• Why Every Composer and Lyricist Should Care About AI Licensing

    Artificial intelligence is no longer a faraway concept. It is already shaping how music is discovered, created, and consumed. From songs generated by startups like Suno or Udio to AI tools that help with mixing and mastering, the technology is moving faster than the rules that govern it.

    At the heart of the debate is one big question. If AI is trained on your songs without your permission, should you be paid for it?

    Why This Matters to You

    If you are a composer or a lyricist, you know the effort that goes into writing a melody or shaping the perfect line. Now imagine that your work, along with millions of others, is being fed into an AI system to help it learn how to create music. The system will not name you. It will not credit you. But it will use your art to make something new.

    The question is simple. Should that use be free, or should it be licensed just like any other use of your music?

    The Labels Have Started the Fight

    Major record labels have already taken AI companies to court. They argue that recordings cannot be copied or repurposed without permission. That fight is underway, and the outcome will affect the entire industry.

    But recordings are only half the story. Behind every recording there is a composition and a lyric. If AI models are trained on recordings, they are also learning from the underlying compositions. That means songwriters and lyricists are very much part of this debate, even if they are not in the headlines yet.

    A New Kind of Licensing

    In the future, AI companies may need to enter into licensing deals not only with labels but also with publishers and collective societies. That could open up new revenue streams for writers and authors. Imagine a world where the use of your song in AI training is tracked and paid for, the same way you receive streaming royalties today.

    It will not be simple. The industry will need systems for attribution, tracking, and payment. Think of it like this: if an AI generates a melody that closely resembles your hit chorus, should that trigger a royalty? These are the questions the industry must answer.

    But unless songwriters push for it, there is a risk they will be left out of the conversation and out of the value chain.

    What You Can Do Now

    Stay informed. Follow the lawsuits, the announcements from platforms, and the updates from your publishers or societies. Talk to your peers and your managers about AI clauses in contracts. Most importantly, do not assume this is someone else’s battle. If you write songs or lyrics, your work is already part of the fuel that makes AI possible.

    Looking Ahead

    AI is not going away. It will become part of the creative process, sometimes in ways that feel exciting and sometimes in ways that feel threatening. But one principle must remain constant. Creativity has value, and the people who create deserve recognition and fair compensation.

    As a composer or lyricist, you do not need to be afraid of AI. You just need to make sure that when it uses your work, you are in the room, your rights are respected, and your name is not lost in the noise of the machine.

  • Spotify’s New AI Rules: What It Means For Creators


    AI is no longer a buzzword floating around. It is already inside our playlists, our recommendations, and sometimes even inside the music we listen to. But as these tools become more powerful, the big question is simple: how do we make sure that real creators are not left behind?

    Spotify has just announced a new set of protections aimed at keeping music on its platform authentic and fair. For composers, authors, lyricists, and labels, this is worth paying attention to.

    What Spotify Is Doing

    Spotify says it will now put stronger checks in place to stop unauthorised AI generated music from flooding the platform. This means:

    • AI songs pretending to be from famous artists will be flagged or removed.
    • Uploads that use copyrighted material without permission will face tighter scrutiny.
    • New systems will track and monitor unusual activity linked to AI music.

    In short, the platform is trying to draw a line between human creativity and machine output.

    Why This Matters For You

    If you are a composer or lyricist, think about the hours you spend writing, tweaking, and perfecting a song. Now imagine an AI system trained on thousands of songs like yours creating something similar in seconds. Who gets the credit? Who gets paid?

    For labels and publishers, the concern is just as real. Catalogues are valuable because they are built on trust and rights ownership. If AI can generate endless variations without paying for the original work, the entire value chain gets disrupted.

    A Step, Not The Solution

    Spotify’s move is not the final answer, but it is an important step. It shows that platforms are aware of the risks and are starting to protect the ecosystem. At the same time, it also shows that the industry needs stronger frameworks. Licensing models for AI training, clearer attribution rules, and transparent royalty systems are all going to be part of the conversation.

    Looking Ahead

    The way I see it, this is the beginning of a new chapter. AI is not going away, but neither are creators.

    Spotify’s update is one small sign that the fight for fair recognition is being heard. But real balance will come when creators have a seat at the table where these rules are written. As artists, writers, and rights holders, we need to stay alert, stay informed, and keep pushing for systems that respect our work above all.

