Padma Bhushan Javed Akhtar to visit Kohima as IPRS collaborates with Govt. of Nagaland to build a strong Music Rights Framework in Nagaland
MUMBAI: The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) is set to strengthen music rights awareness in Northeast India as its Chairman Padman Bhushan Shri Javed Akhtar visits Kohima on 21 March 2026 along with CEO Rakesh Nigam. During the visit, the IPRS leadership will meet the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Nagaland, senior officials, and key authorities to discuss ways to strengthen the framework for music rights, licensing systems, and creator support in the region.
The collaboration with the Government of Nagaland marks a first-of-its-kind state-led effort to build awareness around music copyright, licensing, and royalties at the grassroots level positioning Nagaland as a potential model for other states to follow.
What 2026 Holds For India’s Music Industry: A Year Of Reckoning, Reset And Real Value
If the last few years in Indian music felt loud, crowded and algorithm-heavy, 2026 may finally be the year the industry pauses, recalibrates and grows up.
From an explosion of releases and creator noise to deeper questions around sustainability, monetisation and fairness, the Indian music business is entering what many leaders are calling a defining phase. Not just of growth, but of reckoning.
“2026 is the turning point for music,the year of reckoning for an industry undergoing deep change,” says Mandar Thakur, CEO, Times Music.
“There’s been a lot of loud noise in the marketplace. This year, ideally, will be creativity-led,as opposed to similar-sounding, random drops of music that have plagued us over the last couple of years.”
How India’s Music Royalty System Works And Why It’s Controversial?
As India’s music industry continues its rapid digital expansion, questions around royalty distribution, transparency, and creator compensation have moved to the centre of industry debate. With the recorded music market now valued at over Rs 3,000 crore and streaming consumption growing exponentially, the challenge lies in ensuring that the value generated by music ultimately reaches the creators behind it.
At the heart of the conversation is the structure of music rights and the mechanisms through which royalties are collected and distributed across composers, lyricists, artists, labels, and publishers.
‘Royalties are not perks; they are the foundation of a creator’s livelihood’
India’s music industry is riding a historic growth wave, with creator revenues rising 40.5% in 2024 to EUR 80.5 million, according to the CISAC Global Collections Report 2025. The report ranks India among the fastest-growing music markets globally, driven largely by the explosive rise of streaming and digital consumption. Yet, industry leaders caution that this success masks a deep structural imbalance, one that could limit the long-term sustainability of the creative economy. Composer and IPRS board member Salim Merchant underlined the stakes for creators, saying, “Royalties are not perks they are the rightful earnings for the music we create. For lyricists and composers, these revenues allow us to focus fully on our craft and create without limitations.”
India Govt Launches JWG with Live Events Industry; BookMyShow, District, Wizcraft Join Mission for 20M Jobs by 2030
The Government of India has formally initiated a structured dialogue to boost the country’s fast-growing live events and concert economy, with the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) convened in the capital under the chairmanship of Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
The JWG, constituted in July 2025 under the direction of Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, aims to position India among the Top 5 global live entertainment destinations by 2030, with the potential to generate 15–20 million jobs and drive growth in infrastructure, tourism, and cultural soft power.