Author: Amit Dubey

  • Your 2026 Music Business Isn’t a Gig. It’s an Ecosystem.

    For independent artists, composers, and labels, next year’s success won’t come from one viral stream. It will come from building something more resilient. Something where every part of your work supports the others. A living ecosystem.

    If you feel like you’re running in place, you’re not alone. Chasing algorithm updates, watching tiny royalty sums, and feeling the weight of wearing every hat from creator to CEO. It’s exhausting.

    But what if the goal for 2026 changed? What if we stopped just chasing the next trend and started constructing a smarter, more durable structure?

    After years in the engine room of rights and revenue, I see three pillars that need to connect. They are the foundation, the stage, and the story. When they work together, you stop surviving season to season. You start building a legacy.

    Pillar One: Your Foundation. Owned Assets and Professional Frameworks.

    This is the part we rarely celebrate but cannot live without. It is the unshakable ground floor of your entire operation.

    Think of your mastered recordings and registered compositions as your core assets. Distribution is not just uploading. It is the strategic placement of those assets across the global map. Publishing is not boring paperwork. It is the vigilant system that protects your song’s value and ensures it gets paid wherever it travels.

    This is where perspective matters. My work has been inside the engine room itself, at the Indian Performing Right Society. I have seen firsthand how music societies function, how data flows, and where gaps appear. This is not theoretical knowledge. It is practical, ground level experience in how royalties are supposed to travel and why they sometimes get lost. This insight is what we apply to your catalogue.

    This is the work of clean metadata, of unambiguous songwriter splits, of navigating global collection networks with an insider’s map. It is the silent, professional machinery that must hum perfectly in the background. When it does, you have a foundation of clarity and control. You know what you own, where it earns, and how the money flows back to you. This certainty is what lets you build upward without fear.

    Pillar Two: Your Stage. The Live and Direct Experience.

    A strong foundation begs for a stage. While the digital world is essential, we are witnessing a powerful pull toward the real. Listeners are craving genuine connection, and the market for authentic live experiences is responding.

    This pillar is about translating your online presence into physical resonance. It is about seeing a live show not as a one off gig, but as a strategic engine. An event is a powerful moment to solidify your community, create direct revenue outside the streaming pipeline, and generate the kind of authentic content that fuels everything else.

    But bridging the artist’s world with the logistical and promotional reality of live performance is its own discipline. It requires a different kind of strategy, one that views your stage presence as a core, integrated part of your business, not a separate adventure.

    Pillar Three: Your Story. The Strategic Narrative.

    The foundation and the stage need a unifying vision. This is your strategic narrative. This is the work that connects separate actions into a coherent and compelling journey for your audience.

    It is the understanding that a new release fuels the story for an event. That the energy from that event then amplifies the next release cycle. It is about creative partnership, ensuring every piece, every song, every performance, fits into a larger, more meaningful picture of who you are as an artist.

    Without this guiding vision, you have a series of tactics. With it, you have a legacy in the making.

    Why This Ecosystem is Your 2026 Advantage.

    The true power lies in the synergy. Imagine this flow. Your professionally managed recordings and publishing generate data and revenue. That intelligence helps plan a targeted live showcase. The energy and content from that showcase then feeds and grows your audience for the next release. The cycle reinforces itself.

    Managing these pillars in silos creates friction. Opportunities fall through the gaps. The modern advantage belongs to those who see their career as a single, interconnected ecosystem.

    This is the work that excites me now. It is the work of architecture. Not just administering rights, but helping you build a resilient structure. A structure where your musical assets are meticulously managed, and your live presence is strategically developed, all woven into one story.

    If you are looking at the new year and thinking about building this kind of integrated future, let us talk about how to connect these pillars. The blueprint awaits.

    Let’s build your ecosystem.

  • The Sync Singularity: When Your Music is the New Territory in an $82 Billion War

    A music blog is perhaps the last place you expected to read about an $82.7 billion corporate bidding war. But this week, as Netflix and Paramount fought over Warner Bros., something quiet happened. The future of music in film and television was rewritten.

    For a moment, look past the staggering numbers and the headlines about streaming subscribers. This is not a story about screens. It is a story about sonic real estate.

    The real prize is not the Warner Bros. studio lot. It is the keys to storytelling universes that have shaped our culture for decades. Harry Potter. Game of Thrones. Batman. The true asset is not just the film reel but the score. It is the emotional DNA of these worlds, written in melody and theme. The victor in this fight will control some of the most valuable musical properties ever created.