  • When AI Meets IP: The Suno Lawsuit and What It Means for Music

    Artificial intelligence is moving fast, sometimes faster than the law can catch up. The latest flashpoint is the lawsuit against Suno, one of the most talked about names in AI music. Major record labels are accusing the company of “stream ripping” music from YouTube to train its systems.

    For those outside the industry, stream ripping is a process where you copy music from platforms like YouTube by bypassing their protections. In simple terms, it means taking songs that were never licensed to you and using them for your own purpose. The allegation here is that Suno did exactly that on a massive scale.

    This case feels important because it is not just about one startup and a few songs. It is about the larger question: how do we balance innovation with respect for creative rights?

    The Legal and Ethical Storm

    Record labels like Universal, Sony and Warner are clear in their position. They argue that when AI models are trained on copyrighted recordings without permission, the original creators are left out of the value chain. In their view, every time Suno outputs a song that sounds like a blend of artists we know, it is essentially standing on work it did not pay for.

    On the other hand, AI companies have often leaned on the argument of “fair use.” They suggest that using existing works to teach an algorithm is different from outright copying. But in practice, when the output feels close enough to a real artist’s work, the ethical line begins to blur.

    Why This Matters for the Industry

    If you zoom out, this lawsuit is not happening in isolation. Earlier this year Anthropic agreed to a settlement with publishers over the use of copyrighted books in AI training. Music seems to be heading into a similar phase of confrontation.

    What comes next could define how music and AI coexist. If labels win decisively, AI companies may be forced into structured licensing deals. If AI companies defend their practices successfully, we may see a wave of new startups pushing the boundaries even further.

    For artists, the stakes are simple. Will their work be respected and monetised in this new world, or will it be mined without consent under the umbrella of technology’s progress?

    Looking Ahead

    I see this lawsuit as a turning point. It tells us that the music business will not sit back quietly while AI builds value on top of existing catalogues. It also tells us that creators and rights holders need to be part of the conversation, not just spectators.

    The future will probably involve licensing frameworks, better tracking systems, and perhaps new forms of royalties for when music is used in AI training. But to get there, we need to first establish that the rights of creators cannot be ignored, no matter how powerful the technology becomes.

    This is not just about lawsuits and settlements. It is about setting the rules for a future where music and AI will inevitably grow together, on terms that respect the people who create it.

  • YouTube Didn’t Just Beat Netflix. It’s Redefining the Music Business

    Think about the last song you discovered. Chances are, it wasn’t on a paid streaming app. You might have heard it in a YouTube Short, a viral clip, or a creator’s video. While Hollywood was focused on Netflix, YouTube was quietly becoming the world’s most powerful stage. And it is completely changing the game for musicians.

    Today, YouTube is more than a platform. It is a studio, a distributor, and a broadcaster all at once. It doesn’t rely on billion dollar originals. It thrives on creators, algorithms, and the power of Google’s ad machine.

    And it is winning.

    In Q2 2025, YouTube earned nearly ten billion dollars in ad revenue. That is more than Netflix. More than Disney Plus. For six months in a row, it has been the most watched streaming service in the US.

    For music, this shift is enormous.

    The Real Streaming Giant

    YouTube is the world’s biggest music service. Here in India, it reaches over five hundred million users every month. For many people, it is their first music player, not Spotify or Apple Music.

    Every release, every lyric video, every live session ends up here. This is where discovery happens. This is where fan culture grows. And this is where rights must be managed.

    The Creator Model

    Netflix and Spotify pay for content. YouTube does things differently. Creators upload it. Rights holders claim it. Ads run on top.

    That means two things. There is an endless supply of content. And there is endless competition for attention.

    For independent artists, this is both an opportunity and a challenge. You can release a song today and reach millions of people. But you are also competing with millions of other creators.

    The Royalty Question

    Content ID is brilliant technology. It scans every upload and matches it to rights holders. But it also gives YouTube leverage. Disputes, partial claims, and revenue splits can become messy.

    And unlike subscription platforms, payouts depend on ad revenue. If ads drop, so do royalties. Creators and publishers need to stay on top of their metadata, their claims, and their reporting.

    Shorts and Discovery

    Shorts has completely changed the game. Many songs now break first on Shorts before streaming platforms even notice. It has become the new radio.

