Prior to joining Saregama, Sinha was leading the technology team at Zapak.com, one of the largest casual gaming portals. Last December, the music company also hired Suryanarayana Mantha as its managing director. As the new appointment comes only a few months after Mantha's hiring, the company seems to be ramping up its senior management team.

Sinha is an IIT Bombay alumnus and during his 18-year long career, he had also worked with Web18 (also as CTO) and Patni Computer Systems. He is also a mentor at the Global Super Angels Forum Accelerator Program.

Saregama generates revenues from its core business of music besides its film & television division. But music remains its mainstay in terms of bottom line while the film & TV serial business is into losses. The music business, mostly generating revenues through licences, still accounted for around four-fifth of the total revenues (for the first half of FY13).

Saregama has been enhancing its digital presence as well. Only recently, it has launched on its portal an internet radio service in multiple languages covering Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Carnatic, Hindustani classical, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi classics. In July last year, the music giant picked up 10 per cent stake in Timbre Media, a company floated by former WorldSpace radio employees. The move was aimed at reviving WorldSpace's legacy in India besides launching some other mobile radio properties. Saregama's online music store, which was being tested in beta in April this year, has also gone live on its site.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)