    This is not just a media merger. It is a fundamental shift in power. For composers, publishers, and anyone whose living is tied to the music of visual media, the ground has moved beneath your feet.

    The Composer’s New Reality: Fewer Doors, Harder Knocks

    Consider the journey of an independent composer. For years, it has been a path of pitching, building relationships, and finding a creative home across a landscape of different studios. Each studio was a potential patron with its own taste and vision.

    Now imagine that landscape shrinking. Fewer doors to knock on. Fewer distinct creative voices calling the shots. This consolidation risks what Hollywood unions already fear. A narrowing of vision. A pressure to conform to a new corporate “sound” rather than chase a unique musical voice.

    It also reshapes the negotiation table. When there are only a handful of global buyers for your talent, who holds the leverage? The promise of backend royalties from global streaming, the lifeblood of a composer’s long term income, may face new pressures under the banner of corporate “synergy” and cost saving.

    The Publisher’s Dilemma: A Catalog Locked in a Vault or Opened to the World?

    Warner’s vaults hold not just films, but one of the world’s great music publishing catalogs. Iconic themes, legendary scores. The question now is one of strategy.

    Will the new owner treat this music as a exclusive asset, locking it down to fuel only their own productions? Or will they license it widely, seeing value in letting their musical IP score stories told by others?

    For other publishers and labels, this creates a new benchmark. The value of a clear, clean, and easily licensable catalog has never been higher. In a world of corporate giants, your ability to prove what you own and make it simple to license is your greatest strength. Messy metadata is no longer an administrative headache. It is a strategic failure.

    The Independent’s Strategy: How to Thrive When the Giants Dance

    This news might feel overwhelming. But within this shift lies immense opportunity for the prepared creator.

    First, own your signature. In an age of homogenized corporate IP, a distinctive, authentic musical voice is your most powerful asset. Double down on what makes your composition unique. That originality cannot be replicated by an algorithm or a boardroom.

    Second, build your own audience. Your direct connection to listeners is your fortress. A corporate studio can own a soundtrack, but they cannot own the relationship between you and the people who love your work. Cultivate that community through live performance, direct communication, and shared stories. This is your unassailable ground.

    Third, treat your work as strategic IP. Every composition is more than a piece of art. It is a piece of intellectual property. Understand its ownership, its rights chain, and its potential value. Approach your catalog not just as a creative portfolio, but as a strategic business asset.

    The Sound of the Future

    The $82 billion battle for Warner Bros. is a signal flare. It tells us that in the new economy of attention, music is not a secondary element. It is central to the value of a story. It is territory worth fighting for.

    The next decade will not be won by those with the biggest vaults, but by those with the clearest strategy. The composers, publishers, and rights holders who understand that their work sits at this crucial intersection of art, emotion, and commerce will be the ones who shape the future.

    They will be the ones who ensure that as the giants consolidate, the music itself does not become a casualty.

    If you are a composer, publisher, or label looking to navigate this new landscape, to audit your rights, and to build a strategy that turns this consolidation into your opportunity, let us talk. The future of your music is worth planning for.

  • The Wrapped Paradox: Why We Celebrate the Metrics That Don’t Pay Us

    Every December your feed turns blue and green. Friends, fans, and fellow artists proudly share their Spotify Wrapped. It’s colourful, playful, and instantly recognisable. A quick snapshot of everyone’s year in music.

    For artists this ritual is even more emotional. We wait for our Artist Wrapped with the same excitement we had before a big report card in school. We share the minutes streamed, the new countries reached, and screenshots of fans who had us on repeat. It feels like proof that the music connected. Proof that the year meant something.

    But here is the quiet contradiction many artists feel. The same numbers we celebrate with so much pride translate into very little money. One analysis estimated that it takes around three hundred streams to earn enough for a cup of coffee.

    So why do we still celebrate it? And what should we really be asking Spotify for?

    The psychology behind sharing

    Sharing your Wrapped is not shallow or naive. It’s a smart move in a world where visibility drives opportunity.

    Wrapped has become a cultural moment. It’s the one day when everyone talks about music in the same format. By joining in artists place themselves inside a global conversation. They use high quality visuals made by Spotify to show their presence.

