Industry Insight: From Hospital Bed to Boardroom, How Roman Bhatia Built Vivifier Music Group
- Undrtone Blog
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Most music careers begin with a blend of nightlife, late-night studio sessions, and chance conversations that open doors. Roman Bhatia’s journey into the industry followed a radically different path, beginning instead in a hospital ward in 2018 after a series of major eye surgeries left him unable to work for months. For someone used to pace, pressure and progression, it should have felt like a stopping point. Instead, it became the catalyst for something bigger.
During recovery, Roman found himself stripped of urgency and distraction, forced into a quiet space that encouraged reflection rather than reaction. It was here that he returned to the ambition that had never wholly left him. “I had nothing but time. So I used it to reconnect with the passion I’d carried with me since I was a teenager.” What began as introspection soon turned into research. He moved from revisiting his own motivations to studying the industry in forensic detail, learning how digital ecosystems respond to behaviour, where value is created, and how artists often struggle not through talent but through lack of structure.
That dream had taken shape long before illness entered the story. At fourteen, after reading Richard Branson’s Losing My Virginity, Roman became fascinated by the idea that one person could build a global music company from the ground up. That early spark never faded. While his professional career unfolded in investment banking and FMCG start-ups, it quietly fuelled an ambition that waited for the right moment to surface.
That moment arrived through stillness. Armed with a clearer understanding of distribution models, publishing frameworks and catalogue investment, Roman left the hospital not as a hopeful entrepreneur but with a working blueprint. In 2019, he launched Vivifier Records with an approach that placed structure before scale. The label grew quickly within electronic and house circles, gaining attention not through hype but through consistency and direction.
As demand increased, Roman chose expansion with intention rather than speed. Instead of bloating a single imprint, he built a framework of focused outlets designed to serve specific corners of the dance scene. V Records, Destination V, Deep V and V TRAX each developed their own identity while remaining part of a broader vision. This separation created clarity for artists and listeners alike, preventing Vivifier from becoming diluted as it grew.
From there, the organisation evolved beyond releases. V Management emerged to provide artist support that extended past promotional cycles. V Publish was launched to strengthen publishing potential and long-term rights strategy. V Experience connected the company to live environments, allowing the brand to develop a physical presence as well as a digital one. In 2025, all of this was consolidated under Vivifier Music Group, formalising what had already become an interconnected ecosystem.
Roman describes his mission clearly. “I’m building the music company I wished existed, one that merges creativity with real structure.” That philosophy materialised further through Vivifier X, an invitation-only distribution platform introduced as part of the group’s next phase. Where the broader distribution market prioritises output volume, Vivifier X focuses on manageable rosters and tailored strategies. It is designed for artists who want guidance rather than dashboards and direction rather than automation.
Roman’s leadership style reflects the system he has built. Calm, detail-led and deliberate, he operates with discipline rather than urgency in a sector often driven by impulse. Even his tinted glasses, originally prescribed during his 2018 recovery, have taken on symbolic weight. They serve as a subtle reminder that Vivifier Music Group did not begin in a meeting room or studio complex, but in enforced stillness and personal reset.
Today, Roman stands as a modern music executive whose background outside the industry has become his most significant advantage. He understands both balance sheets and breakdowns, growth patterns and creative cycles, and has designed a company that speaks fluently in both languages. Vivifier Music Group now positions itself as a bridge between artistry and sustainability, serving musicians who want longevity alongside freedom.
The journey from hospital bed to boardroom might read like a turning-point story, but for Roman, it is the foundation. The long-term plan is already in motion through future signings, expansion across divisions and the continued development of Vivifier X. What began as recovery has become construction, and the structure is still rising.
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