Devraj Sanyal’s Wake-Up Call: Why India Must Start Paying For Music Now

On World Music Day, June 21, Loudest.in and exchange4media hosted a powerful webinar that resonated across the Indian music landscape. At its core was a bold and urgent keynote by Devraj Sanyal, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music India & South Asia and SVP Strategy, AMEA. Delivered with unmistakable clarity and conviction, his message was unambiguous: if India truly wants to become a global music powerhouse, it must stop expecting music to be free.

“It is absolutely shameful that India, the world’s most music-loving nation, is still a sub-€400 million market,” Sanyal said. Despite being the 15th largest music market globally, India’s revenues remain shockingly out of sync with its cultural influence. The root of the problem, he argued, is not demand, but a deep-seated, long-standing perception that music has no monetary value.

Sanyal traced India’s journey from the age of bootleg CDs and LimeWire downloads to the rise of platforms like Saavn, Gaana, and YouTube. These services initially played a vital role in curbing piracy and increasing access. But now, the ad-supported model that once made sense has become a ceiling to growth. To evolve into a Rs 30,000–Rs 40,000 crore industry, India must make a decisive shift to a paid ecosystem.

Referencing global platforms like Spotify, where nearly 25% of free users eventually convert into paying subscribers, Sanyal pointed out how India lags dramatically behind—despite cheap data, widespread smartphone access, and a booming appetite for content. Infrastructure is not the issue; mindset is.

Even among affluent consumers, the idea of paying Rs 99 for music feels unnecessary,not because it’s unaffordable, but because the industry has normalized “free” for far too long. This has created a scenario where top-tier talent like Anuv Jain, AP Dhillon, and Badshah are being heavily invested in, but the revenue from fans doesn’t match the scale of that investment. Creators, producers, platforms, and songwriters are part of an ecosystem where music is consumed at scale,but not compensated fairly.

India’s average revenue per user (ARPU) from music streaming remains significantly lower than global benchmarks—sometimes up to sixteen times less. This gap, Sanyal warned, isn’t just bad economics; it threatens the future of the industry.

To underscore his point, he drew comparisons with China, a country that, just over a decade ago, had a music industry comparable to India’s. Today, China’s music revenues exceed $1.6 billion, with $1 billion coming from streaming alone. India, meanwhile, remains stuck under €400 million. China’s transformation wasn’t organic—it was the result of strict anti-piracy enforcement, strong policy frameworks, national pride, and an uncompromising push toward paid streaming.

South Korea’s cultural phenomenon, K-pop, offers another example. When artists like BTS or BLACKPINK ask fans to pay for digital concerts or albums, fans don’t hesitate—they respond with loyalty and pride. That, Sanyal said, is the power of culture turning into commerce. India, too, has fandom. Sold-out shows, viral hits, and passionate digital communities prove that fans are ready to engage. But without the tools and incentives to support financially, that energy doesn’t translate into sustainability.

He argued that India has already shown it can shift habits quickly. The explosion of digital payments post-COVID is a case in point. From only 18 million credit cards in a nation of over a billion, India leapt to 300 million UPI users almost overnight. From street vendors to supermarkets, microtransactions have become part of daily life. If people can use Paytm to buy coconut water, Sanyal asked, why can’t they pay for music?

Music, he reminded the audience, is not a free commodity. It is the result of labor, craft, technology, and artistic vision, and it deserves compensation. A streaming subscription costs less than a Starbucks coffee, yet years of underpricing have conditioned listeners to feel that even Rs 99 is too much. The very services that fought piracy now bear the burden of having trained an entire generation to believe that music should cost nothing.

To fix this, Sanyal outlined a tiered roadmap. He believes India’s top 100 million affluent citizens must start paying for music,no exceptions. For the next 600 to 700 million, he advocated for low-cost sampling, sachet pricing, and frictionless microtransactions. The goal isn’t just to collect payment,it’s to create a habit.

He emphasized that the push cannot come from platforms or policy alone. Artists themselves must drive the message. Their influence runs deeper than any corporate campaign. A beloved musician asking fans to support by paying has more persuasive power than any government awareness program. This, he said, must become a movement, from the stage, not just the boardroom.

Sanyal also called for better IP enforcement, smarter monetization strategies, and cross-platform bundling. He underscored the need for homegrown music-tech innovation tailored to Indian realities, saying, “India already writes code for the world. Why shouldn’t we lead in music tech too?”

As his keynote reached its close, Sanyal said,"This is no longer a goal to aspire toward,it is an imperative. Without monetization, he warned, India’s music industry risks collapse. “In five to seven years,” he said, “we’ll still have the audience, but there’ll be no hits. No stars. No business.”

He ended with a striking, personal challenge to every listener. If you have a free music account, cancel it. Start a paid subscription,today. On World Music Day, let your ?99 be a symbolic commitment to the future of Indian music. Sacrifice one coffee. In return, 25,000 artists could benefit.

“This is no longer a vision,” he concluded. “It’s a requirement.”