    It also works as career collateral. Screenshots of top listeners or global reach become social proof. They help with booking shows, negotiating brand work, and showing publishers or labels that the audience is growing. When financial transparency is missing these metrics become the next best credential.

    The real issue: celebration without clarity

    This is where things get complicated.

    Wrapped shows attention but hides value. It answers the question “who listened?” but leaves out the answer to the real business question “what did that listening earn?”.

    Imagine a shopkeeper being told how many people walked by the store but not what they bought. That is what Wrapped feels like for many artists.

    What artists actually need is a version of Wrapped that adds clarity. A year-end report that shows:

    Actual earnings attribution
    A breakdown of how each stream turned into publishing, mechanical, and performance royalties.

    Fan pathway insights
    Not just where listeners are located but how many converted into real supporters. Ticket buyers, newsletter sign-ups, merch clicks.

    Campaign understanding
    Which release created lasting listeners and which one created only a one week spike. This is what turns data into actual strategy.

    The ecosystem around your royalties

    Your per-stream royalty is not random. It comes from a large shared pool. And this pool is constantly under pressure. A huge volume of low-quality AI generated tracks have entered the system over the past two years. Spotify removed millions of such uploads last year.

    Every time you see your minutes streamed it’s important to understand the environment behind that number. Fighting for a transparent Business Wrapped is also fighting for a system where human music is recognised and valued.

    What you can do this December

    Share your Wrapped. Enjoy the cultural moment. Let it open doors for you.

    But also ask the deeper questions. Talk about what you truly need as a creator. Encourage conversations around transparency. Advocate for a year-end view that shows earnings, impact, and real connections.

    The future belongs to artists who understand their data as confidently as they understand their craft. The metrics that matter most are the ones that show not just that you were heard, but that you were valued.

    If you are an artist or label ready to move beyond celebration and build a clear data-driven plan for sustainable growth, I’d be happy to help you get started.

  • The Blueprint is Signed: What the AI Music Deal Means for You

    If you blinked this week, you might have missed a turning point for the entire music industry.

    Warner Music Group and the artist platform Udio have not just settled their lawsuit. They have also announced a strategic partnership. Around the same time, Warner settled with and invested in Suno as well. Suno and Udio now operate under a shared parent company that is shaping the way AI music platforms evolve, even though they continue to function as separate products.

    This is not a surrender. It is a strategic blueprint. After months of lawsuits and uncertainty, a major label has drawn a map for the future. The message is clear. The age of AI as a free for all is ending. The age of negotiation has begun.

    But what does this high level deal mean for you on the ground? Let us look beyond the headlines.

    For Major Labels: A New Blueprint and a New Revenue Stream

    For Warner, this moment is a strong validation of their legal strategy. Their goal was never to destroy AI. It was to bring it under a licensing framework. The outcome is a new, B2B style revenue channel that recognises the value of their catalogue. It also gives their artists the ability to opt in.

    This is a precedent. It is a template the rest of the majors are likely to follow, shifting the industry from confrontation to structured collaboration.

    For Artists and Composers: The Double Edged Sword of Opt In

    This is where the deal becomes personal. The promise of opt in control is a major win for rights, but it also introduces new decisions for every creator.

    You are no longer just a composer, singer or producer. You are now the negotiator of your own AI likeness. Each time an offer comes your way, you will face a fundamental question. Are you comfortable licensing your voice, your style or your storytelling patterns to an AI model? What is the right price? What are the long term implications?

    This new layer of choice is powerful, but it also demands business clarity. You need to know your ownership, your rights and your boundaries long before a contract appears.

    For the Entire Ecosystem: The Live Experience Just Became More Valuable

    There is another detail that did not get enough attention. The parent company of Udio and Suno has also acquired Songkick from Warner.

    This is not a small move. It signals something deeper. As the digital world fills with AI generated content, the live experience becomes the most valuable expression of what is real. The energy of a crowd, the crack in a singer’s voice, the shared emotion of a performance, these are things no algorithm can replicate.

    The acquisition suggests a future in which AI music creation and the fan journey are connected. It hints that live events will become the ultimate authenticator of an artist’s identity.

    Your Playbook for the New Reality

    So what should you do now?

    Audit Your Rights
    Your leverage in the opt in era depends entirely on knowing what you own. Make sure your metadata is accurate and your ownership chain is clean.

    Develop Your AI Strategy
    Think through your boundaries. Under what conditions would you license your voice or style? Having clarity today will protect you tomorrow.

