I&B Ministry
I&B ministry helpless on high music royalty
NEW DELHI: The government has literally washed its hands off radio FM players’ plea on high music royalty fee.
In the absence of a single collection agency for music rights fee from FM radio stations, mangers of the 287-odd new FM frequencies had asked the government to intervene and help form a single company for music rights collection as this vexed issue was threatening to throw many a business model off gear.
An official of the information and broadcasting ministry said, “The issue relates to IPR, which is in the domain of the human resources development (HRD) ministry. We cannot intervene on every aspects of a business.”
The official added that the concerns of the private radio FM operators have been conveyed to the HRD ministry and now it’s up to it to do address the issue.
Explaining further the I&B ministry’s helplessness in this regard, the official said, “Our business is to frame a regulatory framework. We cannot really help if other aspects of the business (in this case FM radio) fall within the jurisdiction of other government agencies.”
Why is the music rights issue snowballing into a major controversy? First, multiplicity of organizations that claim to be protecting the rights of performing artistes and their works and second, the absence of a regulator, which could go into such matters in details quickly to come out with feasible solutions.
For the FM radio companies, the music rights fee could well range between Rs 1.2- Rs. 1.5 billion this year and could touch Rs 7 billion by 2010 as operations expand and new programming lineups are rolled out.
The new FM operators have also urged the I&B ministry to help rationalise the music right rates for A+, A, B, C and D category cities on the lines of target population as opposed to the fixed fee regime currently practiced.
According to the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), since the levels of operations would differ from city to city, paying a flat fee for music rights for smaller players would not make business sense.
According to AROI convenor Rajiv Misra, if a FM operator with a licence in Hissar (population approximately 150,000) in Haryana state, for example, pays Rs. 5 million as music royalty for basically film and Indipop songs, the “overheads would increase dramatically.”
AROI had suggested in a petition to the I&B ministry that music fees should be graded on the lines the cities had been graded for licences, depending on socio-economic factors.
Presently, to access music, fees have to be paid to the Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) for sound recordings, Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) for musical works and T-Series, a music company that has a huge library of film and devotional music.
Because most FM radio stations depend heavily on film music, T Series, which began as a small company manufacturing cover versions of popular Hindi film songs, commands the leading market share of over 50 per cent.
The I&B ministry official while expressing helplessness in intervening in such issues, said these are commercial deals that the industry players should try to sort it out themselves instead of approaching the government.
Meanwhile, the ministry also made light of AROI’s protest against satellite radio operator WorldSpace seeking clearance for technology that would help it to broadcast terrestrially.
Pointing out that the government is looking into the issue of WorldSpace, the ministry official said, “Private FM radio operators had existed earlier also and had competed well against satellite radio service. Why is this hue and cry now suddenly when the government hasn’t given any clearance to WorldSpace (to broadcast in the terrestrial mode)?”
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati opens AIR to private content under new policy
NIPP introduces revenue share, sponsored and gratis models
MUMBAI: Radio may be the oldest voice in the room, but it’s learning some very modern tricks. In a bid to stay tuned to changing listener habits, Prasar Bharati has opened the doors of All India Radio to private players under a newly rolled-out content framework. The initiative, titled Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP), marks a significant shift in how the public broadcaster approaches programming moving from a largely in-house model to a more collaborative, market-aligned ecosystem. Issued by Akashvani’s Directorate General in April 2026, the policy invites private producers, content owners and aggregators to pitch programmes across formats, from radio dramas and documentaries to quiz shows, storytelling and music-led content.
At the heart of the framework lies a three-pronged participation model designed to balance creative freedom with commercial viability. The most prominent route is revenue sharing, where advertising and sponsorship income generated by a programme is split between the producer and the broadcaster. The structure tilts in favour of creators offering a 70:30 split when producers bring in advertising, and 65:35 when monetisation is handled by Prasar Bharati.
Alongside this sits the sponsored model, where producers fully fund and monetise their content, subject to compliance with advertising norms and the AIR Broadcast Code. For those less commercially inclined, a gratis route allows content to be submitted free of cost, with Prasar Bharati retaining all monetisation rights effectively turning the platform into a national distribution channel for diverse voices.
The move comes as legacy media grapples with intensifying competition from private FM networks, streaming platforms and digital audio ecosystems. By repositioning AIR as both a public service broadcaster and a content marketplace, Prasar Bharati appears to be recalibrating its role in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Importantly, the framework does not dilute editorial control. All submissions must adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code, and proposals are evaluated through a layered process that weighs storytelling quality, production capability, audience appeal and revenue potential. Only proposals crossing a defined threshold move forward, signalling that while access has widened, the bar remains firmly in place.
Operational discipline is another cornerstone of the policy. Producers are required to maintain broadcast-ready content, deliver episode banks in advance and navigate a structured approval process. Crucially, all production costs are borne by the content provider, reinforcing Prasar Bharati’s positioning as a distribution and oversight platform rather than a commissioning entity.
What elevates the initiative further is its scale. The framework spans multiple clusters and stations across India, covering both metro and regional markets, with specific language mandates and submission channels. This not only expands the content pipeline but also deepens linguistic and cultural representation, an area where AIR has historically held an advantage.
In effect, NIPP signals a quiet but meaningful transformation. AIR is no longer just broadcasting to the nation, it is inviting the nation to broadcast with it, blending legacy reach with contemporary content economics in a bid to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented audio universe.
