Working lives of Indian non-film musicians in the age of platformisation

For decades, the Indian music industries have been dominated by film soundtracks. The cultural hegemony of film music had relegated non-film musicians to precarious careers with unsustainable work. However, the emergence of music streaming platforms has given a much-needed boost to non-film musicians. Scholars have explored the impact of technological developments on the working lives of musicians before digitalisation and in the contemporary age of platformisation. However, a striking gap exists with respect to the Indian music industries which are vital economic and cultural assets in one of the world’s largest countries but have been conspicuously ignored by scholarship on cultural work. This thesis contributes towards addressing this gap by researching musicians working in India’s non-film recorded music industry which has grown considerably under platformisation. Empirical data for the thesis was collected using semi-structured interviews and noting observations at a music business conference. The thesis first establishes the distinctive political economy of the Indian recorded music industry and the state of non-film music before platformisation. It then explores the rise of non-film music in the platform economy and analyses important ways in which non-film musicians are navigating the opportunities and challenges under platformisation. The thesis also investigates the material and immaterial effects of platformisation on non-film musicians. It concludes that platformisation has sustained traditional dynamics of the Indian recorded music industry which is still dominated by film soundtracks. Nonetheless, platformisation has enabled the growth of non-film music, though not necessarily improving the working conditions of non-film musicians. Taking direction from scholarship in critical political economy and cultural work, this thesis contributes towards building a long-overdue research agenda on the working lives of Indian musicians and enriches debates on the need for researching lesser understood indigenous cultural industries in the Global South.