UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge and primary digital officer Michael Nash stated they are presenting brand-new gain access to terms with an eye on market advancement, comparable to what was executed in China in 2019
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Universal Music India to Paywall New Releases for 72 Hours
Significant label Universal Music Group’s upcoming releases by Indian and global artists will be offered very first to paid customers for 72 hours throughout streaming services, following which they will be readily available on ad-supported platforms.
In the Q2 incomes call that happened on July 30, 2026, UMG’s chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge revealed the brand-new paywall technique, Digital Music News reports. Grainge stated, “Fans will still have access to the music they like, and artists will see the advantage of enhanced payment. China has actually revealed what’s possible when much healthier music communities take hold. We desire India to follow a comparable course and think numerous other prospective markets will do too.” The publication likewise reported that the music label trialled a comparable method in China in 2019.
Hailing the concept of “extremely fans” as a fantastic chance for artists to develop “longer, better professions,” Grainge stated that UMG is taking these actions with the understanding that “fans desire more than simply the music.” He includes, “They desire neighborhood, physical items, and much deeper relationships with the artists they like.” Chairman and CEO of UMG India and South Asia Devraj Sanyal included a declaration, “This has to do with enhancing the worth of music and developing a more sustainable innovative neighborhood. The future will not be determined by the variety of listeners alone, however by the depth of fandom and the worth we develop for artists, songwriters and the financial investment this opens.”
In the revenues call, UMG’s primary digital officer Michael Nash likewise conjured up the “macros” in regards to India’s big and young population and growing economy, and stated how India “needs to definitely rank greater than the number 15 international music market.” He included, “It’s one of the biggest development chances on the planet, and we’ve got to speed up market advancement.”
Hailing it as a “trillion-stream market in 2025,” he worried that India has “really, extremely low paid conversion rates” in regards to streams, pointing out market approximates that just 7 to 10 percent of overall specific streaming users are paid. He restated that the brand-new technique is “an effort to assist in market advancement.”
