Music Stories welcomes one of the architects of India’s iconic 90s pop era. From discovering and nurturing stars like Baba Sehgal, Shaan, Shweta Shetty, and Adnan Sami to shaping a golden age of storytelling through music, this episode dives deep into how pop music was created, why it faded, and what today’s artists can learn from it.

We unpack what “good music” really means, the myth of independent music in India, how streaming and digital platforms reshaped the industry (and mostly didn’t help artists), and why creators earn a fraction of what labels and publishers do. The conversation also explores publishing vs distribution, metadata, copyright, virality versus quality, marketing strategies for indie artists, and the future challenges facing the music business.

A must-listen for musicians, creators, and anyone serious about understanding how music actually works—behind the scenes.

Music makes billions. Artists make peanuts.

Who really makes money from music—and who doesn’t?

Streaming, Royalties & Digital Rights: The Contracts That Keep Artists Poor

In Part 2 of this series on music copyright, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is in conversation with Sanjay Tandon, a leading advocate for performers’ rights in the Indian music industry.

Sanjay Tandon played a key role in shaping the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) into a government-recognised copyright body and later went on to found ISAMRA—the Indian Singers and Musicians Rights Association. In this episode, he breaks down how copyright laws, royalty structures, and industry practices have historically failed singers and musicians, and what has changed—and still needs to change—in the digital era.

Together, they explore who really earns from music, why performers were left out of the system for decades, and what fair compensation should actually look like in today’s music economy.

Music makes billions. Artists stay broke.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi pulls apart the uncomfortable truth behind music copyright—who controls it, who profits from it, and why the people who actually create the music are often left with nothing. From outdated laws and one-sided contracts to the quiet transfer of artists’ rights to corporations, this episode exposes how a system designed to protect creativity ended up monetising it for everyone except the creators.

This is not a rant. It’s a reality check.