iWorld
India’s music royalties hit the high notes with Rs 700 crore windfall
MUMBAI: India’s music scene is singing a very different tune these days—one that sounds suspiciously like cash registers ringing. Music royalty collections in India have struck a crescendo at Rs 700 crore in 2024, surging 42 per cent year-on-year and quadrupling over five years in a performance that would make even Indian cinema proud.
The star of this financial symphony? Streaming platforms, which have transformed from industry pariahs into the golden goose laying digital eggs. India’s global ranking for creators’ collections has leapt from a modest thirty seventh position in 2019 to twenty third in 2023, according to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) in its latest annual report.
But before the champagne corks start popping in recording studios across the subcontinent, there’s a sobering reality check. Despite the impressive crescendo, India’s royalty collections remain woefully below potential for a market of this magnitude—a case of having the orchestra but missing half the instruments.
The culprit? Indians’ stubborn reluctance to pay for premium music streaming services. While platforms like Spotify, JioSaavn and Gaana are desperately trying to wean users off their freebie addiction with subscription models—backed by music labels like Saregama—the conversion rate remains sluggish.
Adding to creators’ woes is the dismal performance of non-digital revenue streams, which continue to hit bum notes. CISAC has been working overtime with the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) to bring global standards to governance, licensing and royalty distribution—essentially teaching old dogs new digital tricks.
The organisations have crafted a fresh action plan for FY25, designed to explore untapped market potential and identify business opportunities. The blueprint targets improved collections from local digital services whilst diversifying revenue streams beyond the usual suspects.
With India’s creative economy finally finding its rhythm, the question isn’t whether the music will stop—it’s how loud the next movement will be.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
