Traveling on this music road isn’t the same for everyone. The journey feels different depending on who you are and where you come from.
India is home to many languages, and while Hindi and English dominate the mainstream (largely thanks to Bollywood and the influence of global pop culture), music in local languages is steadily gaining ground. Punjabi music, especially, is scripting its own global chapter, not just through heavyweights like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, and AP Dhillon, but also through rising stars like Talwiinder and Josh Brar. Yet, artists working in less-heard languages face hurdles. Tulu band Alva Kuuto, who write and perform only original songs, have built a following in Bengaluru and Mangaluru since 2022, but struggle to scale beyond. “Gig venue infrastructure is bad,” they say, noting a lack of curiosity from venues and curators. Turning down requests to perform Bollywood covers has also cost them shows.
Still, Alva Kuuto remain hopeful: “There’s a curious audience who connects beyond language. For someone in Africa or Argentina, there’s no difference between Hindi and Tulu.” Their experience reflects a larger truth—good music exists in every language, if gatekeepers choose to listen.
For many multilingual musicians, trying to figure out where they fit in, in terms of their background and identity, can be tricky. As India-born, California-raised pop artist, Zoya shares: “I’ve always wrestled with being the Indian girl in America and the American girl in India… most of them tied to the question of whether I’m ‘Indian enough.’” She talks about feeling pressure to fit a certain idea: “In India, it’s been tough to fit into the industry’s prescribed boxes, particularly as someone whose sound and style does not incorporate any Indian elements… There’s this underlying expectation, and at times pressure, to conform… For a while, it felt like my only paths forward were to fuse my music with traditional influences, go the Bollywood route, or reinvent myself as a girl DJ.” She adds that the expectation is the opposite in the US: “I’ve been told I need to be a ‘crossover’ artist—basically, to insert more of my heritage into my music in order to stand out. It’s this constant balancing act of being expected to represent a culture while also being told I’m not quite fitting into it.”
Roadblocks for Women and Marginalized Groups
Then there’s the journey for women and people of other genders. Women have always been musicians, but getting into important jobs behind the scenes is still very, very hard. The numbers show this clearly: according to a 2025 report by USC Annenberg, only 5.9 per cent of producing credits were held by women in 2024, a slight increase from 2.4 per cent in 2012 but still a stark underrepresentation. Additionally, another report states women comprised 18.9 per cent of songwriters in 2024, up from 11 per cent in 2012, yet they remain significantly outnumbered by their male counterparts. In the broader industry (as reported by Forbes), women make up 21.7 per cent of artists, 12.3 per cent of songwriters, and only 2.1 per cent of producers.
The reasons for this are complicated. There are biases, outdated systems, and gendered expectations about what jobs women can do. They often get paid less, have fewer mentors, and feel the pressure to prove themselves more than men, especially in technical roles. Women also face expectations to conform to beauty standards and often have to balance work with societal expectations at home.
Prachee Mashru, the founder of a women-led PR and creative consultancy called THIS?, shares her view: “There are still a lot of times women are looked at as an afterthought. The work we pour our heart and soul into is often brushed off as a passion project, or just not taken seriously. Women don’t want to take up space because that space was never created for us in the first place.” Despite the challenges, Mashru is trying to carve out her own lanes: “I want to be that person for the women around me—especially through my IP Girls Girls Girls, which is a safe space for women to party and have fun, where artists can take control of their art without feeling like they need to tone being ‘girly’ down or perform a certain version of themselves to be taken seriously.”
Nayantara Kumar, the co-founder of Misfits Inc., agrees that change is slow. “India’s music industry has come a long way, but genuine inclusivity is still a work in progress,” she says. “There are structural silos. This limits collaboration and access, especially for independent artists who often miss out on visibility, funding, and opportunities simply because they’re not part of the ‘right’ networks.” She points out that the industry is also mired in tokenism: “Even today, festival lineups and brand-led events often feature women as a means to tick boxes rather than create real, intentional space [for them]. It’s not uncommon to echo a valid point and be ignored, only for it to gain traction when repeated by a male counterpart.” For Kumar, fairness means more than appearances: “For India’s music industry to be truly inclusive, we need to move past optics and begin levelling access—across gender, genre, and geography—for all artists who are building their journeys independently.”
