How 22-Year-Old Founder ‘Manas Baranwal’ Scaled DNM Past ₹1 Million in Revenue

For many founders, the journey into entrepreneurship begins with a carefully planned business idea. For Manas Baranwal, the path into the music industry began with curiosity, experimentation, and an unexpected connection with independent artists.

Manas grew up in Maunath Bhanjan in Uttar Pradesh, where his early interests had little to do with music or startups. As a teenager, he spent a lot of time reading about space theories, scientific mysteries, and technology. He would often collect newspaper cuttings about space exploration and keep them in a personal diary.

Entrepreneurship was not the original plan, but experimenting with ideas was.

Around 2017–2018, Manas began creating content on YouTube, learning video editing, graphic design, and digital storytelling. These skills would later become the first tools that helped him enter the music ecosystem.

Entering the Music World

Manas’s introduction to the music industry happened through an online interaction with a young rapper from India’s underground hip-hop scene. At the time, Manas already had some experience with editing and graphic design, so he offered to help the artist with visual content.

That small collaboration gave Manas his first real glimpse into the independent music scene.

The underground hip-hop community was approachable, collaborative, and full of emerging artists trying to build their careers with limited resources. Manas began connecting with more artists and eventually created a small virtual label to support them.

The label went through several stages over time. It started as Vibe Storm Productions, later evolved into Dhun, and at one point merged with other small labels to operate briefly as Beat Street Studios before returning to the name Dhun again.

During its lifetime, the label worked with roughly 25 to 35 artists, including a few international collaborators.

Learning the Challenges of the Industry

Running the label involved handling many aspects of music releases. Manas and his small team helped artists with video editing, artwork design, production coordination, release management, and basic promotion.

However, the biggest obstacle was funding.

Without financial backing, accessing professional studios, marketing campaigns, or experienced producers was difficult. Manas also admits that at the time he was still learning the business side of the music industry.

Eventually, the label began distributing songs through digital distributors to release music on streaming platforms. This was when Manas started noticing deeper challenges within the system.

Some distributors worked well but took significant revenue cuts. Others had long release timelines or pricing structures that were difficult for smaller artists and labels to afford.

Those experiences gradually led Manas to think about whether a better system could exist for independent artists.

The Beginning of DNM

In November 2023, the idea that would later become DireNote Media (DNM) started forming in Manas’s mind.

Around this time, Manas began working closely with Aditya Mishra, who had been running another independent label. Their teams eventually collaborated and merged their efforts, combining their experiences in working with underground artists.

Aditya became a crucial part of the early development of the project, contributing significantly to building the operational and technical foundations that would later support DNM’s growth.

DNM was officially founded in December 2023 by Manas Baranwal and Aditya Mishra, and publicly announced in early 2024.

Early Growth

What began as a small experiment quickly started gaining traction.

Since its launch, DNM has worked with more than 1000 artists and labels and has distributed over 3000 music releases across streaming platforms.

The platform gradually expanded beyond basic distribution. Manas and Aditya began building systems that could help artists navigate the broader business side of music. Today, DNM offers services such as marketing support, playlist placements, publishing assistance, and a system described as 360-degree revenue collection, helping artists collect revenue from multiple sources.

Crossing the ₹1 Million Milestone

In March 2026, DNM reached an early milestone by processing more than ₹1 million in revenue.

For Manas, the moment came sooner than expected.

Although the project had been developing earlier, Manas decided to dedicate himself to building the startup full-time in August 2025. Within months of that decision, the company began seeing rapid growth.

Manas often credits Aditya Mishra as an important partner in navigating the operational complexity of the platform. While Manas focused heavily on strategy and artist relationships, Aditya played a major role in strengthening the backend systems and technical infrastructure that helped the platform scale.

A Young Founder’s Perspective

At just 22 years old, Manas represents a younger generation of founders entering the music technology space.

He believes that younger entrepreneurs sometimes approach industries differently because they are less constrained by assumptions about what is impossible.

For Manas and Aditya, the long-term goal of DNM is not just expansion, but credibility.

Manas wants the company to become known as a platform that genuinely helps independent artists navigate the complexities of the music business.

For him, the motivation behind building DNM remains closely connected to the reason he first entered the industry.

“Making music is the passion,” Manas says. “But artists also deserve systems that help them sustain that passion.”

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manasbaranwal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dfumanas/