Showing posts with label Gaurav Dagaonkar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaurav Dagaonkar. Show all posts
Zee Entertainment sues Nykaa for using its songs in Instagram reels without licence
10:40 AM
Retailer used its songs in brand promotion without permission, claims co
Rajesh N Naidu & Maulik Vyas (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; May 6, 2026)
Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has filed a copyright violation case against FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the owner of beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa, in the Delhi High Court.
Citing the Copyright Act of 1957, Zee claimed that FSN E-Commerce had used the former’s songs in brand promotion in about a dozen Instagram reels without seeking permission or licensing.
Senior counsel Abhishek Malhotra and Madhu Gadodia of Naik Naik & Co, representing FSN E-Commerce, however argued that Meta Platforms, Instagram’s parent and Zee’s licence partner, should be included as a necessary party.
The lawyers for Nykaa stated that Meta provides licensed music to all users as a standard feature and that using Instagram’s native music tools falls within the licencing agreement between Instagram and Zee. They also argued that without Meta’ involvement, a licensing framework cannot be properly reviewed. They said the order to remove content cannot be effectively enforced since only the platform has the authority to mute audio, remove content, or restrict access.
FSN E-Commerce informed the court that the twelve identified Instagram reels have been removed and are no longer accessible to the public.
Harsh Kaushik, the counsel for Zee Entertainment, instructed by Anushree Rauta of ANM Global, argued that the licensing agreement with the social media platform is for non-commercial use, whereas any commercial use requires prior approval and payment.
Zee Entertainment declined to comment stating that the matter is sub judice.
In the past two years, there have been three similar cases of music copyright violation. These include Sony Music-Myntra, Saregama-Emami, and Sony Music-Marriott Group.
Lack of clear understanding between personal expression and commercial exploitation of music is one of the key challenges resulting in copyright violations.
“Today, brands routinely collaborate with influencers and creators to produce “organic” or “branded content” that blurs the line between personal expression and commercial promotion,” said a leading lawyer requesting anonymity. “However, under platform policies, such collaborations, where there is any exchange of value, constitute branded content which falls in the realm of commercial use.”
Due to a lack of strict compliance, the Indian music industry is losing Rs8,000-10,000 crore annually in royalty payments, said independent music analysts. According to a senior executive at a leading music licencing platform, the music industry may earn at least Rs 3,600 crore if all commercial videos are paid a minimum fee.
“A popular song drives engagement in a reel or a video by two times,” said Gaurav Dagaonkar, cofounder and CEO at Hoopr, a leading platform for music licensing which serves 125 brands in securing licensed music.
“When companies use music owned by labels in promotional content of their brands, they don’t realize that they are using intellectual properties (IPs) of labels. So, when brands use music without labels’ permission, they deprive labels of revenues emanating from licencing music.”
Some labels attribute low awareness among companies about the nuances of music copyright violation.
“Such cases create awareness among companies about music copyright violation,” said Shivansh Jindal, CEO, Merchant Records, a label launched by music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman. “Today, we live in a digital world where music is democratized. So, companies may not fathom the gravity and consequences of using music of labels or independent artists without their permission or paying them.”
In the Zee-FSN E-Commerce case, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela granted on April 30 two weeks to FSN E-Commerce to file its response and gave a week to Zee to reply. The next hearing is slated for May 26.
The singles economy: One track at a time, labels are turning film soundtracks into long-tail revenue streams
10:46 AM
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; April 1, 2026)
Music labels are moving away from the traditional practice of releasing a full album ahead of a film’s release. Instead, they are opting for staggered, singles-led releases — a strategy aimed at sustaining audience buzz while maximising the revenue potential of individual tracks, according to law firms, labels and industry experts.
Over the past year, labels associated with films such as Saiyaara, Tere Ishq Mein, Toxic and the recent blockbuster Dhurandhar The Revenge have adopted this approach, releasing one or two songs ahead of the film’s release. One example is the track Aari Aari, which dropped before Dhurandhar The Revenge hit theatres.
Today, labels increasingly treat each song in a film’s soundtrack as a standalone asset. “Rather than dropping a full album, labels are viewing each track as an individual asset with its own lifecycle,” says Anushree Rauta, equity partner and head of media, entertainment and gaming at ANM Global.
A key driver behind staggered releases is their ability to sustain audience interest both before and after a film’s release. “This strategy allows us to create multiple peaks of engagement instead of a single moment,” says Sujal Parekh, business head at Zee Music Company. “Pre-release tracks build familiarity and anticipation, while post-release drops sustain momentum and often reignite conversations around the film.”
The focus, Rauta adds, is clear: To optimize the revenue potential of each track. Parekh agrees, noting that staggered releases ensure continuous engagement across streaming and social platforms, keeping both the music and the film culturally relevant for longer. “The outcome is not just higher recall, but more sustained commercial performance across a track’s lifecycle,” says Parekh.
Cost is another critical factor. Promoting a full album is significantly more expensive than backing one or two tracks, say executives from independent music licensing platforms. “It is far more effective to focus on a few songs and promote them well,” says Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and CEO of Hoopr, a leading platform for music licensing. “Marketing and promotion costs are substantial.”