    Double Down on Your Humanity
    Invest in live performances and community building. In a world filled with synthetic music, the most valuable thing you can offer is your real presence.

    The Warner Udio deal is not the end of the story. It is only the end of the beginning. The rules are being written right now. The question is whether you want to be part of that process.

    If you are an artist, composer or label navigating this new landscape and want to build a strategy that protects your work and your value, let us talk. The future is not something that happens to you. It is something you build.

  • Beyond the AI Panic: The Inevitable Settlement and the New Music Economy

    If the headlines around AI music feel like a chaotic storm, you are not alone. The narrative is one of disruption, of machines replacing artists, of a future where creativity is automated.

    But if you listen closely, beneath the noise, you can hear a familiar rhythm. We have danced to this tune before.

    The current upheaval is not the end of the song. It is a tense, dramatic bridge. And history tells us exactly where the melody is heading.

    We Have Been Here Before: From Lawsuits to Lifeline

    Cast your mind back to the early 2000s. The music industry was in a panic. A new technology called streaming was emerging, and the initial reaction from major labels was not excitement, but lawsuits. The very idea of accessing music instead of owning it was seen as a threat to the entire economic model.

    It took nearly a decade after the Napster panic for Spotify to emerge: not as a rebel, but as a licensed, fully negotiated platform built on the very agreements that lawsuits forced into existence.

    Sound familiar?

    Today, for all its flaws, streaming is the bedrock of the global music business. The “disruption” was negotiated, regulated, and integrated. The lawsuits were not the end of the story. They were the opening gambit in a long negotiation that ended with labels and publishers securing their share of the pie.

    The current standoff with AI companies like Suno and Udio is Chapter One of the same old playbook. The flurry of lawsuits from giants like Universal Music Group is not a sign of impending doom. It is the necessary, fiery beginning of the process that will force a settlement. Licensing frameworks will be built. Royalty structures will be defined. AI music generation will not be destroyed. It will be domesticated, becoming a regulated, and ultimately, a licensed part of our ecosystem.

    The Ethical Tool: When the Composer Becomes a Curator

    Once the legal and financial dust settles, what emerges is not a wasteland, but a new toolkit. AI will shed its villainous cloak and become the most powerful creative assistant a musician has ever had.

    Imagine a composer facing a blank page. Instead of silence, they can ask an AI to generate a hundred melodic ideas in the style of Hindustani classical music fused with modern synth pop. The AI produces the raw material. The human composer listens, feels, and selects the one fragment that sparks a genuine emotion. They then refine it, pour their soul into it, and make it theirs.

    This is the future. It is not “Human versus AI.” It is “Human plus AI.” The value will shift from the mere generation of sound to the irreplaceable human acts of curation, emotional intention, and storytelling. The artist becomes a director, guiding the technology to serve their vision.

    The Quantified Soul: Why Live Events Will Become the Ultimate Currency

    This is the most profound shift of all. As the digital world becomes saturated with artificially generated content, the scarcity and value of “the real” will skyrocket.

    You can stream an AI generated track a million times. But you cannot download the shared energy of a live concert. You cannot algorithmically replicate the sight of a singer’s sweat and tears under the stage lights, the raw crack in their voice during an emotional high note, or the collective roar of a crowd feeling a beat in unison.

    This is the magic that no machine can copy.

    In an age of digital abundance, live events will become the ultimate authenticator. They will be the undeniable proof of an artist’s “soul.” The connection forged in a physical space, between real people, will become the most powerful brand builder and the most valuable revenue stream. The stage will no longer be just a promotional tool. It will be the main event.

    The Great Rebalancing

    The chaos we see today is temporary. It is the sound of an industry recalibrating. We are moving towards a new equilibrium. A digital realm where ethically sourced AI serves as a collaborator, and a physical realm where human connection becomes the most prized asset.

    The future belongs to those who see this not as a battle to be won, but as a balance to be struck.

    Your Call to Action

    The landscape is shifting, but the destination is becoming clear. For forward thinking artists and labels, the strategy is dual. Master the new tools and double down on the timeless value of human connection.

    If you are building a music business and want to navigate this transition from rights management in the AI era to monetising the irreplaceable live experience, let us discuss. The future is not something that happens to us. It is something we build.