Ruth Mohinani, the head of operations (India) at Desi Trill sees fewer female artists in the scene but notes their impact: “Like the overall media and entertainment industry, Indian female talent in music is definitely on the lower side, but they drive very high engagement and authenticity.” She advocates for a greater inclusion of female artists and highlights the lack of LGBTQ+ representation at live events. “I still would like to see a mandate set at live events to have a minimum of two female acts in their overall programming. Queer representation is still lacking at large.” She sees progress in pay, but notes, “Pay parity has evolved over the years. I’m beginning to see women commanding almost equal payouts as men but we still have a while to go to be at par. I’d still like to see a 50:50 male to female ratio in the workforce, but that’s the nature of our culture and society.”
Social and Economic Disparities
The journey for artists can differ based on social background and financial resources. The legacy of the caste system continues to limit opportunities for some communities. Artists with money, legacy, and connections often get a head start, while financial struggles weigh heavily on independent musicians. High ticket prices also exclude many fans, as seen with the Coldplay concert in India. People with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community face even more barriers.
Despite these challenges, artists like Arivu and The Casteless Collective are making their voices heard. Arivu, a Dalit rapper, uses his music to address caste-based discrimination and has even spoken out about being sidelined from the success of the massively viral track “Enjoy Enjaami” in 2021. The Casteless Collective, founded by filmmaker and activist Pa. Ranjith and Tenma, shines a light on topics like caste-based violence and systemic oppression, using their music as a means to push for social justice.
Queer artists like Sushant Divgikar (performing as Rani Ko-HE-Nur) and singer-songwriter Pragya Pallavi are also carving out space, challenging stereotypes and speaking openly about identity, love, and rights through their music. However, despite a handful of examples, the industry remains frayed by the socio-economic inequalities that affect our society at large.
Geographical Challenges and Connections
As mentioned before, where you are in India also affects your journey. Major cities are big hubs. While online tools have helped put regional music on the map, artists outside big cities find it harder to get gigs or network with industry insiders.
Mohinani talks about the need for more venues: “While we have numerous 700 pax venues, we are still lacking 1500 to 2000 pax capacity fixed venues, which should definitely be the next rung in infrastructure development.” She notices repeated bookings due to unfair reasons: “There’s also a very high repeat factor of programming the same acts over and over again. I think the repetition is due to backstage politics and egos, subjective opinions and favoritism in the industry. I’d love to see more transparency in practices and objectivity in the future.”
Building a More Open Road
Despite detours, many behind the scenes are working hard to build better roads. Tej Brar, Head of Festivals at Nodwin Gaming and the Festival Director of NH7 Weekender, talks about their efforts to curate lineups that represent niche voices and ensure fair pay for all the artists. “Our programming team curates a diverse line-up across genres, languages, and identities each year. Equity in compensation is another cornerstone of our approach. Every artist should feel respected and valued for their work.” Brar emphasizes that inclusivity is core to their work: “Inclusivity isn’t a box we tick; it’s part of our culture, shaping every experience we create.”
While technology and social media have helped artists reach more listeners, streaming platforms have been criticized for offering unfair royalties. Even successful artists have spoken out about how streaming deals don’t always fairly compensate creators for their work.
The Destination
So, is the music road in India inclusive enough? It’s a journey with many ups and downs. There’s progress, with more independent and regional music, and more talk about fairness. But the road is still uneven. To truly open this road for every artist and every voice, it’s not enough to just see the problems; we need to actively build new roads, create bridges, and make a strong promise together. We need to make sure that the grand, beautiful symphony of India’s music includes every single note, played by every single traveler, no matter where they started. The real goal isn’t just a successful music business, but one that truly shows the vibrant, complex, and diverse heart of India itself.