- Tanishk Bagchi claimed Yash Raj Films underpaid him for the Saiyaara title track royalties
- Amaal Mallik criticized the delayed industry focus on fair compensation for music creators
- Tanishk revealed he earned around Rs 8 Lakh in royalties despite the song's massive success
The discussion about music royalties and fair payment to musicians in Bollywood is once again in the spotlight. After composer Tanishk Bagchi's disagreements with Yash Raj Films (YRF) over the Saiyaara title track garnered attention, singer Amaal Mallik also shared a message on social media that many believe was connected to the same issue.
Although he did not mention anyone by name, Amaal said that the debate over fair compensation for music creators should have started years ago. He claimed that he had spoken about these problems for a long time.
On X, Amaal Mallik wrote, “People in the music industry waking up 10 years too late. Where were you in 2015 when I was fighting the system alone?”
In a post that was later deleted, Tanishk Bagchi had claimed that YRF did not pay him the full amount he was promised for Saiyaara. He wrote, “This was my first film with YRF. I agreed to everything because I believed in the music. I gave this song everything I had. From the production to the composition, working with the lyricist and singers, recording, vocal tuning, sound, arrangements, every single detail mattered to me. I treated it like it was my own. Whatever YRF had paid me, all of that nominal amount was used to do the live and mixes. What was left was zero, yes. That's what I earned from a song so big.”
The singer said he was disappointed after seeing the royalty amount he received for the song. According to him, the payment was around Rs 8 Lakh, even though the track was watched millions of times across different platforms. He felt that the amount did not match the hard work, time and effort he had put into creating the song. Tanishk said he expected a much higher royalty because of the song's success. He added that he was not looking for sympathy but wanted to highlight an unfair system.
“One thing I've also learned is that sometimes you give people your everything, and when success comes, they forget who stood by them. Anyway, I leave the rest to God. Time tells every story, and karma settles every account,” Tanishk Bagchi added.
In February, Tanishk Bagchi, in a conversation with Faridoon, explained that making good music was not enough because artists also needed to spend money on promotions and public relations (PR) to reach more people, something not many can afford.
He also added that there was not enough support for musicians who want to build a long-term career. Comparing India with Western countries, Tanishk said that songwriters, sound engineers and other team members continue to receive royalties there. In India, most artists are paid only once for their work.