    Artists who plan for Shorts, reels, and community engagement are finding organic reach. The algorithm loves frequency and cultural timing.

    Why This Matters for Indian Music

    For Indian labels and creators, YouTube is not just for promotion. It is the main release platform. Optimising titles, descriptions, credits, and rights claims can turn views into real revenue.

    Live streams, premieres, memberships, and super chats open more income streams. But this only works if rights and royalties are set up correctly.

    What Comes Next

    YouTube will keep growing. AI music, user generated content, and live sports will fill it with even more material. This will make metadata, rights management, and fair payouts more critical than ever.

    For creators and rights holders, the playbook is clear. Treat YouTube as your primary distribution channel, not an afterthought.

    If you are building music strategy, managing rights, or designing royalty systems, now is the time to get YouTube right. It is where your audience is. It is where the money flows.

    And if you’re building something in music or media, let’s work together to build a strategy that works.

  • The Free vs Paid Streaming Divide: Why Most Indian Users Still Prefer Free

    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

    1. Check your data. Understand how much of your audience is free vs paid.
    2. 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.
    3. Encourage your fans to support you where it matters. Tell them why a paid stream makes a difference for you.
    4. Do not rely only on streaming income. Think sync, shows, brand deals, merch.
    5. 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.

  • Offline Use And AI Transparency. India’s Next Big Music Rights Frontier.

    I hear music every time I eat out.
    It plays in restaurants, cafes, and hotels.
    Often, it is played without permission.

    The composers of those songs earn no royalty.
    That is not fair.

    At the same time, AI is becoming louder.
    Many creators are worried. They fear their work is used in AI models without consent or credit.

    These are two major cracks in the income streams of creators.

    What Is Happening Now

    People are finally paying attention to non digital breaches.
    Music labels are taking legal action.
    They are targeting hotels, restaurants, and event organisers who use music without licenses.

    The financial loss is huge.
    Industry reports indicate India loses ₹8,000 to 10,000 crore each year to unlicensed music use.
    Brands use music in ads and social media without proper licensing.
    Creators lose out.

    Calls for AI transparency are growing.
    At the recent All About Music conference, the Indian Music Industry pushed for new rules.
    They want disclosure laws that force AI companies to reveal if they use copyrighted music for training.

    The hardest hit are often the unseen creators.
    Session musicians, backing vocalists, and instrumentalists are regularly left out of metadata.
    Their work is essential to hit songs, but they remain unpaid and uncredited.
    This is a long standing injustice.

    Why This Matters Everywhere

    Globally, the streaming market is mature.
    The new battles are over offline rights enforcement and AI fairness.
    India is still building this infrastructure.

    Offline music use is everywhere, but it exists in a legal grey area.
    If creators are not registered, or if reporting is weak, they miss out on royalties.

    AI has similar problems.
    When AI models use content without permission, creators lose control and income.

    What You Can Do Now

    If you are a creator, label, or author, here is what you should do.

    Register your works as early as possible.
    Every song and every instrumental.
    Make sure your performing rights organisation knows who you are.

    Keep an eye on offline venues.
    Find out who is playing your music and where.
    Demand proper licensing.

    Ask for transparency around AI.
    If a tool uses generative AI, ask how your content may be involved.

    Keep your metadata clean.
    Document authorship and ownership clearly.

    Sign contracts that cover sync rights, AI use, and offline rights.

    What To Be Careful Of

    Do not give away too many rights in your contracts.
    Read license terms carefully, especially for offline use.
    Ensure publishers and labels are transparent about revenue sharing.

    Also, keep an eye on new regulations.
    Government policy around licensing and AI transparency will change the industry.

    Protecting Your Value

    Offline music use and AI transparency are two major gaps in how creators earn.

    They are connected.
    Both require clarity, good metadata, and proactive creators.

    If you wait for the rules to change, you may lose revenue.

    Prepare now.
    Make sure your rights are protected.

    When India’s systems catch up, you will be ready to collect what you deserve.

  • Flipkart and Pinkvilla: What It Means for Creators and the Future of Entertainment Commerce

    How celebrity culture, content, and commerce are merging and why musicians and creators must get royalty ready.

    When Flipkart acquired a controlling stake in Pinkvilla, most people saw it as just another media acquisition.

    I see something bigger.