According to industry veterans, promoting one or two tracks is significantly more cost-effective and delivers stronger monetization returns than marketing an entire film’s album. Industry estimates suggest that around 50% of a song’s promotional budget is spent on influencer collaborations. Agencies deploy a mix of local and high-profile influencers across metros and tier-2 and tier-3 cities to create Instagram Reels and other social campaigns. These collaborations can cost between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 50 lakh.
A further 30% is typically allocated to YouTube promotions, including TrueView advertising, where labels pay based on viewer engagement. Labels also place songs alongside trending content through strategic platform deals. Additional spends go towards audio streaming platforms to boost discoverability.
Overall, promoting a single track can cost anywhere between Rs. 15 lakh and Rs. 1.5 crore. For a six-song album, that translates into Rs. 90 lakh to Rs. 9.3 crore — a gap that makes staggered releases far more economical.
Beyond cost efficiencies, staggered releases also help maintain freshness and improve discoverability. “Today, a film’s song carries as much weight as its trailer,” says Shivansh Jindal, CEO of Merchant Records, a music label owned by music composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant. “Often, labels want audiences to discover songs alongside the narrative of a film. This increases the chances of tracks becoming popular and extends their shelf life.”
A case in point is the discovery of Bahraini rapper Flipperachi’s track FA9LA from Dhurandhar, which gained traction after the film’s theatrical release.
In the long run, this strategy also boosts the valuation of music rights. Popular tracks drive repeat visibility and higher streaming numbers, translating into stronger revenues. Films with hit songs can also command higher prices for digital streaming rights. Additionally, staggered releases allow labels to pivot — shifting focus to another track if one underperforms.
Finally, the rise of short-form video platforms has amplified the benefits. Songs that trend on these platforms can unlock significant value, with labels charging premium fees to brands that want to leverage their popularity.
When music isn't just about the note but about 'notes', too
9:38 AM
Music is emerging as a valuable asset class with singers and composers launching their own labels to make more in royalty payments
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; February 27, 2026)
Mumbai: In a shift mirroring a long-established trend in Western markets, a growing number of Indian composers and singers are launching their own music labels, signalling that music is increasingly being viewed as an asset class by both artists and investors, executives at independent labels, music licensing platforms and industry analysts said.
Most recently, Tamil composer Anirudh Ravichander launched Albuquerque Records, his own music label.
Over the past six to seven years, at least eight prominent artists have set up similar ventures, including Salim Merchant, A R Rahman, Badshah, Armaan Malik, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Arijit Singh. The move reflects a broader push by artists to retain control over intellectual property and capture a larger share of long-term revenue streams.
“Over the past four to five years, India’s music industry ecosystem has become fairer and more transparent. Singers and composers have realized that music has genuinely become a very valuable asset class which they can monetize in different ways,” explained Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and CEO of Hoopr, a leading platform for music licensing.
A favourable revenue structure involved in functioning as a label is a key reason why artists are launching their own labels.
“It is a great time to be an independent artist. Today, seven out of the top ten songs on audio streaming platform Spotify are non-film songs, which shows the growing importance of independent artists in the music ecosystem. By launching a label, an artist gets the share of labels in royalties. They also own perpetual rights to their creations. This is a much better deal for them,” said Shivansh Jindal, CEO, Merchant Records, a label launched by music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman.
Apart from streaming, publishing, licensing platforms, YouTube and other digital avenues, music labels earn revenues from royalties (from audio streamers as well). The revenue structure of royalty payment is as follows: 50% goes to labels, and the remaining 50% of royalty revenues is equally shared by composers and lyricists. Singers earn revenues from payments either by composers or labels and from concerts. So, when composers or singers launch their own labels, they earn 50% of the royalties earned by labels, in addition to their own share of earnings.
Increasingly, labels fetch attractive valuations in the long run, music licensing players said.
“Today, private equity investors and HNIs are interested in music assets. They want to now invest in intellectual property. And music is good for long-term monetization," shared a CEO of a leading platform for music licensing. "Also, labels, when acquired by private equity investors, can generate 10 to 25 times returns on investments. Emerging labels are good candidates for acquisition by large labels as well,” he added.
“Beyond the acquisition of music IPs, these strategic investors have realized that music assets provide almost consistent revenues from various digital avenues available in the music ecosystem. One must also bear in mind investing in labels can be a way of portfolio diversification for these investors,” he explained.
In launching one’s own label, artists gain creative freedom under their own labels. “A label frees artists from the constraints of film music. They can create music the way they want to. Independent artists also nurture new talent through their labels. So, in a way, they give back to the industry what they have rightfully earned through their labels,” said Aditya Kalia, an independent music business professional.
The Journey to Launching Music Labels:
- On average, singers generally earn between 2 lakhs to 10 lakhs a song
- Singers earn from concerts—a strong revenue source.
- Royalty Revenue Structure: 50%--labels, 25%--composers, 25%--lyricists
- In launching labels, composers gain more than singers as their share goes up to 75% in royalties.
