The global rise of Indian and South Asian music has brought major streaming numbers and growing international attention, but for many artists, that success has not fully translated into earnings. Despite their music reaching listeners around the world, royalties have often fallen through the cracks. A new partnership between Kobalt and Madverse Music is aiming to change that.
Madverse Music, a regional distribution, publishing, and marketing company, works with more than 150,000 artists and labels across India and South Asia. Through its new collaboration with Kobalt, Madverse creators will now gain access to global publishing administration, royalty collection, metadata management, and sync services. The goal is simple: make sure artists are properly paid whenever and wherever their music is played.
For Madverse CEO Rohan Nesho Jain, the issue has been a long-standing one. He points out that many Indian creators have missed out on income not because their music lacked reach, but because the systems needed to track and collect international royalties were either weak or nonexistent. This partnership, he says, is about closing that gap and making sure independent artists no longer lose money due to outdated infrastructure.
By combining Madverse’s deep regional presence with Kobalt’s global publishing expertise, the two companies hope to create a smoother, more reliable pathway for Indian artists to earn what they are owed. Beyond just improving royalty collection, the partnership is also about long-term impact, helping artists build sustainable careers with a stronger financial foundation.
As Indian music continues to travel further across borders, collaborations like this highlight an important shift in the industry. Growth in streams is no longer enough. For artists to truly thrive, their success needs to be matched by systems that recognize their value and ensure they are paid fairly for their work.
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