Half of all songs on streaming services got fewer than 10 plays last year. Yet a Punjabi album from an Indian label just crossed 100 million YouTube views, and a single catalogue song passed one billion views on Instagram. The difference is rarely talent alone. It is how loyal the audience is, and what the artist builds around that loyalty.
That question is trending in the Indian music business this week. A piece on Loudest.in (17 October 2026) looked at how Punjabi, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Marathi, Tamil and Malayalam artists can turn fans into income beyond streams, while Tips Music's latest quarterly results showed just how valuable regional songs and short-video reach have become.
If you make regional music, this guide is for you. You will learn why streams alone are a hard way to earn, the five revenue streams regional artists can build, and the groundwork (rights, metadata, distribution) that makes all of them possible.
What This Week's News Tells Regional Artists
On 15 October, Tips Music reported revenue of ₹120.1 crore for the July–September 2026 quarter, up 35% from ₹89.2 crore a year earlier, with profit up 23% to ₹65.5 crore (ANI via Devdiscourse). The label nearly doubled its spending on new content to ₹26.2 crore and released 73 songs, 33 of them non-film.
The highlights it chose to share are telling: the Punjabi album Ishqnama crossed 100 million YouTube views, and the catalogue track Tera Naam Doon passed one billion Instagram views. Its YouTube channels have 164.5 million subscribers.
The lesson for independent artists is not "be a big label". It is that labels are paying more for songs because owned music keeps earning for years, across many platforms, in many forms. The same logic works at your scale, as long as you own your music and spread it widely.
Why Streams Alone Are a Hard Way to Earn
Streaming is the foundation, but on its own it is crowded. According to Luminate's 2025 year-end report (via Music Business Worldwide), about 253 million tracks sat on audio streaming services at the end of 2025, with roughly 106,000 new uploads every day.
- Nearly half of those tracks got fewer than 10 streams in the year
- 73% got fewer than 100 streams
- 88% got fewer than 1,000 streams
On Spotify, a track needs at least 1,000 plays in 12 months before it earns royalties, a rule introduced in 2024. That is why a regional artist with 20,000 true fans in one state can be in a stronger position than an artist with scattered, passive listeners: loyal fans stream repeatedly, show up to gigs, buy merch and share your songs.
Five Ways Regional Artists Can Turn Loyal Fans Into Revenue
The Loudest.in piece makes a point worth repeating: virality is a way to be discovered, not a business model. Here is how to build the business part.
1. Live shows built around the calendar
Regional music lives in festivals and celebrations. Garba nights during Navratri, college fests, weddings, Lohri, Onam and Pongal events, corporate shows and cultural programmes all book regional artists. Plan releases a few weeks before your peak season, keep a simple show deck ready, and track your costs (travel, musicians, sound) so a full venue is also a profitable one.
2. Brand partnerships that fit your audience
Brands in fashion, food, travel and festive marketing want to speak to specific communities. A smaller, highly engaged audience in one language can be more useful to a brand than a big, untargeted one. Keep your streaming and social numbers by city and language handy; that is what a brand manager will ask for.
3. Sync and licensing
Films, web series, ads and digital campaigns need songs that sound like a place and a people. This is where owning your master recording and knowing who owns the composition really matter. Our sync team at MV Marketing pitches music for exactly these opportunities, and you can learn more on our sync page.
4. Merchandise for your community
Fans who sing along in their own language love wearing it too: lyric tees, hoodies with a hook line in Gurmukhi or Tamil script, caps and posters. With Music Merch Company you don't need a store, a warehouse or inventory money upfront. It handles the selling and shipping, and you earn a commission on every sale.
5. Short video that sends fans back to the full song
One billion Instagram views for a single track shows how powerful Reels and Shorts have become. Make sure your song is available in Instagram and YouTube music libraries, post a 15–30 second hook from your best line, and pin a link to the full track. Short video brings new listeners; your streaming profiles and live shows keep them.
The Groundwork: Own It, Tag It, Put It Everywhere
None of the five ideas above work if the basics are shaky. Before you chase brand deals or sync, check these:
- Ownership: keep your master rights and sign simple split sheets with co-writers and producers, so licensing money reaches the right people
- Registration: register as a songwriter with IPRS so performance royalties for your compositions can be collected
- Metadata: set the correct language, genre, ISRC and credits on every release, so the right regional playlists and listeners find you
- Reach: release on Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Gaana, and get your songs into Instagram's and YouTube's music libraries
- Protection: use YouTube Content ID so fan uploads and covers earn for you instead of slipping through
That is where MV Distribution fits in. We send your music to 100+ stores, including Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Amazon and YouTube Music, usually live within 24 hours. You keep 100% of your rights, and real people on our support team reply within 24 hours. For more on how release choices shape earnings, read our guide on what music distribution is.
Conclusion
This week's numbers point in one direction. Labels are investing more in songs because owned regional music keeps earning across YouTube, Instagram and streaming for years. At the same time, most tracks on streaming barely get heard, so streams alone will rarely carry a career.
The good news is that regional artists have something many others don't: fans who feel the music belongs to them. Own your rights, release everywhere with clean metadata, and build live, brand, sync and merch income around that loyalty. Do that, and every new listener has more than one way to support you.
Ready to put your music on 100+ stores while keeping 100% of your rights? Sign up for music distribution with Maheshwari Visuals and release your next regional single the right way.
FAQs
How do regional singers make money in India besides streaming?
The main income streams are live shows (festivals, weddings, college and corporate events), brand partnerships, sync licensing for films, ads and web series, merchandise, and YouTube Content ID. Most successful regional artists combine several of these instead of relying on streams alone.
How many streams do I need to earn royalties on Spotify?
Since 2024, a track needs at least 1,000 plays in the previous 12 months to earn recorded-music royalties on Spotify. Other platforms such as JioSaavn, Apple Music and YouTube Music have their own payout rules.
Should I register with IPRS as an independent artist?
If you write or compose your own songs, yes. IPRS collects performance royalties for songwriters and composers when their works are played publicly or broadcast, which is separate from the streaming income your distributor collects for the recording.
Can I sell merch without investing money upfront?
Yes. With a commission-based service like Music Merch Company, you don't buy inventory or run a store. The service handles production, selling and shipping, and you earn a commission on each item sold.
Does short-video virality guarantee income?
No. A viral Reel or Short is a discovery moment. It turns into income when listeners can easily find the full song on streaming platforms, follow you, and come to your shows or buy your merch.
Sources: How Regional Artists Are Turning Loyal Audiences Into Revenue — Loudest.in, 17 October 2026; Tips reports Q2 FY2027 results — ANI via Devdiscourse, 15 October 2026; Tips Music Q2 FY27 revenue rises 35% — Loudest.in, 16 October 2026; Luminate 2025 year-end data — Music Business Worldwide, 14 January 2026.
