Lyricist-singer Swanand Kirkire recently called out Spotify on X for not crediting him for his song in the Marathi film, Deool (2011). However, while talking to us exclusively, he says that it was actually the music label’s fault, and not the music streaming platform’s. “Spotify just picks the songs that come from the music label, so they weren’t wrong primarily. I didn’t call out Spotify, asking, ‘Why didn’t you give me credit?’. My point was: ‘You need to have a method of checking’,” he tells us, adding that he was given due credit after he shared his concern on social media.

Kirkire continues: “They gave the credit within two hours. Talking in the public domain always helps. They called the music label to fix it and kept me in the loop. Now, they have even appointed a fact-checking agency, so they are working towards it.”

The 52-year-old also attributes the shift to the Credit De Do Yaar movement, which started in 2020 when a group of lyricists penned a song to demand that they are given proper credits: “A lot has changed since we undertook the Credit De Do Yaar movement online. Somebody has to be held accountable.”

He points out that sometimes, missing credits was unintentional. “At times, these are just clerical mistakes. It happens with all artistes. There is no final resolution, it’s just that people should have respect. The approach should be, ‘If you have worked for me, I will give you credit’.” he signs off.