- Singers gain 50% of royalties in launching labels apart from perpetual rights to creations
- Globally, more composers than singers launch labels.
- Film Music fraught with uncertainty as stories do not demand songs and films flop
- Young artists reinvest money earned from concerts and digital avenues to launch labels
Tuning up the band: Music labels bet on movie companies to hit the high notes
2:52 PM
Saregama & Universal’s investments in production houses aimed at a bigger play in entertainment industry: Analysts
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; January 9, 2026)
Mumbai: Recent investments by music labels Saregama India and Universal Music in film producers Bhansali Productions and Excel Entertainment, respectively, point more to a larger play in the entertainment sector than consolidation of film production houses, industry experts told ET.
These investments are disparate both in structure, strategy and goals as opposed to the Adar Poonawala-Dharma Productions deal, and they have been triggered largely by the bearish business conditions in the music industry, they added.
"After a few years of bull run of over 20% compounded annual growth rate in revenue from streamers, YouTube and digital sources, labels today are seeing a bear phase as the industry consolidated, streamers merged or shut shop and free streaming is moving towards paid subscription," said a top executive at a leading industry player, on the condition of anonymity.
"Some of these labels seem to grow through reverse consolidation to build acquisition moats and create a robust pipeline. They may end up producing films," said the executive cited immediately above.
Another aspect that has triggered these investments is the fiercely competitive space of buying music rights in the open market.
"These investments ensure consistent availability of new content at a reasonable cost. In the past few years, competition intensity for music rights in the open market has become too high," said Vaibhav Muley, lead analyst, media and entertainment sector, Yes Securities.
Labels pay Rs. 10 crore-Rs. 33 crore per film if they buy music in the open market, shared analysts. A multi-year deal for music with a production house is almost 30-50% cheaper for labels, they pointed out.
Business Case
Also, these investments are effective from the standpoint of return on capital employed (RoCE) ratio-how effectively a company generates profits using its capital. Analysts shared that monetizing music across avenues provides RoCE of 30-40%, while films generate RoCE of 11%. This shows why buying a stake in production houses is a relatively less risky proposition than directly producing films.
Acquiring stake in production houses is also a win-win strategy, pointed out analysts.
"Today, labels have reasonably good cash on books. They are looking for low-cost avenues to buy music. Investment in production houses is one such route. Production houses get a minimum guarantee amount to start a film and labels in turn get music rights and ownership of films in proportion with their stakes," said an analyst, who declined to be named.
Furthermore, consolidation in the music label industry has prompted incumbents to look for adjacent diversifications.
"Labels are chasing growth. Acquiring labels have become expensive after consolidation (three labels shut shop). Then, there is subdued growth in revenue from streamers due to a shift in subscription mode. These deals reflect these realities," said the analyst cited immediately above.
Industry experts say the distinction between these investments and the Adar Poonawala-Dharma Productions deal.
"These investments do not amount to consolidation among production houses. They are different from Adar Poonawala-Dharma Productions, which is about equal partners. Whereas, after the investments, labels will function as 'strategic investors.' Along with owning music, they will own film rights in proportion with their stakes," explained Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and chief executive officer of Hoopr, a leading platform for music licensing.
Analysts expect labels would integrate talent from their talent management division into the films produced by the production houses more effectively, right from the scripting stage, while also improving the monetization of music assets in these entities.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui all set to rap for Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
7:49 AM
After putting on dancing shoes on his two left feet, the actor will now wield a mic
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 30, 2017)
After earning his acting stripes with films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur and Manjhi – The Mountain Man, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, someone who proclaims to have two left feet, is venturing into freakishly unfamiliar territory with Sabbir Khan’s Tiger Shroff-starrer Munna Michael. The 42-year-old actor plays a wannabe dancer in the film. Now, Mirror has learnt that he is testing his vocal skills as he gears up to rap in Hindi for another upcoming film.
Titled “Humre Baap Ka Bitwa Bandookbaaz”, the number, for the film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, is written by Ashmith Kunder (also the editor and producer) and composed by music director Gaurav Dagaonkar. Expected to be a fun, peppy number, the song will also get a promotional video.
Nawaz, who has wrapped up his portions in Munna Michael and has begun shooting for Nandita Das’s Manto, will be filming the special video and recording the rap song for the upcoming film, an action-thriller directed by Kushan Nandy. The film follows small-time contract killer Babu, played by Nawaz, his friends and rivals, and what happens when he falls in love and takes up a tricky assignment.
“I love trying new things!” Nawaz exclaims while speaking to Mirror. “I have never danced in my life, and now not only am I dancing but also rapping. When you get down to actually doing it, you realise it’s not that difficult,” he says, adding that he has no problems in remembering long dialogues, so is not worried about remembering the rhyming lyrics of the rap.
“Once I remember a long part, especially if it is in continuation, it’s easy to keep repeating it as it gets stuck in my head. That’s why I don’t forget my lines and also why I am not worried about rapping,” Nawaz shares, adding, “The song is as quirky and funny as my character in the film, so it will be catchy. I think people will enjoy it.”
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