    This is not about clicks and gossip. It is about building a new kind of commerce funnel, one where entertainment, shopping, and culture exist in the same ecosystem.

    Amazon Paved the Way

    Amazon didn’t just build a store; it built an ecosystem. Prime Video, Amazon Music, IMDb, and Alexa work together so that content seamlessly drives consumption. Flipkart never had that.

    With Pinkvilla, they suddenly do.

    The Power of Pinkvilla’s Audience

    Pinkvilla is not small.
    
60 million users a month. 7.2 million Instagram followers. A dedicated audience of Gen Z and millennials whose buying decisions are shaped by celebrity culture.

    Now imagine this: A Pinkvilla interview features a famous actress wearing a designer outfit. Within hours, that same look is tagged and available for purchase on Myntra.

    This is not just inspiration. This is instant commerce.

    The Real Opportunity for Creators

    This is where it becomes truly interesting for musicians and content creators.
    
Pinkvilla already produces video shows and podcasts. Add Flipkart’s distribution and Myntra’s shopping integration, and you create new revenue streams:

    • Massive Visibility for Syncs: Background music in popular shows gains exposure, leading to more plays and ultimately, more royalties.
    • New Sync Opportunities: Independent artists could land placements within branded content or celebrity-led campaigns.
    • Wider Reach: Podcasts and digital videos will achieve broader distribution, creating fresh potential for licensing deals.

    The Critical Caveat: Being Royalty Ready

    However, for these new opportunities to result in actual royalties, the metadata for those tracks must be perfect. This infrastructure is non-negotiable.

    More usage only equals more revenue if your rights are in order.

    The Larger Strategy

    Flipkart isn’t just competing with Amazon Prime. They are creating a direct loop between content, culture, and commerce. Their IPO plans and expansion into quick commerce make the timing strategic.

    For creators, this means one thing: your visibility must be where culture is being created. Platforms like Pinkvilla have evolved beyond gossip. They are becoming a modern version of MTV: a place where music, fashion, lifestyle, and commerce converge.

    The Conclusion

    If Amazon demonstrated that content drives commerce, Flipkart is proving that celebrity culture can accelerate it even further.

    For musicians, authors, and creators, this is an essential space to understand. The key is not just to be visible on these platforms; it is to be royalty ready.

    Ensure your works are properly registered and your metadata is clean. Only then will you get paid when these new revenue streams begin to flow.

    It is a powerful reminder that your work can find its audience, and its revenue, in the most unexpected places.

  • Why Radio and Podcasts Still Matter for Musicians

    A composer in India may never see a rupee from FM radio.
    Songs play. Stations earn. But the creator is invisible in the royalty chain.

    That’s the reality we all know.

    But here’s the twist.

    Digital radio and podcasts are changing that story.

    When your track plays on a station inside Apple Music or TuneIn, it’s not just exposure.
    It’s data.
    And data means royalties.
    The system can actually trace the song back to you; if your rights are in order.

    Podcasts too are turning into discovery platforms. A sync on a Spotify podcast or a feature in an indie show can trigger streams, Shazams, and even licensing requests. One placement can unlock a chain of revenue opportunities.

    The global industry has already seen this shift. In the US and Europe, spins on digital radio feed into performance rights systems.
    Podcasts spark sync deals and catalogue re-discoveries.

    India is behind, but the opportunity is real. FM may rarely pay you directly, but digital platforms are built to. Creators who prepare now will be the first to benefit.

    So what should you do?

    • Make sure your works are properly registered with your publisher or society.
    • Distribute not just to Spotify and YouTube, but also to digital radio services.
    • Track podcast mentions of your songs — and follow up for rights clearance if needed.

    The message is simple.
    Radio and podcasts are no longer “just exposure.”
    They are entry points into the royalty system.
    And if your catalogue is ready, they can still change your story.

  • Why Metadata Could Make or Break Your Music Royalties

    Every song has two lives.
    One is the sound you hear.
    The other is the data behind it.

    That hidden layer is called metadata.
    It tells the world who wrote the song, who performed it, who owns it, and who gets paid.

    When metadata is clean, royalties flow.
    When it is wrong or missing, royalties vanish.

    Why Metadata Matters

    For a composer or lyricist, metadata is proof.
    It links your name to your work in global systems.
    Without it, your song can travel the world and you may never see a rupee.

