Most people in India stream music for free.
Industry estimates suggest only about 20 million listeners actually pay for subscriptions out of nearly 192 million monthly music streamers.
That means almost 9 out of 10 listeners are on ad-supported plans.
Great for reach, but not so great for artist payouts.
Why This Matters
Free streaming pays much less per play.
Ads bring in far less revenue than subscriptions.
This means every stream earns just a fraction of what it could.
For artists, this makes royalty income unpredictable.
Your monthly payout depends on ad rates, user activity, and platform revenue: things you cannot control.
Paid subscribers change that.
Their fees create a stable pool of money that gets shared with rights holders.
The more paid users a platform has, the better your earnings per stream.
Why Listeners Still Choose Free
Price is the biggest reason.
Most users do not want to pay when free options exist.
Family plans and student discounts are still not as widely promoted as in other countries.
Regional language listeners often feel streaming apps don’t serve them enough local content to justify payment.
And for many casual listeners, music is background noise, not something they feel they should pay for.
What You Can Do As A Creator
- Check your data. Understand how much of your audience is free vs paid.
- Know your streams. Ask your distributor or label for a breakdown of paid vs free listeners. This helps you plan better and target your audience where it counts.
- Encourage your fans to support you where it matters. Tell them why a paid stream makes a difference for you.
- Do not rely only on streaming income. Think sync, shows, brand deals, merch.
- And most important, keep your metadata clean. Register every track so you can collect what you are owed.
The Bigger Picture
India will not stay a free-first market forever.
As more platforms push exclusive content and better features, subscriptions will grow.
When that happens, those who are already registered and royalty-ready will benefit first.
If you want to future-proof your earnings, start now.
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