  • The Regional Sound Boom: Why Metadata and Rights Strategy Must Catch Up

    A new generation of artists, armed with nothing but a laptop and their mother tongue, is challenging what it means to be a mainstream musician in India.

    Regional sounds are breaking out of their local circles, climbing national charts, and capturing hearts across continents.

    A soulful Marathi ballad finds its way onto a “Global Indie” playlist. A high-energy Haryanvi track becomes the backdrop for dance challenges from Dubai to Dallas. The sound of India is now a chorus of its many voices.

    But while the music travels at the speed of a click, the systems built to support and pay for it are moving at a different pace. We’ve achieved a cultural breakthrough. Now, we need a business one.

    A Silent Shift in What We Call “Mainstream”

    For decades, “Indian mainstream music” was often synonymous with Bollywood.
    That era is over.

    Streaming platforms and social media have turned listeners into curators. They’re choosing raw authenticity over polished formulas, and artists from Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Assam are stepping into the spotlight.

    The data proves it: according to Gaana’s 2025 mid-year report, nearly half of all streams in India are now in non-Hindi languages. This isn’t a niche trend; it’s a fundamental restructuring of the Indian soundscape.

    The Hidden Cost of Going Viral Without a System

    But behind every viral moment and climbing chart, there’s a story we don’t see. An independent artist in Odisha sees their song played worldwide, but has no idea how to collect the royalties from Europe. A composer in Rajasthan wonders why their income doesn’t match their streaming numbers.

    The issue is often invisible: incomplete metadata. Missing composer credits, unclear lyricist information, unpublished ISRCs, and messy splits. When a song’s ownership data is fuzzy, the global royalty system simply can’t process it.

    The result?

    • Unclaimed royalties sitting in “black box” accounts with collection societies abroad.
    • Music that’s globally loved but commercially undervalued because its ownership can’t be verified.
    • Creators who are celebrated online but missing from the very systems designed to pay them.

    This isn’t just administrative oversight. It’s a direct leak of hard-earned revenue and a denial of rightful recognition.

    Building the Bridge: From Local Hits to Global Assets

    For regional music to not just boom, but to build lasting legacies, we need an infrastructure as dynamic as its creativity. This means:

    1. Treating Metadata as a Digital Passport: Every song needs accurate, complete data: ISRCs, publisher info; from the moment it’s released. This isn’t paperwork; it’s the passport that allows your music to travel and get paid internationally.
    2. Demystifying Rights Administration: Creators need to understand that registering with IPRS and global partners isn’t bureaucracy; it’s how you turn a stream into a royalty.
    3. Forging Strategic Partnerships: Independent labels and artists need partners who can navigate the complex web of global collections, ensuring a song from Manipur can generate revenue in Mexico.
    4. Archiving with Intention: A well-documented catalogue isn’t just an archive; it’s a valuable, revenue-generating asset that attracts labels and investors.

    The talent is undeniable. Now, it’s about pairing it with the tools for sustainable success.

    Our Moment to Lead

    We are in the midst of India’s most diverse and exciting musical decade. The world is finally listening to the stories our regions have to tell.

    The next global breakout hit might not be born in a Mumbai high-rise. It could be crafted in a home studio in Lucknow, a garage in Bengaluru, or a quiet room in Shillong.

    What will determine its true success isn’t just its melody, but its traceability. The world needs to know who to pay.

    Your Call to Action

    The regional wave is here. The question is, will you just ride it, or will you own it?

    If you are a regional label, manager, or artist building a global audience, now is the time to future-proof your success. The right strategy for your rights and metadata is what separates a fleeting moment from a lasting career.

    I help independent labels and creators build robust royalty systems and clean, global-ready metadata frameworks. If you’re ready to ensure your music earns everywhere it’s heard, let’s connect and build your strategy.

  • The Global Stage is Calling: Why Indian Music Must Get Its House in Order

    There’s a quiet revolution happening in Indian music.
Every month, a new collaboration crosses borders. An independent artist’s track lands in a major international playlist. A film song becomes a viral sound in a country that doesn’t speak the language.

    We are finally in the room. But are we ready to stay there?

    The world is listening. But can it pay us?

    Behind the streaming numbers and viral moments lies a harder truth. A significant part of India’s rich music catalogue remains a mystery to the global rights ecosystem. Our songs travel the world, but our royalties often get lost at the border.

