Hitting the right notes: Indian music biz finally getting its act together

A push for subscription and a search for capital indicate that the Indian music business is finally getting its act together

Gaana, one of India’s largest music streaming apps, is free-to-hear. Last year, it got over 80 per cent of its (unknown) revenue from advertising. It is, however, far from making profits, says CEO Sandeep Lodha. “You can’t build a business on free. Our number one strategy for growth is subscription. We have been running pilots (at Rs 99 per month). Over the next two-three years the advertising to subscription ratio should be 60:40,” says he.

Adarsh Nair, CEO, Airtel Digital, and the man running Wynk, among India’s top five music OTTs, agrees. “There’s nothing wrong in an ad-funded business. The problem