Writing credits:
Vishruti Bindal (LinkedIn, Instagram)
Prarthana Sen (LinkedIn, Instagram)
Neon Culture (LinkedIn, Instagram)
Music from India has never been more “emergent” in a global context than it is today, halfway through 2024. For the first time, we have a clear music industry that is largely independent of the film industry, and as a direct result we are seeing regional Indian music dominating global charts, being booked at conference showcases on the world stage and winning global awards.
Within this burgeoning music industry where communications and money flow in various directions interconnected paths, Neon Culture has observed a few key areas where there are knowledge gaps, which could also be strategic investment opportunities viewed through an alternate lens.
While these are just some broad areas we have observed through our work, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the areas that could do with better access to knowledge and resources. With that disclaimer, here’s our take on the top 5 areas where all stakeholders can do more to improve the knowledge gaps and invest in music in India:
What is “Indie”?
Unlike music markets in the West, the definition of what makes a music sector independent is not clear for us. While indie loosely refers to non-film music because of the cultural dominance of film soundtracks, most artists who have found success outside of these avenues are often backed by major labels for their releases. So, the term “Indie” could suggest independence from film, or major labels, or both. At the moment though, there are no clear answers or data surrounding this and thus no clear systems or processes in place to define and support success in an “indie” sense. It will take continued collaboration between various major and smaller players in the music industry to build towards this, and efforts to collect, analyse and share data that sheds light on what the experiences of people employed in the indie music industry actually reflect.
How the Money (and Rights!) Flow
With technological advancements and fast growth in the music sector, many artists and professionals working in the music industry in India (independent or otherwise) need a more holistic view of how the exploitation of rights eventually generates money as royalties, and how they can maximise their earnings through it. In Neon’s annual Bangalore music city survey conducted in 2023, we found that 90% of authors/composers who responded to the survey were not signed up to any PROs, which implies that many of them have not collected any performance or mechanical royalties generated through their works. This number has been improving very slowly though, as we record an increase in the membership for IPRS every year, and it has also been heartening to see many stakeholders step up in this area in the last year or so, and invest in workshops and courses to educate people about their rights and owning them!
Music Export
Music export has historically seen success in markets where there has been a concentrated effort by music sector stakeholders, and is often supported by governments to improve economy, diplomacy and trade relations. In India, such opportunities are restricted to include only a select few music genres by the ICCR, and even when artists are able to meet the criteria, empanelment opportunities are not frequent enough. There is a need for independent advocacy initiatives and for funding to support delegations and showcasing artists at both regional and global stages. Naga artists are now seeing export success with initiatives such TAFMA, most recently, with the news of ‘Trance Effect’, an Indie pop band being selected to perform at the Gwangju Busking World Cup Festival In South Korea.
Music Publishing and Rights Administration
Music publishing rights have historically been bundled and assigned to major labels in India, as they serve as both labels and publishers, especially in the context of music created for films. With the rise of the independent music industry separate from films and outside major labels, the music publishing business remains underserved, with only a few publishers available in the country. Another significant gap exists in the rights administration business, where services are needed to support administrative processes of music publishing and performing rights organisations (PROs), such as work registrations, new work notifications, etc.
Music Licensing for Visual Media
Music licensing is another space developing quickly in the country. ‘Sync’ is the cool new way to make money that everyone wants to get in on, but it is important that artists and their teams are aware of copyright and its administration to be able to make the most of such opportunities. Music licensing for visual media is based on the brief of the particular project, whether a film for the OTTs or independent release, but having one’s business well set up, like works registered with PROs, split sheet agreements with all songwriters involved, easy one stop licensing possibilities will enable artists and their catalogues to be first choice when such opportunity does come their way.
To conclude, strategic investment in any or all of these areas by the key players is bound to see improvement in the existing systems that we all operate under in the music industry. However, the only way to bring about systemic, long-term growth and progress of this emergent music industry is to fill the knowledge gaps that have been outlined here.
That includes expanding the scope of music education in India to include areas of music business like the ones that have been outlined here and more, and sharing knowledge among stakeholders over gatekeeping, thus improving the scope for collaboration between different players to find a uniquely Indian way for a music industry that is independent of film. A combination of all these will pave the way for training and mentoring individuals at all levels to have well-rounded students, professionals, and consultants who understand the artistic as well as business-based nuances that will enable this industry to thrive like never before!