Labels seek bigger share of the indie music value chain

Music labels like Saregama and Universal Music Group are rapidly expanding beyond traditional rights ownership to manage and represent musicians especially artists from India's fast-growing independent, non-film scene.

- Lata Jha

The strategy helps labels secure steady content pipelines, maximize revenue from artists' output, and monetize fan bases more deeply at a time when streaming growth remains gradual and competition is intense. Unlike conventional celebrity or talent management agencies, labels are not just taking a cut of earnings. They are encouraging artists to work frequently—sometimes exclusively—with them, facilitating fan interactions and negotiating brand tie-ups, live shows and collaborations. The aim is to extract value across the full creative lifecycle rather than rely only on recorded music revenues.

"We see ourselves as a music-led entertainment firm and by that we look holistically at all aspects of a creative artist," said Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director, India and South Asia, Universal Music Group.