Ishtar Music

Ishtar Music is an Indian record-label company whose catalog and publishing activities are associated primarily with Bollywood film soundtracks and Indi-pop music. The business originated in 1985, when Ganesh Jain and Ratan Jain founded Venus Music. It subsequently operated under the name Venus Records & Tapes, building a presence in the Indian music market through the release and marketing of popular film and non-film recordings. The label's historical scope includes Hindi music as well as releases connected with other Indian-language markets, including Tamil and Bengali music. Its role has centered on publishing, marketing, and commercial distribution rather than on a narrowly defined performer-led identity. As a result, the brand has been linked to a broad catalog of soundtrack recordings and popular music rather than to one single artist or genre. In 2021, Believe, a French digital-music company, acquired the business. Following the acquisition, the label was rebranded as Ishtar. The change placed a historically established Indian catalog and label operation within Believe's international digital-music infrastructure. The company is therefore both a legacy Indian music brand and a current subsidiary associated with Believe's global recorded-music activities. Public reference material identifies Ishtar Music as active and managed by Chaitany, but does not provide a fuller corporate profile such as a standalone headquarters, public listing, revenue figures, or a separate official website. Its principal business remains the publication and marketing of Indian film music and Indi-pop recordings, with catalog activity spanning multiple Indian-language categories.

Ishtar Music traces its origins to Venus Music, founded in India in 1985 by Ganesh Jain and Ratan Jain. The company later became known as Venus Records & Tapes. During its earlier existence, the business developed as a record-label and music-marketing operation associated with Indian popular music, particularly Bollywood film soundtracks and Indi-pop. Its activities placed it within the commercial ecosystem surrounding Hindi cinema, where soundtrack recordings form an important part of a film's promotion, distribution, and long-term catalog value. The label's catalog and business scope were not limited to one language. Reference material identifies Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali sections in its discography, indicating activity across several major Indian-language music markets. Its role has been described primarily in terms of publishing and marketing music rather than as a production studio or artist-management company. The available material does not provide a complete account of individual contracts, distribution agreements, offices, or release-level commercial performance. A major corporate turning point occurred in 2021, when Believe, a French company focused on digital music, acquired the business. After the transaction, Venus Records & Tapes was rebranded as Ishtar. This transition connected an established Indian music catalog with Believe's broader international digital-distribution and label network. The rebranding also created the current Ishtar Music identity under which the business is described. Ishtar Music is currently presented as a subsidiary of Believe and is managed by Chaitany. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate listed status, standalone financial reporting, headquarters location, or independent corporate website for the label. Its identifiable business remains the publishing and marketing of Bollywood soundtracks and Indi-pop, supplemented by music releases in multiple Indian languages.

• 2021

  Acquisition and rebranding by Believe

  [1]Ishtar Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Believe acquired the label business formerly known as Venus Records & Tapes and rebranded it as Ishtar.

• 1985

  Venus Music is founded

  [1]Ishtar Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Ganesh Jain and Ratan Jain founded Venus Music in India, establishing the business that later became Venus Records & Tapes and ultimately Ishtar Music.

A legacy Indian record-label and catalog brand focused on Bollywood soundtracks, regional Indian-language music, and Indi-pop, operating within Believe's international digital-music business.

• Film music

  Bollywood film soundtracks

  Soundtrack recordings connected with Hindi-language Bollywood cinema form the central identifiable product area of Ishtar Music. The label publishes and markets film music as part of its recorded-music catalog, serving both the original soundtrack market and the continuing circulation of established Indian film recordings.

• Popular music

  Indi-pop music

  Ishtar Music is also associated with Indi-pop, covering Indian popular-music releases outside the strictly defined film-soundtrack category. The available reference material identifies this as a principal area of the label's publishing and marketing activities, although it does not enumerate a complete artist roster or product series.

• Recorded music

  Regional Indian-language catalog

  The label's referenced discography includes Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali music. This indicates a multilingual catalog strategy spanning several Indian-language markets, with releases organized around regional film and popular-music audiences rather than a single national-language repertoire.

• 2021

  Believe acquires the label businessM&A

  Background

  Ishtar's predecessor, Venus Records & Tapes, was an established Indian label associated with Bollywood and Indian popular music.

  Action taken

  Believe acquired the business and integrated it into its corporate structure.

  Aftermath

  The business was rebranded as Ishtar, creating its current identity as a Believe subsidiary.

  Source

• 2021

  Rebranding from Venus Records & Tapes to IshtarStrategy

  Background

  The acquisition by Believe created an opportunity to establish a new identity for the Indian label within Believe's international music operations.

  Action taken

  The company adopted the Ishtar name after the acquisition.

  Aftermath

  Ishtar became the operating brand associated with the acquired Indian catalog and label activities.

  Source

1. 1Ishtar Musicen.wikipedia.org