After releasing the single on YouTube, lyricist Manoj Muntashir says platform more artiste-friendly than music labels
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 4, 2020)

Commercial success was the last thing on Manoj Muntashir's mind when he, along with music composer Rochak Kohli, released Sambhal Lena on YouTube and other streaming platforms directly. However, the success of the single, which revolves around the pandemic, has helped the lyricist realise that the platform offers more lucrative opportunities to artistes than the big music labels in the market. "Rochak and I handled the song's distribution and put it up on my YouTube channel. We didn't need a music company to push us," he shares enthusiastically.

The success of the track has encouraged the lyricist to release more solos on his YouTube channel. "If the song is a hit, I get money from YouTube from the word go, once I get it monetised. Besides that, the other streaming platforms are also paying me. When I create a track for a producer, I get paid for penning the lyrics, but I don't own the number. Here, the rights rest with me. Hypothetically, if I release 10 songs of which two become popular, the royalties I earn off them will cover 20 more songs."