New Compliance Burdens Will Hurt Indian Music Industry: Survey

A majority of the Indian music industry believe that the proposed compliance measures on OTT platforms threaten to disrupt creative expression and economic growth of the industry.

According to a recent survey by think tank The Dialogue, which interviewed 1,200 musicians, 82% of musicians fear that new pre-release scrutiny requirements would stifle creative diversity. Additionally, 72% predict that these measures could lead to delays in music releases, while 77% believe international collaborations could suffer.

“India is experiencing an unprecedented musical renaissance,” says The Dialogue’s founder Kazim Rizvi. “The challenge is to implement frameworks that protect and empower without compromising the dynamism of our industry.”

While the second version of the Broadcast Bill was shelved in August last year, the industry remains concerned over the introduction of a new version to bring digital platforms including OTT audio streaming under a regulatory framework.

Financial concerns also loom large. The study indicates that 80% of artists worry about the additional costs of compliance, while 75% fear that operational complexity could limit artistic freedom. With India ranking as the second-largest music streaming market globally, contributing 14% of all global audio and video streams, these regulations could pose a significant setback.