    For labels and publishers, metadata is the backbone of licensing.
    It powers deals with streaming platforms, film producers, OTT players, and advertisers. Bad data means missed money and broken trust.

    The Common Mistakes

    Here’s what I see most often:

    • Song titles uploaded with typos or inconsistent spellings.
    • Composer and lyricist names entered in short forms like “Ankit” or “Chetan” instead of full names.
    • Ownership splits left blank or misreported.
    • ISRC and ISWC codes not registered or not linked to the right rights holders.

    Each of these errors creates cracks in the system.
    And in those cracks, royalties get lost.

    The Opportunity

    India is still young in terms of digital rights.
    That is both a problem and an opportunity.
    If we fix metadata now, we build a system that actually rewards creators.

    Globally, clean metadata has unlocked billions in sync, publishing, and performance royalties.
    There is no reason Indian composers, authors, and labels should be left behind.

    The Future

    AI is already scanning catalogs, matching works, and flagging disputes.
    Streaming platforms depend entirely on metadata.
    The upcoming Central Music Registry in India will live or die based on data quality.

    The message is clear.
    Metadata is not admin work.
    It is the foundation of your royalties, your career, your rights.

    Creators, labels, publishers: if you do one thing this year, let it be this:


    Get your metadata right. Start by auditing your last five releases, and ensure every field is complete and accurate on your distributor’s portal.

  • The Reality: India’s Copyright Act is Not AI Ready Yet

    Imagine you are a songwriter. Tomorrow you find an AI track on a platform that sounds almost like your last release. Who owns it? Who gets paid? Today, Indian copyright law has no answer.

    India’s Copyright Act, 1957 was written for another time. Even with the big 2012 update that added digital protections, the law says nothing about artificial intelligence. This silence creates three big problems for the music world.

    1. Authorship and Ownership

    The law says the author is a person. Courts interpret this as a human or a company. Purely AI-generated works, with no human input, fall into the public domain. That means no copyright. Anyone can copy or use them. For creators and companies, this destroys value.

    2. Training Data and Infringement

    AI systems learn by scraping content. Your songs or lyrics may already be part of that data. But the law does not clarify if this is fair use or infringement. Rightsholders argue it is theft. AI companies say it is transformative. Until a court decides, it is a grey zone.

    3. Liability and Transparency

    What happens if an AI track copies your melody? Who is responsible? The developer? The user? The platform? No one knows. There is also no rule that forces AI companies to disclose their training data. Without transparency, creators are left in the dark.

    Why There is Confusion

    The government is sending mixed signals:

    • Recent draft copyright rules only spoke about digital payments. They did not touch AI.
    • A committee was formed in April 2025 to study the issue. Their report is not public yet.
    • Ministers have said AI developers need permission to use copyrighted works. But this is policy talk, not law.

    The big test case is ANI versus OpenAI, now in the Delhi High Court. The verdict could push the government to act. Until then, the law is unclear.

    How India Compares Globally

    • In the United States, copyright requires human authorship. Pure AI works cannot be protected. Clear but strict.
    • In the European Union, the AI Act demands transparency and gives rightsholders the power to opt out. Strong focus on creator rights.
    • In the United Kingdom, the law protects computer-generated works. It credits the person who arranged the creation. A progressive model.
    • India sits in the middle. Ambiguous and waiting for reform.

    What Might Happen Next

    The committee will likely look at global models. Possible outcomes include:

    • Adding a clear exception for text and data mining in research.
    • Creating collective licensing or opt-out frameworks for training data.
    • Distinguishing between AI-assisted works, which remain copyrightable, and AI-only works, which may not.

    What This Means for You

    Composers and lyricists should document their process. Show your human input when using AI tools.
    Labels and publishers should start drafting contracts that address AI-created works.
    Artists should not rely only on AI tracks for long-term value. They may not be protectable.
    Tech companies should prepare for licensing systems. Change is coming.

    Closing Thoughts

    India’s talent is unmatched. The creator economy is growing fast. But unless the law keeps up with AI, the people who write, compose, and perform will lose value.

    Right now the law is behind. The government is watching and waiting. For creators, this means living with uncertainty. For companies, it means planning ahead. For all of us, it means pushing for a balance between innovation and rights.

    The next few months will decide if India leads or lags in protecting creativity in the age of AI.