At the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), YouTube outlined a set of new initiatives aimed at supporting India’s music artists and expanding their reach globally. These efforts align with the platform’s broader strategy to deepen artist-fan engagement and bolster growth within the country’s evolving digital music landscape.
Among the announcements was the launch of YouTube Music Nights in India—a series of curated, in-person performances intended to connect audiences more closely with local artists. The first edition took place at WAVES, featuring acts like The Dharavi Dream Project and Beatpella, along with a collaboration between KING and Alan Walker.
YouTube also confirmed the upcoming India cohort for its Foundry program in 2025. The program, which offers emerging independent artists access to resources and career development tools, has previously supported Indian acts such as Kayan, who was part of the 2022 class and later performed as an opening act for Ed Sheeran.
In a move to expand recognition for regional music, YouTube has broadened its Weekly Top Music Videos charts to include additional Indian languages such as Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Haryanvi, and Bhojpuri, with more to be added.
Speaking at the event, Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at Google and YouTube, emphasized the company’s ongoing investment in the Indian music ecosystem, particularly in creating opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers.
Over the past two decades, YouTube has played a significant role in enabling Indian artists to build audiences both locally and globally. The platform reported that, in the six months leading up to January 2025, users globally watched more than 1.4 billion hours of music videos per month on TVs alone. It also noted that creators and artists can engage audiences across multiple content formats—including long-form videos, Shorts, podcasts, and livestreams—while accessing up to ten revenue streams.
According to YouTube, over INR 21,000 crore has been paid to creators, artists, and media companies in India between 2022 and 2024.
Leave a Reply