Tanishk Bagchi Reveals ‘Unfair’ Realities Of Royalty In Indian Music Industry; Quips, “People In The West Think I Have A Jet”

Music Composer and producer Tanishk Bagchi, who shot to massive popularity with chartbusters including the romantic hit Saiyaara, has opened up about the financial realities behind India’s music industry. Despite commanding billions of views across streaming platforms and consistently delivering commercial hits, Bagchi says the royalty structure in India leaves composers, musicians and technicians without long-term earnings, forcing them into a cycle of one-time payments instead of sustained income.

Tanishk Bagchi Reveals ‘Unfair’ Realities Of Royalty In Indian Music Industry

Speaking in an interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Bagchi addressed how visibility and numbers don’t necessarily translate into financial stability for artists. He explained that beyond creating music, musicians are often burdened with the additional cost of self-promotion in an already uneven system.

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“PR is very essential here. Even after you have done good work, you need to spend money to promote your work. Lots of musicians can’t afford that. You need money for all of this. You need a system to support your passion but that doesn’t exist here,” he said.

Drawing a comparison with Western music industries, Tanishk Bagchi pointed out how structured royalty models ensure every contributor earns fairly over time. “Everyone, from the sound engineer to the songwriter, even if there is a team of 5 people, all are getting royalties. So financially, they are very stable,” he said and added, “Here, you get paid once, and then it’s over.”

Although the singer noted that there have been some improvements because of IPRS (Indian Performing Rights Society), he is hopeful that things might change further. “There are so many musicians, instrumentalists, they also contribute so much to a song, so they also deserve to have royalties, like we are getting or how the lyric writers are getting. That is a little unfair, but I am hopeful that the good times are coming,” he said.

Tanishk Bagchi Talks About How Numbers Don’t Translate To Wealth In India

Tanishk Bagchi also highlighted the irony of his own success story, staggering digital numbers that still don’t guarantee wealth. “I think I have around 37 billion views only on YouTube and streaming must be just as much. I don’t know the exact number. If I say that number outside of India, people get scared. They think I must have a jet.”

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Praising the fairness of international systems, he added, “I really like this about the West, it’s not unfair, it’s very fair. Everyone gets their due for the hard work they have put in. Here, we have to do it over and over again. You have done one Saiyaara, and then it’s over; you have to start again. You might get famous for a couple of months, but then people might forget you.”

Emphasising how difficult it is for people involved in the Indian music industry, he said, “But we can’t leave the country either. We have to be here and sustain and be a part of this process. You have to work with everybody without any hard feelings. That’s how I have been working. You don’t think about when you will get paid. You just keep working.”

Tanishk Bagchi’s remarks add to the growing conversation around fair compensation in India’s music ecosystem, where viral hits and massive streaming figures rarely guarantee consistent income for the creators behind them. His comments underline a greater demand within the industry for structured royalties and long-term security for everyone involved in making music, not just headline artists.

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Varsha Tiwari

Varsha Tiwari is a budding content writer passionate about Bollywood, pop culture, and the stories behind the spotlight. She enjoys breaking down trends, celebrity moments, and film narratives into engaging, reader-friendly content. Always curious and observant, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Communication and Journalism. Outside of writing, she enjoys painting because storytelling doesn’t always need words to make an impact.