    This is not a failure of talent. It is a gap in our infrastructure. A song can cross oceans in seconds, but if its ownership data is incomplete or inaccurate, the money has nowhere to go.

    The Silent Drain on Our Creativity

    I have seen the real world impact of this disconnect.

    For a composer or lyricist, it can mean unclaimed royalties sitting with collection societies in Europe or North America, simply because their work was not properly registered for international collections.

    For a label or publisher, it means a catalogue that is undervalued during acquisitions or partnerships. The music is loved, but on paper, its ownership is unclear, making it a risky asset.

    For an artist, it means the world hearing your song but the system never knowing it was yours to claim.

    These gaps do not make headlines. They do not trend on social media. But they silently drain value from every person who helped create the music.

    The Necessary Shift: From Chaos to Clarity

    If India is to claim its rightful share of the global music economy, we must build more than just great songs. We must build great systems.

    This means treating metadata not as administrative paperwork, but as the digital lifeblood of a song. It means tracking every composition, every lyric, and every recording with unwavering accuracy from the moment of creation.

    This is not a call for more bureaucracy. It is a call for sustainability. Every mature music market that has seen sustained revenue growth first built a foundation of clarity around ownership, rights, and reporting. India’s creative moment is here; we cannot let it be undermined by missing information.

    Our Biggest Opportunity

    The good news is that the opportunity is as vast as the challenge. Global audiences are actively discovering Indian music, and platforms are hungry for diverse cultural content.

    Our next chapter will not be written only by hitmakers, but by those who understand how to connect creativity with rights, data, and strategy. The future belongs to creators and companies who see a song as both a cultural artifact and a perfectly tracked financial asset.

    If we do this right, Indian creators will not just entertain the world. They will rightfully own their share of it.

    Final Thought

    The world already knows the sound of India. Now, it is time for the world to know who owns it.

    Unclaimed international royalties and unclear metadata silently drain value from your work. If you’re looking to align your catalogue, rights, and data with global standards to close this gap, let’s connect. My focus is on building systems that ensure you get paid for every play, everywhere.

  • The Australian Precedent: Why India’s Music Industry Must Draw Its Line on AI Copyright Now

    A landmark ruling from Australia exposes a multi-billion rupee question for Indian composers, labels, and artists: Who owns a song when a machine writes it? Ignoring the answer is a risk we can no longer afford.

    Introduction: The Ghost in the Machine

    A recent ruling in Australia has drawn a line in the sand: without a human author, there is no copyright for works created by artificial intelligence.

    While this decision centred on patents, its echo will be felt in music rights worldwide. What might seem like a legal technicality is, for Indian composers, lyricists, labels, and artists, a looming financial fault line. The ground beneath our industry is shifting, and this precedent is the first major tremor.

    What Happened in Australia and Why It Echoes in India

    In Commissioner of Patents v Thaler, Australia’s Federal Court ruled that only a natural person can be an inventor. An AI system, no matter how sophisticated, cannot be recognised as the creative mind.

    The logic is simple: human authorship matters. This principle is a ticking time bomb for global copyright, especially as the line between human and machine made art blurs.

    For India, the implication is immediate and profound. A song generated by AI in a Mumbai studio could be deemed to have no owner, potentially landing in the public domain in markets that follow this precedent. The result is massive economic damage, as Indian creations generate global value that their human inspirations cannot claim.

    The Indian Context: A Regulatory Vacuum Meets an AI Flood

    While Australia lays down the law, India operates in a regulatory vacuum. We lack a clear legal framework for AI and creative ownership, even as our streaming platforms are flooded with AI assisted tracks.

    This leaves us with critical, unanswered questions. What is the legal status of these AI songs? Who owns them? Who collects the royalties when a machine generated track goes viral?

    In the absence of law, default practices and private contracts will shape the future. Letting distributors and labels set these precedents by default is a high stakes gamble with our entire creative economy.

    The High Stakes Implications for India’s Stakeholders

    For Composers and Lyricists
    The threat is personal. Your unique melodic signature or lyrical style can train an AI that then produces music in your voice, without your consent or compensation. The Australian precedent, however, gives you a powerful argument: copyright is a human right. The central question shifts to, “Where is the human hand in this creation?”

    For Labels and Publishers
    The threat is to your assets. Investing in and monetising a catalogue of AI generated works is a massive financial risk if their copyright is unenforceable. The value of your entire catalogue depends on legally defensible ownership. The imperative is to develop a clear AI rights policy for every artist you sign and every project you greenlight.

