(These are ballpark figures from IFPI’s essential 2025 Global Music Report<\/em><\/a>. If you want the full stats… you can buy it here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Today, IFPI revealed another stark statistic: just 20 million<\/strong> of India’s 192 million<\/strong> current music streaming users pay for subscriptions \u2013 not far above 10% <\/strong>of them.<\/p>\n Those 192 million<\/strong> music streaming users, in turn,\u00a0make up just 13%<\/strong> of India’s 1.45 billion<\/strong><\/a> population.<\/p>\n Such numbers were not far from the mind of IFPI CEO Victoria Oakley<\/strong> this morning (August 20) during a keynote presentation at the All About Music<\/em> conference in Mumbai.<\/p>\n Oakley warned that India’s music industry must tackle significant challenges to secure its future, despite its “extraordinary potential”<\/strong> to drive the next wave of global growth.<\/p>\n She praised India’s rich musical heritage spanning classical traditions to Punjabi folk, filmi soundtracks <\/strong>and Indian pop<\/strong>, while highlighting the transformative role of streaming and digital distribution in making music more accessible than ever.<\/p>\n However, the IFPI chief pointed to several risks threatening sustainable growth, including the misuse of generative AI, streaming fraud, and the overwhelming dominance of free, ad-supported streaming<\/strong> over paid subscriptions.<\/p>\n “Music has worth, and paying for it sustains the artists and cultures we love. The decisions we make now will shape the next decade of music.”<\/p>\n Victoria Oakley, IFPI<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n “These risks are real,” Oakley<\/strong> said. “Music has worth, and paying for it sustains the artists and cultures we love. The decisions we make now will shape the next decade of music.”<\/p>\n In a press release issued today, IFPI confirmed that Oakley<\/strong> outlined three key priorities for India’s future development in recorded music. Those priorities included: “Growing paid streaming: Shifting away from ad-funded models toward a value-driven, subscription-led future.”<\/strong><\/p>\n The other two priorities highlighted by Oakley were:<\/p>\n “We must choose a path that values creativity, protects human expression, and champions fairness for everyone in the industry,” Oakley added.<\/p>\n “We must never forget that music is made by people, for people. Behind every track is a story, a burst of imagination, a struggle, a desire to share. That is what makes this industry powerful – and that is why it is worth protecting.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, as India continues to rise as a global music powerhouse, let us work together as labels, platforms, governments, and fans – to build a future where music is valued and celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n “as India continues to rise as a global music powerhouse, let us work together as labels, platforms, governments, and fans – to build a future where music is valued and celebrated.”<\/p>\n Victoria Oakley, IFPI<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As part of IFPI’s commitment to the Indian market, Oakley<\/strong> confirmed the organization is working with local partners, Indian affiliates of major international record companies, and both local and global digital service providers to launch official charts in India<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For the first time, these charts will include both international and domestic repertoire, alongside dedicated official local-language charts designed to reflect the breadth of India’s<\/strong> musical landscape.<\/p>\n Governed by IFPI’s global best practice, they aim to provide a trusted benchmark<\/strong> to measure the market, celebrate artist success, and ensure that India’s regional voices are recognized nationally and globally.<\/p>\n The Indian market’s<\/strong> transformation reflects broader global trends in music consumption, but with unique characteristics.<\/p>\n YouTube<\/strong> remains a dominant force in the market.<\/p>\n According to Comscore data cited in an Ernst & Young (EY)<\/strong> report earlier this year, Indian adults aged 35 and over spend an average of 80 minutes<\/strong> per day on the platform.<\/p>\n Indeed, YouTube’s<\/strong> reach in India today surpasses 800 million people<\/strong>, according to Sensor Tower data also cited in the report.<\/p>\n Ernst & Young’s<\/strong> report suggested that the total number of on-demand music streaming users in India declined from 185 million<\/strong> to 175 million<\/strong> in 2024.<\/p>\n One reason for this, it posited, is certain streaming platforms limiting free-tier features, with Gaana<\/strong> and Hungama<\/strong> now operating as “entirely pay” services, making them inaccessible to non-paying users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oakley warned that India’s music industry must tackle significant challenges to secure its future, despite its ‘extraordinary potential’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":238572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/files\/2025\/08\/vikki_web-80x64.jpg\")
<\/i><\/a><\/figure>Industry transformation challenges<\/h6>\n