Amaal Mallik on complicated contracts in Hindi film music: Nobody has any clarity
Mumbai, Aug 11
Music composer Amaal Mallik, who is known for advocating the artistes' rights in the music industry, has said that the system of royalty and residual income is quite complicated and warped in the industry.
Amaal, who has composed the song 'Yeh Awarapan' from the upcoming Emraan Hashmi-starrer 'Awarapan 2', spoke with IANS during the promotions of the film in the BKC area of Mumbai.
He told IANS, "The type of contracts you sign with a label, artist or a production house, everyone has their own levels, and no one exactly knows what they agree on or what terms they agree on. What Rahman sir will get as a deal will not be what I will get as a deal. What I will get as a deal, maybe some other composer will not get. What he gets, someone new will not get. So, I think it is up to people's own decision making. Obviously, the laws of our country have improved. But the master share of royalty is of the production house or label".
However, he agreed that the system of revenue sharing in south Indian cinema is more streamlined and transparent.
He said, "In the South industry, they share a huge chunk with big artists. But, there is a balance. Some take upfront fees and some don't. But, there is a lack of clarity on the Hindi film side. Here, we don't know what happens. Here, everyone's contracts are different. Everyone's requirements are different. Why is everyone agreeing on one price? No one has any clarity. In the South, there is a lot of respect given to the composers. They know that music hypes the film and gives it a positioning. I am glad that it is happening there. But, it is a slow process in Hindi cinema. It is not fully wrong, but it is not fully right also. There is no 100% clarity in royalties".
"We don't get radio royalties. We don't know how much we get from streaming. In a year, every artiste gets according to their catalogue. Where intricately money streams should be more or not, we will get to know when more avenues open. In the Hindi film industry, it is difficult to ask for your masters. The marketing of a song costs crores of rupees. Actors are also involved in the song. There are also producers making those decisions", he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who works in entertainment law, this is a very persistent issue worldwide, not just in India. Contracts in creative fields are often opaque and imbalanced. The problem is especially acute when labels own the masters. We need more transparent licensing models and better advocacy for creators' rights.
I have seen how composers in South India get paid their due and are treated like stars. Meanwhile, Bollywood makes crores on songs but the actual creators of that music are left in the dark. It's high time these discussions happen more openly. Respect to Amaal for speaking up! 🙌
Honestly, it's sad that the artistes who create the soul of a song don't even know how much they earn from it. If the system is so unclear, how can a young musician even plan a career? More power to Amaal for raising this important issue, and I hope this sparks some real change.
This is a global problem in the music industry. I've spoken to many independent artists here in the US dealing with the same contract confusion. It's refreshing to see Indian artists having an open conversation about it. Hopefully the Indian film industry can set a precedent for fairer practices.
While I appreciate the raise of concern, I think the comparison with South India is misplaced. They have a different film ecosystem altogether. Having said that, the core problem remains: no clarity in contracts and royalty earnings. Bollywood has to take this seriously before they lose all their talented composers to other industries.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.