    For Artists and Singers
    The threat is to your identity. Your vocal likeness, the very texture of your voice, can be cloned and deployed without your control, and more critically, without your pay. The need for explicit, contractual protection for your name, image, and voice is no longer a luxury. It is a business necessity.

    A Strategic Blueprint for India: What We Must Do Now

    Industry Body Leadership
    Organisations like the IPRS and IMI must take the lead. They have a responsibility to lobby for legislative clarity, using the Australian decision as a powerful blueprint. The core principle is non negotiable: copyright is anchored in human authorship.

    The Strategic Contract Review
    While we wait for the law to catch up, our best defence is in the fine print. As a strategist, I advise that every new contract for artists, composers, and producers must be reviewed to explicitly address ownership of AI assisted works, consent for using existing work to train AI models, and explicit rights over a vocal or stylistic likeness. This is no longer future proofing. It is present day due diligence.

    The Metadata Moonshot
    In an ocean of AI generated content, human authored works must be impeccably tagged. Robust, granular metadata is the lighthouse that ensures your work is traceable, attributable, and paid. It is the technical foundation that answers the legal question: “Was this made by a human?”

    Final Thought: Lead or Be Led

    Australia’s decision is our wake up call. India’s music industry stands at a crossroads. We can be passive bystanders, watching as global precedents dictate our future, or we can be proactive architects of a system that protects human creativity.

    Drawing a clear line does not stifle innovation. It channels it responsibly, ensuring technology amplifies our artists rather than erasing them.

    Your Call to Action:

    The rules for the next decade of music are being written now. The time for strategic planning is today. If you are a label, publisher, or creator looking to build a strategy that protects your rights and revenue in the age of AI, let’s connect. I can help you navigate this new landscape and ensure your business is built for the future.

  • House of Carmen: Why Universal’s New Creator Platform Matters for Indian Music

    When Universal Music Group quietly launched a creator marketing app that pays influencers to post content, I saw something significant. This is not just another tech tool. It is a signal of the next shift in how music reaches audiences.

    The platform is called House of Carmen, and it could change the game.

    What House of Carmen Does

    House of Carmen allows creators with as few as 1,000 followers to join campaigns, create content for UMG artists, and get paid. The app manages everything: from creative briefs and approvals to content publishing and payment; all in one place. First launched in the UK, it is built for global expansion.

    By bringing this process in-house, UMG is doing more than streamlining marketing. It is building a system that treats creators as direct partners, moving beyond traditional agency relationships.

    Why This Shift Matters

    The creator economy is now a multi-billion dollar industry. For music, this means a song’s success is increasingly tied to short-form content: social clips, challenges, and creator-led trends.

    For labels and publishers, this creates both opportunity and complexity. Campaigns can now move faster and reach global audiences through micro-creators. But this speed must be matched by clear frameworks for data, rights, and monetization.

    UMG’s move shows a major player aiming to own the entire creator relationship: from campaign brief to performance data.

    What It Means for Indian Creators, Composers, and Labels

    For India’s music ecosystem, House of Carmen offers a new blueprint. Here’s what to consider:

    • Accessible creator opportunities: With a low follower threshold, more Indian influencers and micro-creators; especially in regional markets; can participate in global campaigns.
    • Promotion becomes content-first: A campaign brief might ask for an Instagram Reel or a YouTube Short instead of a playlist placement. This demands thinking in visuals and stories as much as sound.
    • Rights and revenue clarity: If a campaign uses your composition or recording, ensure the license covers that use. As a lyricist or publisher, confirm how your work is used in paid influencer content to protect your royalty stream.
    • Data control: UMG’s strategy highlights the power of first-party data. Indian labels should ask who owns the campaign data and whether it helps track royalties; not just reach.
    • Cross-market potential: A global platform means an Indian artist’s campaign can reach international audiences. Composers must ensure their rights and royalties are secured across territories.

    Risks to Watch

    This model has its risks. If creators are undervalued, the content pool suffers. If rights are casually signed away for short-term exposure, long-term value is lost. Clean metadata and meticulous rights management are essential. Without them, a promotional campaign can easily become a revenue leak.

    What You Can Do Now

    For Indian creators, singers, composers, and labels, now is the time to prepare.

