The crowd at an Amplify Music Incubator showcase gig. Photo: Courtesy of Amplify Music Incubator
If the Indian music industry needed more of an ecosystem in the last couple of decades, one has now steadily emerged. In this evolving landscape, music grants and residencies become even more important. Often a creative breeding ground for music across the board, we’ve seen the rise of several initiatives that either offer financial backing to indie artists or give them a space to thrive, collaborate, and feel more like a community.
Himachal prog artist Sutej Singh recently won the TuneCore Grant, giving him access to ₹1 lakh (about $1200) as well as expert marketing advisory and mentorship for his new album Restless | Relentless. Studio Monkey Shoulder—which is back this year—awarded £10,000 ($12,700) to New Delhi’s BFR Soundsystem, who brought back Big Bang! Festival of Love in Assam to support local artists.
Whether it’s prize money or supporting music communities on a larger scale, here are just a few residencies and grants available to Indian musicians within the country.
Studio Monkey Shoulder
The initiative by Monkey Shoulder and Worldwide FM with legendary DJ Gilles Peterson returns for its second edition in India, promising £10,000 to a music project that will spotlight their scene on a global scale. They’re looking for “community-led projects that deserve the global stage.” In addition to funding, the selected community will be featured through exclusive content on Worldwide FM, including films and radio broadcasts. The initiative’s website states, “From independent record stores to live venues and radio stations, we want to support the trailblazing communities where people connect, create, and discover music.”
Get details here.
TuneCore Grant
Although entries are closed for 2025, music platform TuneCore India teams up with industry veterans and stakeholders to fund artists on the rise, across languages and genres. While the 2025 grant winner is Sutej Singh, the company has previously tied up with music conference showcase festival MusicMatters in Singapore to fly in artists to perform.
Get details here.
Serendipity Arts Grants and Residencies
Serendipity Arts has been known for its annual festival at the end of the year in Goa, but they’ve also been putting together a few music grants and residencies, including:
SAF x Asia TOPA
Most recently, Serendipity Arts tied up with the Australian event Asia TOPA, the triennial festival of Asia-Pacific performance, art and culture. Described as a program for electronic musicians in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts and the Arts Centre, Melbourne, it serves a cultural exchange, encouraging dialogues and collaborations across borders. This year, New Delhi artist Panelia and Goa-based Zequenx got to travel to Australia as grant winners.
Details TBA.
Independent Music Production Grant by Serendipity Arts
The Serendipity Arts’ Independent Music Production Grant supports independent music creators across genres in producing, releasing, and/or presenting new music. The grant is awarded to bands, duos, groups or individual independent musicians with funding of up to ₹1,50,000. This year’s grantees will be announced in May.
Get details here.
Serendipity Arts Residency – B-Side Music Production Residency
In addition to grants, Serendipity Arts also offers a residency for electronic artists. Titled Unlock Your Sound in its 2024 iteration (a 2025 edition is yet to be announced), the 10-day residency is “designed to empower aspiring music producers by equipping them with innovative music-making techniques and creative expression,” the website says. Participants learn digital audio workstations such as Ableton Live 12, plus tutorials for other software tools, features, and basic setup procedures.
Get details here.
Amplify Incubator
An artist development program that’s packed with workshops, Gatecrash India’s non-profit initiative under Music Mulakatein also features a residency element with a strong emphasis on collaboration and community-building. It’s also been a launchpad for several indie artists, from Sudan to Frizzell D’Souza to Anoushka Maskey. With a revamp announced earlier this year, stay tuned for more news on how indie artists can apply to be part of workshops, songwriting camps, and more.
Get details here.
Toto Funds the Arts
One of the longest-running awards for independent musicians in India, Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) is a non-profit trust set up in September 2004 in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani. Past winners include everyone from Disco Puppet to Prabh Deep, who not only get a trophy but also prize money (which changes from year to year). Entries are slated to open in July this year.
Get details here.
Anahad Fellowship Program
With a focus on the social sector as well as Indian folk music, the Anahad Fellowship Program is designed for young Indians to learn live production, research folk music, and develop business and marketing skills in a three-month residential program. Their website states, “Over a three-month period, fellows engage in immersive cultural research across various Indian states, discovering rare folk musical forms, designing cultural development programs, and empowering musicians through contemporary mediums.”
Get details here.
The Indian Sonic Research Organization (ISRO) Residencies
For over a decade, The I.S.R.O has been offering residencies for Indian and international artists, composers, theorists, educators and researchers in “sound-based practices.” There are two residencies which cover accommodation, studio spaces and funding for travel and “realization of projects.”
Get details here.