India’s music economy is changing tune. While overall recorded music growth has been slow, Performing Rights royalties a more overlooked revenue stream are climbing fast. At the center of this surge is the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), which just reported record-breaking income of Rs700 crores ($81.5 million USD) for the fiscal year 2024-25, marking a stunning 42% jump from the previous year.
But here’s the thing: this growth isn’t just about the numbers. It’s a lens into how creators are finally starting to get paid, why local platforms are lagging behind, and which voices in the country’s rich sonic landscape still aren’t getting their due.
A Royalties Boom in a Flat Market
Despite broader revenue slumps highlighted by the EY India and FICCI report, the IPRS has struck gold. The performing rights collective attributes the rise to streaming particularly from global platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music which have signed licensing deals and begun paying composers and writers directly through IPRS.
On the flip side, Indian platforms like Gaana and JioSaavn haven’t inked similar deals yet. And while they remain popular, their absence from IPRS’s royalty pool is significant. Adding to the disruption, two major Indian players, Wynk Music and Hungama, shut down in the past year, shrinking local options and stalling recorded music growth.
Still, India has climbed to 23rd in CISAC’s global rankings for collecting societies. A strong step forward but CISAC warns that India’s performance royalties remain “well below its potential,” largely due to low uptake of premium streaming subscriptions.
What Are Performing Rights Royalties, Really?
Let’s break this down. Performing Rights royalties are not the money you get when someone streams your song on Spotify those are recording royalties. Performing Rights are what you earn when your song is played on radio, in cafes, at concerts, in public spaces. They’re paid to songwriters and composers, not performers.
Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music also trigger Performing Rights royalties, but they’re just one piece of a broader system that includes everything from mall speakers to live gigs. It’s complicated, but vital. And for many artists, especially in India, this income is still either forgotten or misunderstood.
“It’s More Than a Number”: Javed Akhtar on the Creative Shift
Veteran lyricist and IPRS Chairman Javed Akhtar weighed in on the latest growth, framing it as part of a cultural shift.
“The significant rise in royalty collection is more than a number it is a reflection of growing awareness around intellectual property, fair value for creative work, and the need for compliance across the industry.”
This isn’t just about cash it’s about fairness, structure, and a maturing market finally catching up to global standards.
Music Beyond the Mainstream: Whose Voices Are Missing?
Now for the uncomfortable part. Not everyone is benefitting equally from this growth.
India’s mainstream music industry is still dominated by Hindi and English content, often Bollywood-affiliated. But there’s a parallel rise of music in regional languages Punjabi music, for instance, is gaining international traction thanks to stars like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, and AP Dhillon, and emerging acts like Talwiinder and Josh Brar.
But for artists in even less commercialized languages, the road is rougher. Alva Kuuto, a Tulu band, say they’ve built a loyal base in Bengaluru and Mangaluru, but that’s where the momentum stalls.
“Gig venue infrastructure is bad,” they say. “And we’ve lost shows just because we won’t do Bollywood covers.”
Still, they remain hopeful:
“For someone in Africa or Argentina, there’s no difference between Hindi and Tulu.”
Artists Navigating Identity and Belonging
Cultural hybridity is another tension point. India-born, California-raised artist Zoya explains the tightrope walk she faces:
“In India, it’s been tough to fit into the industry’s prescribed boxes… I’ve been told to add more ‘Indianness’ in the US, and to fit into Bollywood here. It’s this constant balancing act.”
She echoes a larger struggle many diaspora artists face being seen as too Indian for the West and not Indian enough for home.
Gender Gaps and Gatekeeping
The gender gap in India’s music industry remains stark, especially behind the scenes. According to a 2025 USC Annenberg report, only 5.9% of producing credits globally were held by women in 2024. In India, the scene isn’t much better.
Prachee Mashru, founder of women-led PR firm THIS?, describes the barriers:
“The work we pour our heart and soul into is often brushed off as a passion project… Women don’t want to take up space because that space was never created for us.”
Her initiative Girls Girls Girls is creating safe spaces for women to create and perform without needing to “tone down being girly.”
Nayantara Kumar, co-founder of Misfits Inc., adds:
“Festival lineups still use women to tick boxes. Real inclusivity means levelling access across gender, genre, and geography.”
Ruth Mohinani, head of operations (India) at Desi Trill, calls for more live representation:
“We need mandates for at least two female acts per event. Queer representation is still largely absent.”
Money, Caste, and Class Still Shape the Scene
It’s not just about gender or language. Socioeconomic background remains one of the biggest indicators of access.
Dalit rapper Arivu uses his work to challenge caste inequality, most notably in the hit “Enjoy Enjaami” a track he later claimed he was sidelined from. Meanwhile, The Casteless Collective, founded by filmmaker Pa. Ranjith and musician Tenma, blend activism with music to spotlight systemic oppression.
Queer artists like Sushant Divgikar (aka Rani Ko-HE-Nur) and Pragya Pallavi are speaking openly about identity and queerness but they remain the exception, not the rule.
Infrastructure, Access, and Repetition
Where you live in India still determines your access to opportunity.
Ruth Mohinani says:
“India lacks mid-sized venues between 700 and 2,000 capacity. And programming still favors the same acts over and over often due to politics and favoritism.”
There’s also a huge demand for better regional networks so that independent artists outside metros don’t get left behind.
The Effort to Build a Fairer Stage
Not everyone is waiting around for change. Tej Brar, Head of Festivals at Nodwin Gaming and Director of NH7 Weekender, explains:
“Our programming team curates a diverse lineup across genres and identities. Equity in compensation is key. Every artist should feel respected.”
He insists inclusivity isn’t just a trend:
“It’s part of our culture. Not a box we tick.”
Inclusion Is the Real Headliner
India’s Performing Rights success shows what’s possible when structures are built to protect creators. But money alone isn’t the measure. True success will mean artists of every background caste, class, language, gender, or identity see themselves reflected not just on the charts, but on the stage, in contracts, in credits.
The road is long. But the music is already playing. The question is: will we listen to all of it?
