How Music Royalties Work for Independent Artists in India

Your song is live and people are listening. So when does the money come, and how much of it is yours? Here is how royalties work for independent artists releasing through a distributor.

Where the money comes from

• Streaming apps — Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Wynk, Gaana and others pay for every stream.
• Short-video apps — Instagram, Facebook and others pay when your song is used.
• YouTube Content ID — videos that use your song can earn for you.
• Caller tunes — when people use your song as a caller tune.

Why it takes a few months

Stores first count all the streams, then send a report to the distributor — usually every month, a few months after the streaming happened. This is normal everywhere in the music business. When the report reaches us, your earnings are added to your VPSongs dashboard.

How much do you keep?

Your share depends on your plan: on the Free plan you keep 70%, and on the paid plans you keep 85%. Network Partners work on a separate agreement. You can compare all plans on the Pricing page and upgrade any time.

Getting paid

1. 1Add your bank accountAdd your bank details in the dashboard. Our team verifies the account.
2. 2Reach the payout limitYour earnings add up month after month. Once they cross the payout limit you can withdraw.
3. 3WithdrawThe money is paid to your verified bank account. Tax is deducted as per the law and shown in your statement.

Tips to earn more

• Release regularly — every new song brings listeners back to your old songs too.
• Share your live links everywhere and make reels and shorts with your own song.
• Keep your artist name spelled the same on every release so all songs land on one artist page.

Release your songs with VPSongs — powered by RDV Entertainment — and see every status and every rupee in one place.

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