    • Review your contracts to ensure they cover creator-led content and social usage.
    • Clean your metadata so every use of your work in campaigns is traceable.
    • Start viewing your music as a visual and social asset: ready for reels, snippets, and challenges.
    • Ask your publisher or label how they track influencer-driven content and whether that data is shared with rights holders.

    Final Thought

    House of Carmen may not be in India yet, but its logic is already here. Music marketing is evolving, blurring the lines between artists, creators, and platforms.

    The ones who understand this shift will lead: in reach, in rights, and in revenue. For India, this is an opportunity to participate globally, but only if we keep the rights of creators at the very center.

    If you are a creator, label, or publisher navigating this shift and want to build a strategy that protects your work, let’s talk. I help creators, labels, and publishers build robust royalty systems, clean up metadata, and develop future-proof strategies for the creator economy.

  • Why Streaming Fraud Is More Than Just Bad Actors

    Streaming was meant to be the great equalizer. Every play would translate into a payment for the artist. But the promise is fading. Today, the industry is fighting a silent battle against streaming fraud. This is not just a handful of people cheating. It is a sign of a deeper system problem.

    The Scale of the Problem

    Globally, fraud diverts about two billion dollars away from artists each year. At least one in every ten streams may be completely fake. These are not real fans. They are bots and click farms.

    This fake volume corrupts the entire system. It drains the royalty pool and punishes honest artists who are now lost in the noise. Imagine a pot of money for royalties. Every month, all streaming revenue goes into this pot to be shared among artists based on their streams. If a fraudster generates ten million fake streams for one track, the money that remains for real artists is significantly less. Your genuine 100,000 streams are now worth much less because of millions of fake ones.

    Why Fraud Is Hard to Stop

    Fraud works because the system unintentionally rewards it. Payouts are based on raw play counts, so fake streams can still generate income. The path from a stream to a royalty is complex and often unclear. This lack of transparency creates hiding spots for fraud. For an independent artist, challenging a royalty statement is difficult. The cost of fighting often outweighs the missing payment.

    A Simple Example

    Think of Prachi, a new indie artist. She hires a marketing service that promises to get her song on popular playlists. She soon discovers that the service used thousands of hacked or fake accounts to loop her song twenty-four seven. Initially, Prachi’s streams explode. But she quickly notices three things. Her royalty payment is surprisingly low. Her distributor flags her for suspicious activity and withholds payment. Her real fans cannot find her because playlists are now flooded with similar fraudulent tracks. Prachi becomes a double victim. First, she was scammed by the fake service. Second, she is penalized by the platform. This is the real-world impact of streaming fraud.

    Why This Matters for India

    This global problem has a very local impact. India has one of the largest streaming audiences in the world. Even a small percentage of fraud leads to massive losses for our creative community. Our vibrant, multilingual music scene also creates challenges. With many versions and collaborations, inconsistent metadata makes it easy for royalties to be misdirected. A song credited differently on two platforms can make tracking its performance extremely difficult. Many talented artists and small labels do not have the resources to audit complex global royalty reports and quietly bear the loss.

    India has successfully fought digital misuse before, such as stream ripping. It is time to bring the same focus and collective energy to streaming fraud.

    Building a System Where Fraud Cannot Thrive

    Chasing fraudsters is not enough. We need to build a better system. Verified identities for artists can make it harder to create fake profiles. Radical transparency is essential. Royalty statements should tell you not just how many streams you earned but which ones were considered valid and why. We must value streams from real, engaged listeners over sheer numbers. Industry alliances need to share knowledge to close loopholes. Artists must be empowered to understand metadata and the red flags of fraud.

    A Call to Action for Creators

    Understanding your royalty streams is the first step in protecting them. Register your works with your publisher and rights society. Keep metadata clean and consistent. Know what constitutes suspicious activity. Talk to your distributors about tracking and audit options. Be proactive about protecting your rights.

    Final Thoughts

    Streaming fraud is more than a technical problem. It is about the integrity of our music ecosystem. We must move from a model that can be gamed to one that rewards genuine connection. Every creator deserves recognition and fair compensation. Ignoring this issue risks seeing your work used without credit or payment. Staying informed and strategic ensures that your music retains both its value and its voice.

    If this article resonates with you and you want to protect your catalogue, understand your royalty streams, or explore strategies for fair compensation, I work with creators, labels, and publishers to help navigate these challenges and turn them into opportunities.